The Official R4DS "Is This Legit/A Scam/A Clone??" Thread

[macbastard]

We regularly get a lot of activity in the forums about counterfeit R4DS cartridges(R4s), supposed "R4 Upgrades" and similar scams.

If you're thinking about buying or have bought something that you think might be a fake R4, post your questions here.

If you've been scammed, have heard about scams, fakes or counterfeit R4s, post information here.
(including where/who sold you the fake, and any pictures, if you have them)

EDIT (11/14/08):
The clone/fake issue with the R4 has gotten extremely bad.
It is to the point now that there is no real agreement on what is or isn't an authentic R4 cartridge. Rumors and speculation are rampant that there are no authentic R4s being produced anymore, that all new stock are basically very well made clones, and that the original R4 team is dead and disbanded (look here for a (badly) translated page reviewing one of the "perfect" R4 clones currently being sold (source page here)). The near complete disappearance of the original R4 website, lawsuits targeting the R4 by the likes of Nintendo and other game companies, and the total silence from the official R4 team up to now lends credibility to these assertions.

At this point, it would appear as though the original, "authentic" R4 is a dead flashcart.

Alternative firmwares exist that breathe new life into existing owners' R4s, but given the current situation it is difficult to recommend the R4 to new buyers.

These days, people report varying degrees of luck and satisfaction using clone R4 cartridges... so your mileage may vary. We don't recommend using any particular type. Just be aware that you are taking a risk using one (see below). Since updates to most clones' firmware were based upon updates to the official firmware, it is entirely possible that your clone will stay at the same level of game compatibility as v1.18 of the official R4 firmware. In other words, just because your "R4 Pro III v2 whatever" says it has "v4.7 firmware", it doesn't necessarily make it any better or more compatible with games than the 1.18 version of the official firmware... they're just making up version numbers for appearance's sake, in most cases.

This post will be regularly updated as information is collected from this thread and elsewhere.

For a list of websites that reliably sell legitimate R4s, please check out the Where's A Safe Place To Buy An R4 Thread, and the Where did you buy your R4 from? thread.


Pictures of Fake R4s/R4 Clones/Fake R4 "Upgrades":
None of the following are R4s or upgrades to the current R4 ROM cartridge:






Websites Selling Fake R4s/Clones/"Upgrades":
Do not purchase any of these if you are looking to purchase an authentic R4 cartridge.

R4 SDHC:
http://www.ndslr4.com/
http://www.r4r4ds.com/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nintendo-Revolu ... 937&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nintendo-Revolu ... d_sbs_ce_2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Memory ... 798&sr=1-1
http://www.r4sdhc.com/ - Added 9/08/08 by F_t_R
http://www.r4ds-a.com/ - Added 17/08/08 by F_t_R
http://www.r4new.com/ - Added 29/09/08 by F_t_R

NPlayer:
http://www.ndsplayer.com/ - Added 30/09/08 by FtR

R4 "Deluxe":
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.15947
http://www.r4deluxe.com/

R4 "Ultra"
http://www.r4ultra.com/

R4 "v3", "R4 - III":
http://www.r4dsl.net/
http://www.r4dsusa.com/R4DSIII-p7.html
http://www.RoyalDS.net/ (discussed here)
http://www.amazon.com/Media-Cheat-Enhan ... 22&sr=8-30
http://www.amazon.com/Media-Cheat-Enhan ... 345&sr=8-2

N5/R4DS "Revolution II":
http://www.dsn5.com/
http://www.priceground.com/111-17545.html (discussed here)
http://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Ninten ... 345&sr=8-5
http://www.amazon.co.uk/N5-Nintendo-Lit ... B0016BMHJ4
http://itechextreme.com/
http://ezbuyxtreme.com/
(both sites are apparently run by the same company, and both market the "Revolution II" fake as an actual R4 cartridge, the N5 as being "the same as the R4", and have shipped relabeled clones as authentic R4 cartridges)

http://www.dsnd1.com/EN-ND1/index.htm - It's a clone of a clone N5! - Added by F_t_R 10/08/08

"R4-Plus"/"R4 Cheap English Version":
http://www.volumerate.com/details.vr/sku.60157

E7/E7DS:
http://dse7.net/

NDS MARS
http://www.ndsmars.com/ - Added 29/09/08 by FtR

R4 Pro
http://www.r4dspro.com/function_en.html

R4II
http://r4iids.com/indexe.asp


Other Sites to Avoid (Identified Externally):
These come from this linked thread maintained by Urza on GBATemp.net.
They've been outed for the following reasons:
- Poor customer service
- Does not update pages when out of stock
- Buys out ALL the product from places like DealExtreme so the common man can no longer purchase from them
- Marks up their product by insane amounts (think 200+%)
- Has been known to take money and never reply back to the buyer
- Straight-up scam site
- Makes accounts on boards like this to go around spamming their [censored] site

These sites are:
www.consolesource.com
www.emvee.ca
www.ezbuyxtreme.com
www.foundmy.com
www.gamekool.com
www.itechextreme.com
www.modchipstore.com
www.mxconsoles.co.uk
www.ndscardmart.com
www.r4dsusa.com
www.deveno.com
www.digizo.co.uk
www.724deal.com
www.mobile-telephone-accessories.com
www.oknewshop.com

The GBATemp thread also contains screenshots of these sites since, according to Urza: "A common practice of these assholes is to move their site to a new name once they've been found out."


