Hong Kong (bootlegs?)

Mr Durand Pierre

Mr Durand Pierre

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I've been looking up some GBA games on Ebay and there seems to be an immense amount of dealers based out of Hong Kong. Now I know that it's legal to make bootleg CDs there, but cartridges seem much harder to bootleg. Most of these dealers have real good feedback though, so does anyone know how reputable a Hong Kong GBA game would be?
 
I would say 99% of those listed on ebay are bootlegs, ebay is very poor at policing bootlegs across the board, especially with gba games. Clearly buyer beware and many dont care/dont know, but post a link if you have a specific auction in mind.
 
I've bought some bootlegs by accident and they work great....I'm buying bootleg only for now on...they even have a great looking box and manual. I wish I could find more bootlegs of this quality.
 
Most of the games from Honk Kong are bootlegs and they even duplicated the packaging as well; they will sell the games new in the box. You can get the games cheap but you are supporting piracy and their quality is poor, I have heard numerous reports of the batteries going after 3 months.
 
[quote name='SteveMcQ']Asia the land of bootlegs.

And hot women.[/quote]

amen to that!
o yea, bootlegs are awesome./.i bought a band of brothers dvd box set bootleg for $10, worked perfectly
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']which leads me to my second question:
how are bootlegs in any way inferior to the originals (and how can you spot a bootleg for that matter)?[/quote]

u cud usually spot a dvd bootleg cus itll say region free..or look different..ony my dvd auctions i have in huge letters NOT A BOOTLEG or AUTHENTIC..if its a cartridge, usually itll have a different pic or sumthing
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']which leads me to my second question:
how are bootlegs in any way inferior to the originals (and how can you spot a bootleg for that matter)?[/quote]

They are inferior because they use cheaper technology which means your save files will die a lot faster as well the game it self.
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']I've been looking up some GBA games on Ebay and there seems to be an immense amount of dealers based out of Hong Kong. Now I know that it's legal to make bootleg CDs there, but cartridges seem much harder to bootleg. Most of these dealers have real good feedback though, so does anyone know how reputable a Hong Kong GBA game would be?[/quote]

Hong Kong and reputable GBA games are an oxymoron.
 
Back when I was fairly new to ebay and didnt know any better, I bought what I later found out to be a bootlegged DVD set and the video quality was godawful. Plus the box was full of obvious spelling mistakes so in the trash it went. Don't waste your money on the garbage if you know it is a bootleg...you'll regret it.
 
[quote name='Mr Durand Pierre']which leads me to my second question:
how are bootlegs in any way inferior to the originals (and how can you spot a bootleg for that matter)?[/quote]

Not sure as to why they are inferior (I'd imagine crappy parts) but as for how to spot one, for GBA games it's relatively easy. Look at the cart, the part you actually stick into your GBA and it should say "Nintendo" right on the part that goes into your GBA and has the game on it. For the life of me I can't recall what the fuck that thing is called, the part inside with the game encoded on it and fits into your GBA.
 
Some of the names on the carts they use is "Nintondo" and "Ninfendo"

Also from an old post that I remembered when I was looking at GBA games:
[quote name='The Cheapest Ass Gamer']Some people are even putting the ROM list number in the auction's title now! I have also seen the listings that elude, "If you are a collector who cares about originality, this item is probably not for you. But, if you are a gamer who only cares about the content of the game, this item is for you!!!!!" Don't give in and get a bootleg to save money; they are poorly built and you have no idea what the saving mechanism they will use is. Will it be flash memory, a battery, or nothing at all? Because of this, they are very unreliable (lots of problems saving, or lost data). I have seen cartridges that can't even save at all because the piraters don't know what they're doing. And finally, some dead giveaways of a bootleg:

1) Auction says "cart only," but seller has a picture of the box.
2) Auction says "Box will be flattened to protect it in shipping!" What a load; this is because the bootleg boxes they make now are made flat, and it's cheaper to just send them that way.
3) The seller is from somewhere outside the U.S.
4) The seller has sold multiple copies of the same GB games, but they are not sealed, or even cart only.
5) The seller has feedback that says he sells bootleg games. This one is rare because eBay buyers are usually easily fooled.
6) The seller has "private" feedback. eBay really needs to stop making this an option.
Hope this helps anyone who was unsure, and good luck with your buying. :)[/quote]
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky']I've bought some bootlegs by accident and they work great....I'm buying bootleg only for now on...they even have a great looking box and manual. I wish I could find more bootlegs of this quality.[/quote]

Very foolish.

1. the save battery, if it even has one, is likely to die very quickly instead of in 15 years like a real copy.

2. other parts may be poorly built.

3. there may be compatability problems.

4. your game, even complete, will have ZERO collectible value at all if you want to resell; no collector wants a bootleg GBA game!

5. it's morally wrong to buy what you know is stolen property (this probably should be number one, but most people considering buying bootleg stuff have already rationalized away this "little" problem)
 
A friend and I came up with these tips:

HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU OWN A BOOTLEG GAME BOY ADVANCE GAME


Keys on avoiding bootlegs:

- claim to be the "English" version, not US or USA
- item is "new" but not "sealed", or 90%/95% new
- box is folded to prevent damage in transit
- international sellers usually from East Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, etc)
- "new", but cart only
- if complete, they list you get 1 game, 1 box, and 1 manual (the key being they use "1")
- sellers don't claim to be an "Original" or "Real" version
- photo used it usually the stock photo
- price is too good to be true
- carts have a regular 4 (+) screw while Nintendo uses bronzish 3-star screw
- label is off-center or extra glossy
- pin connectors are low quality
- game rattles despite being new
- font of "Game Boy Advance" on cartridge is odd-looking
 
[quote name='elprincipe'] the save battery, if it even has one, is likely to die very quickly instead of in 15 years like a real copy.[/quote]

15 YEAR Battery?

What the heck are you smokin? Pass that Dutchie over here man! :rofl:
792light-thumb.jpg


Seriously, those batteries last like 5-6 years, tops!

Oh & Bootlegs are bad. By buying a bootleg, you are taking away the financial incentive for the developer to create a sequel or worse yet discouraging development for a game system.

BAD DOG! BAD!
 
[quote name='zewone']All of them are bootlegs. I'm exagerating, but not by much.[/quote]

I seemed to get lucky with the one hong kong based seller I've bought from on ebay, loongsfj he's answered any questions I've had and I've gotten no bootleg copies from him. If I am looking for import GBA titles he's the first place I check on ebay.
 
[quote name='CappyCobra'][quote name='elprincipe'] the save battery, if it even has one, is likely to die very quickly instead of in 15 years like a real copy.[/quote]

15 YEAR Battery?

What the heck are you smokin? Pass that Dutchie over here man! :rofl:

Seriously, those batteries last like 5-6 years, tops![/quote]

Looks like someone has never played NES and SNES games. The batteries in my original Legend of Zelda and other NES games all still work, and that's from the 1980s/early 90s, sometimes more than 15 years. IIRC their estimated life is 15 years and that's why I typed that in.
 
[quote name='elprincipe'][quote name='Mookyjooky']I've bought some bootlegs by accident and they work great....I'm buying bootleg only for now on...they even have a great looking box and manual. I wish I could find more bootlegs of this quality.[/quote]

Very foolish.

1. the save battery, if it even has one, is likely to die very quickly instead of in 15 years like a real copy.

2. other parts may be poorly built.

3. there may be compatability problems.

4. your game, even complete, will have ZERO collectible value at all if you want to resell; no collector wants a bootleg GBA game!

