Gaming Yet another question about fake DS console (fat)

[Zuljaras]

Hello,

I just bought DS fat and I think that it is refurbished or fake. However I am not sure that there are fake DS units now. Just rumours.

So here are just photos of the console. I am just looking for information.


I see that the screws are not triwing and that worried me at first but then I read that this may have been refurbished by replacing its shell.
It is bought from my country but who knows everything comes from China.

It plays both original DS and GBA games without problems.

I just need to clean it well.

So do you guys have some information to share about FAKE DS consoles. I know that DS Lite was rumoured to have fake consoles but not the DS Fat.

Any information is well appreciated!!!

 

[DinohScene]

Doesn't look like a fake to me.
And if it is a "fake" it's a well made one.

I'm pretty sure they just refurbed the unit.

 

[tech3475]

When I last heard about fake DSs, the biggest issue seemed to be the power supply they gave along with them.

 

[Zuljaras]

Doesn't look like a fake to me.
And if it is a "fake" it's a well made one.

I'm pretty sure they just refurbed the unit.

I really hope that it is not fake. At least it plays quite well.

 

[tastymeatball]

The first thing I see that don't seems right to me are the screws. My European DS has Y-type screws.(Didn't saw you already found that)
The other thing I see is the color of the A and B button and the D-Pad are brighter, but that could be because of the light.

 

[Zuljaras]

The first thing I see that don't seems right to me are the screws. My European DS has Y-type screws.(Didn't saw you already found that)
The other thing I see is the color of the A and B button and the D-Pad are brighter, but that could be because of the light.

Actually they are brighter like they are from different plastic. This is probably with changed shell. I have to open it and see what is inside.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Well now I saw in Ebay that many DS fats have the same buttons 2 are black and 2 are grey.

 

[FAST6191]

That does look like a replacement case I did for one of mine a while back
https://gbatemp.net/threads/ds-original-phat-replacement-case-review-56k-no.364632/

The dpad (in the linked thread I managed to get the original working again as I did not especially like the replacement), clear light pipe and matte nature of the back being indicators of that. The sticker is also similar to the one there, however I don't know that it is different all the official variations that might be out there.

 

[Zuljaras]

Actually they are brighter like they are from different plastic. This is probably with changed shell. I have to open it and see what is inside.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Well now I saw in Ebay that many DS fats have the same buttons 2 are black and 2 are grey.

That does look like a replacement case I did for one of mine a while back
https://gbatemp.net/threads/ds-original-phat-replacement-case-review-56k-no.364632/

The dpad (in the linked thread I managed to get the original working again as I did not especially like the replacement), clear light pipe and matte nature of the back being indicators of that. The sticker is also similar to the one there, however I don't know that it is different all the official variations that might be out there.

Well that is good news. So I guess there are no FAKE consoles only replacement shells. What is inside is important to me. Also do you know where I could order nice FULL replacement housing for that DS?

 

[FAST6191]

Compared to the likes of the gb/gbc, NES and GBA then yeah I don't think there are any clone DS consoles yet, hopefully they arrive and bring the upscaling with them.

It was a pain to find that one linked back in 2014. As nobody has declared the original/phat DS an unfairly maligned classic yet (compared to the original GBA which does seem to have been called that, especially now replacement backlit screens exist) I don't imagine there will have been a new run. Beyond that I don't think any of the replacement shells were outright 1:1 or better than the original -- I would have certainly spent up for it. That pretty much leaves you with cannibalising a shell from something else, however as the thing that led to cracked hinges was a design fault (possibly also manufacturing) then good luck with that one too. You might get lucky and find a smashed screen, dead battery original DS with a shell in suitable condition and colour being sold on your preferred junk selling website for a pittance as stranger things have happened.
Personally I have used that DS as my main DS and my main handheld (3ds has no games) since I did the replacement back in 2014 and with the original dpad in there I am perfectly happy with it, tetris and action games very much being my main choices for the DS library then and to this day.