Known issues with phony "upgrades"/clones/fake R4s:
If you purchased/plan to purchase something other than an authentic R4DS, you should know the risks.

- Cheaper/Poorer quality construction
- Incompatible with Official R4DS Firmwares/Kernels/Updates
- Known to corrupt MicroSD memory cards, requiring re-formats (N5) [link]
- Known to "brick" Nintendo DSes by breaking fuses (N5) [link, link2]
- Buggy firmwares and kernels lacking support for newer games.
- Clones are, on occasion, shipped with CDs containing incompatible firmware, or in boxes with incorrect information on where to obtain the necessary firmware/kernel they require. See the bottom of this post for assistance.
- Future versions of the official R4DS firmware/kernels may permanently render R4 clones and fakes useless ("brick" them). There is some confusion regarding the actual translation of the original announcement (which was in Chinese), and some have taken it to mean that the newer firmwares could possibly brick Nintendo DS consoles using fake/clone R4s with official firmware [source 1 , source 2] EDIT: The last bullet above, in blue, never came to pass. No "clone killing" firmware/kernel was ever released(or will ever be released, given the disappearance of the R4 team). Leaving this here for history's sake.


The R4 DS Spring Question
We've had a number of people ask about spring loaded R4 cartridges.
The first generation of legitimate R4 cartridges featured a spring-loaded slot for the MicroSD card. Typically, these were the white shelled R4s available in the first half of 2007 and earlier. There were a number of problems with the spring mechanism failing (e.g- either not working altogether or launching MicroSD cards out across the room). In the latter half of 2007 the R4 team revised the hardware and removed the spring mechanism. In addition to the removal of the spring mechanism, the R4 team also made minor changes to the cartridge and PCB design.

The newer, springless version of the R4 is occasionally referred to as version 2 (v2), which shouldn't be confused with clones/fakes using a similar name. Most vendors selling authentic R4s don't bother making the v2 designation, as supplies of the original springloaded R4 have been exhausted. Unless a vendor has REALLY old stock of R4s (a remote and unlikely possibility, given the popularity and shortages of the R4 in late 2007/early 2008), all R4s sold now do not possess the spring mechanism.


Three easy ways to determine if an R4 is a clone or not:
1. Does it support high capacity (larger than 2GB) SDHC MicroSD cards?
Yes?
Then it is a clone.
HOWEVER, just because you have something that doesn't support SDHC doesn't automatically make it authentic, either. Also, the original could support 4GB, provided you could find one of the rare 4GB NON-SDHC microSD cards in existence. However, that support was flakey and unstable, at best.
2. Does it list a firmware/kernel version other than 1.18 on it's "official" site?
Yes?
Then it is a clone.
In fact, if your particular flavor of R4 cart has a full functioning website, it is more than likely a fake/clone... since the original R4 site was largely shut down many months ago.
3. Does it support the new Nintendo DSi?
Yes?
Then it is a clone.
Nintendo locked out the original, authentic R4 and it's original series of clones with the DSi. The original R4 team disappeared a LONG time ago... any flashcart out there with the R4 name that claims support for the DSi is just leeching off the popularity of the R4 name and either using a really hacked up version of the original R4 firmware, or is a clone of some other flashcart currently in development. The DSi features updateable software (similar to the Wii), so it will be fairly easy for Nintendo to release updates for the DSi that will lockout flashcarts. You can use an R4 clone claiming DSi support, but you would probably be better served buying a flashcart with direct support from a live development team.


Another Resource For Determining Whether Your R4 is Authentic:
From GBATemp, this post tells how to check and see if the R4 you own is the real deal.


Oh no! I came here after I bought a clone R4! What do I do!?
It's not the end of the world. If you're having trouble getting your clone up and running, this thread is a good place to start: viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2593

[pimpmynintendo]

it's not a trap, it's a TARP!

[jcm4]

sticked.

[MacGnG]

nice! thankeee!!!

[jcm4]

i just noticed i posted sticked. Oh well, i kinda like that.

[TheWingless]

So the Fakes/Clones are:
N5
R4 Upgrade(The V3 on Amazon?)
E7
The N Card Clone
R6(Not the Neo Team version)

Are we gonna be helping people with these carts or just tell them to buy real flashcarts/different carts?

[Grimalkin]

To tell them that they got ripped off?

[macbastard]

To tell them that they got ripped off?

More or less. And keep track of the various different clones/scams/scammers out there.

[jcm4]

so are these four the only major knock-offs atm?

[macbastard]

That I know of, yeah. Hoping that as other folks read/hear/experience any more they'll come here and post.

I'll just edit the first post with new information as it becomes available. I need to go through our forums and aggregate the online shops mentioned that have been peddling fake R4s too.