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Differences between fake vs real Nintendo DS games


Makar

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1 minute ago, tidaldreams said:

I didn't check my 3DS because it was a bit tight getting in so I didn't want to put it in all the way.

Well that was super weird. So I tested all 3 on my New 3DS XL. The fake Digimon World DS and super robot taisen og saga both worked. Both were extremely hard to get out of my 3DS. They were jammed stuck. However, my fake age of empires mythologies came up as Pokemon HeartGold then gave me a weird error when I tried to play it. Age of empires mythologies was easy to get out of my 3DS though. IMG_20200915_200928738.thumb.jpg.3904ea2bb2088c31f386387117da3e96.jpg

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IMG_20200915_201011109.thumb.jpg.a7249ca7630e974c12b6563a05a649f6.jpg

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6 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

Makar the system you just loaded that game up onto is a DSLite, I said DSi.  Or did you load up the wrong proof images?  I've never known a boot to work on a DSi, lite definitely does.

DOH! big brain fart lol. That is a DS lite duhhhh Makar duhhhhhh!

So a DSi can catch these but not a 3DS?

Edited by Makar
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Here's some pics of a fake HeartGold working in a non-hacked DSi XL. You're gonna have to trust me that it's the fake cart that's in there lol.

722958_FakeHeartGold1.thumb.jpg.0ae8642284aaba325bdaa97aa0a11622.jpg

937744788_FakeHeartGold2.thumb.jpg.6f596c1423b11a7b835b4e067ad808e0.jpg

398615464_FakeHeartGold3.thumb.jpg.04bce61a9088b7830a30e4ef498b5798.jpg

I am unfortunately unwilling to put it in a 3DS because it is a really tight fit and I don't want it to get stuck.

So I guess in conclusion, you should use some of the other methods to determine if the cart is fake.

Edited by tidaldreams
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If a game doesn't appear on the DSi/3DS menu or it errors on boot, it's fake (or I guess the connection between the cart and system could be bad.) But many fakes boot fine, especially these days. The DSi/3DS has a built in DS cart whitelist. The system will block any cart with a title (the 4 letter code) that's not in the whitelist. This whitelist was last updated in 3DS update 7.0.0 way back in 2013.

To get around the whitelist, many fake carts steal a header from a legit game. Modern DS flashcarts use the same trick. This is also why fake games often have an icon that doesn't match the game inside. If you were to crack one of these mismatched fakes open, there's a good chance you'll find an SD card inside with the game ROM loaded on it.

So in short:
- Icon doesn't show = Either FAKE or a connection problem
- Game errors on boot = Either FAKE or a connection problem
- Icon and game don't match = Definitely FAKE

If it passes all three of those checks, keep looking for other clues.

Oh, and current DSi and 3DS custom firmwares usually disable the whitelist check, so make sure to test with a non-hacked system.

 

Edit:
I also want to add that checking for the Pokewalker option in Pokemon HGSS is not a definitive fake check. This is HG running on a flashcart, so it's 100% fake, yet it still has the Pokewalker option.

IMG_20200915_212644.jpg

Edited by sceptios
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32 minutes ago, sceptios said:

If a game doesn't appear on the DSi/3DS menu or it errors on boot, it's fake (or I guess the connection between the cart and system could be bad.) But many fakes boot fine, especially these days. The DSi/3DS has a built in DS cart whitelist. The system will block any cart with a title (the 4 letter code) that's not in the whitelist. This whitelist was last updated in 3DS update 7.0.0 way back in 2013.

To get around the whitelist, many fake carts steal a header from a legit game. Modern DS flashcarts use the same trick. This is also why fake games often have an icon that doesn't match the game inside. If you were to crack one of these mismatched fakes open, there's a good chance you'll find an SD card inside with the game ROM loaded on it.

So in short:
- Icon doesn't show = Either FAKE or a connection problem
- Game errors on boot = = Either FAKE or a connection problem
- Icon and game don't match = Definitely FAKE

If it passes all three of those checks, keep looking for other clues.

Oh, and current DSi and 3DS custom firmwares usually disable the whitelist check, so make sure to test with a non-hacked system.

 

Edit:
I also want to add that checking for the Pokewalker option in Pokemon HGSS is not a definitive fake check. This is HG running on a flashcart, so it's 100% fake, yet it still has the Pokewalker option.

 

IMG_20200915_212644.jpg

Oh crap you're right. I didn't even notice this before. Could've sworn that check used to work. The fake cart definitely won't connect to the pokewalker though even with the option available. I'll edit my post.

Your pic is broken btw.

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10 hours ago, broncofantd793 said:

This was very insightful.  I'll be checking all my stuff.  Even the flashlight trick. I'd never heard of that before.

Glad you found it to be helpful! The flashlight trick is pretty neat. Only works on those Pokemon games I mentioned though. Hopefully you don't find you have some fake games. 

And @sceptios thank you for your insight! The best way imo to determine if s cart is fake or not is still the 4 characters on the front label. If they don't match the first 4 characters on the back, it's a fake game. 

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The flashlight trick actually does work on a few games besides Pokemon. Any DS game that has a built in IR port will have a dark see-through red shell. I haven't been able to find a complete listing of these games (there aren't very many), but Wikipedia does list two of the non-Pokemon ones. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_game_card#Infrared_support

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10 hours ago, leonemesis said:

Great thread, thanks for sharing! Just checked all my games, they are all legit, thankfully. Also, I checked some of my japanese DS games and they also share the same traits listed in the thread (matching front-back numbers and rectangle on the top edge), so I reckon it also applies to PAL DS games.

You're welcome! Glad to hear yours are all legit! I just checked my PAL Tingles Rosy Rupeeland and my Japanese Pokemon Diamond. They both have the matching characters and rectangles too. 

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  • The title was changed to Differences between fake vs real Nintendo DS games
  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...

Thanks @Trifectafor pointing me to this topic. 

so i know this is a year old but still useful data. 

question dose it always hold true the little notch on the top are the real cart?

question dose the ink on the back always stay on the cart mean it's real?  or can the ink be rubbed off with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (my preferred way of cleaning).

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10 hours ago, JVOSS said:

Thanks @Trifectafor pointing me to this topic. 

so i know this is a year old but still useful data. 

question dose it always hold true the little notch on the top are the real cart?

question dose the ink on the back always stay on the cart mean it's real?  or can the ink be rubbed off with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol (my preferred way of cleaning).

That ink can indeed be rubbed off as well as even lifted off by price stickers placed on the back of the carts.  It's not a permanent ink by any means.

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