 

[Zuljaras]

Compared to the likes of the gb/gbc, NES and GBA then yeah I don't think there are any clone DS consoles yet, hopefully they arrive and bring the upscaling with them.

It was a pain to find that one linked back in 2014. As nobody has declared the original/phat DS an unfairly maligned classic yet (compared to the original GBA which does seem to have been called that, especially now replacement backlit screens exist) I don't imagine there will have been a new run. Beyond that I don't think any of the replacement shells were outright 1:1 or better than the original -- I would have certainly spent up for it. That pretty much leaves you with cannibalising a shell from something else, however as the thing that led to cracked hinges was a design fault (possibly also manufacturing) then good luck with that one too. You might get lucky and find a smashed screen, dead battery original DS with a shell in suitable condition and colour being sold on your preferred junk selling website for a pittance as stranger things have happened.
Personally I have used that DS as my main DS and my main handheld (3ds has no games) since I did the replacement back in 2014 and with the original dpad in there I am perfectly happy with it, tetris and action games very much being my main choices for the DS library then and to this day.

I have opened it and saw that it is in fact original. Nintendo printed on the circuit board and the chips were labelled as I matched them from authentic ones from replacement guide online.

Now all I need is to clean it because it is filthy on the inside. Something sticky like Cola has been spilled.

One last thing that worries me is the top screen that is strange. In the starting menu it kind of flickers when I am not looking at it directly but if I focus on it, it is normal. Maybe I am crazy but I do not get the same thing if I play a game. Crazy stuff.

And the flicker is not like broken screen. It is more like old TV or something.

 

[Zuljaras]

Also I have never had original DS before so is it normal for the screens to have suck lack in brightness? I mean it is perfectly fine to play but I am used to the DS Lite GBA SP 101 and 3DS.

 

[FAST6191]

Yeah the screens are the foremost complaint for the original DS, especially stacked next to a 101, lite and 3ds.

The flickering? Is it right as you power on? That might be a side effect of flashme (it added a little ramp up of the backlight via PWM when being turned on). Speaking of flashme you might have a later revision original DS which had the DS lite brightness controller, one that later versions of flashme modified consoles could access (stock was on-off like all the others). Simple test is on the menu (or anywhere you can change brightness) change it -- plain on and off just means normal or no flashme and said lite chip, going through stages means has the lite chip and relevant version of flashme installed.
In the actual menu I don't know as I have yet to analyse or see one of the system used -- were this a laptop screen we would be having a different conversation about inverters and such. Flicker is more easily detected out of the corner of your eye. Flicker can certainly be the result of a poor connection or a failure mode though.

 

[Zuljaras]

Yeah the screens are the foremost complaint for the original DS, especially stacked next to a 101, lite and 3ds.

The flickering? Is it right as you power on? That might be a side effect of flashme (it added a little ramp up of the backlight via PWM when being turned on). Speaking of flashme you might have a later revision original DS which had the DS lite brightness controller, one that later versions of flashme modified consoles could access (stock was on-off like all the others). Simple test is on the menu (or anywhere you can change brightness) change it -- plain on and off just means normal or no flashme and said lite chip, going through stages means has the lite chip and relevant version of flashme installed.
In the actual menu I don't know as I have yet to analyse or see one of the system used -- were this a laptop screen we would be having a different conversation about inverters and such. Flicker is more easily detected out of the corner of your eye. Flicker can certainly be the result of a poor connection or a failure mode though.

Actually, I just opened the Ds and cleaned it and fixed the shoulder button "L" because it was not responsive. I detached the ribbon cables and attached them again in their places. After that I did not have problems.

BUT I have noticed that the bottom screen is not as bright as the top. After this I saw that the bottom onw does not have light coming from the sides while the top one has. So I guess this is the reason I noticed the bottom and top screens slight brightness difference.

Also I do not have Flash be since I only have on and off brightness levels.

Just that difference is bothering me a little.

 

[Zuljaras]

I just need to know if I should open it and try to fix it.