5. it's morally wrong to buy what you know is stolen property (this probably should be number one, but most people considering buying bootleg stuff have already rationalized away this "little" problem)[/quote]

You must have a bumper sticker on your car that says: "My other car is my High Horse"
 
[quote name='elprincipe'][quote name='CappyCobra'][quote name='elprincipe'] the save battery, if it even has one, is likely to die very quickly instead of in 15 years like a real copy.[/quote]

15 YEAR Battery?

What the heck are you smokin? Pass that Dutchie over here man! :rofl:

Seriously, those batteries last like 5-6 years, tops![/quote]

Looks like someone has never played NES and SNES games. The batteries in my original Legend of Zelda and other NES games all still work, and that's from the 1980s/early 90s, sometimes more than 15 years. IIRC their estimated life is 15 years and that's why I typed that in.[/quote]

I think it all depends....I worked at a game rental store called "Rhino Video Games" back in the Snes games and we would have 6 month old rentals batteries die.

Personally, I dont plan on playing Sonic Battle in 10 years so fu(k it
 
[quote name='Mookyjooky'][quote name='elprincipe'][quote name='Mookyjooky']I've bought some bootlegs by accident and they work great....I'm buying bootleg only for now on...they even have a great looking box and manual. I wish I could find more bootlegs of this quality.[/quote]

Very foolish.

1. the save battery, if it even has one, is likely to die very quickly instead of in 15 years like a real copy.

2. other parts may be poorly built.

3. there may be compatability problems.

4. your game, even complete, will have ZERO collectible value at all if you want to resell; no collector wants a bootleg GBA game!

5. it's morally wrong to buy what you know is stolen property (this probably should be number one, but most people considering buying bootleg stuff have already rationalized away this "little" problem)[/quote]

You must have a bumper sticker on your car that says: "My other car is my High Horse"[/quote]

Let it go, man. Criticizing me for being on my "high horse" for not wanting to steal games, that's just not right.
 
[quote name='SteveMcQ']Asia the land of bootlegs.

And hot women.[/quote]

You realize most of them are bootlegs, right?
 
[quote name='elprincipe']
1. the save battery, if it even has one, is likely to die very quickly instead of in 15 years like a real copy.

5. it's morally wrong to buy what you know is stolen property (this probably should be number one, but most people considering buying bootleg stuff have already rationalized away this "little" problem)[/quote]

Practically all GBA games don't use batteries to save anyway, so that's not an issue. Saving may be unreliable, but not for that reason.

And copyright infringement is not theft. Is it so hard not to get these two mixed up?
 
[quote name='eldad9']And copyright infringement is not theft. Is it so hard not to get these two mixed up?[/quote]

Copyright infringement is theft of intellectual property.
 
You know you can find other bootleg stuff from Hong Kong than just video games. I had a friend that got bootleg Jordan's. He was an idiot too. He though he was getting some stuff that wasn't out in America yet and he thought he would be cool to be the first one to sport the "new Jordan's". I told him. Why would Nike and Michael Jordan want to release a shoe in a country in which the majority of anything other than food is bootleg. Plus why would an american company want Hong Kong's money before the get American money. He never wore them after that.
 
I just bought a freaking copy of Astro Boy for 7.51 plus $5 shipping from a guy who had pretty good feedback... If it is a bootleg should I report him to EBay or Nintendo or something... I am really hoping it isn't but it seems that I was lured by the damn price..... :evil: If I had known it was bootleg I woulda just bought one of those empty rom linker things... GRRR...thanx for the info though you guys, I will definitely let everyone I know in on this scam...
 
[quote name='thetoxicone'][quote name='zewone']All of them are bootlegs. I'm exagerating, but not by much.[/quote]

I seemed to get lucky with the one hong kong based seller I've bought from on ebay, loongsfj he's answered any questions I've had and I've gotten no bootleg copies from him. If I am looking for import GBA titles he's the first place I check on ebay.[/quote]

Yeah, I've ordered import GBA games from them too... they're legit. Not ALL HK sellers sell bootleg, but a huge portion on ebay do. Always check feedback.
 
[quote name='lain21us'][quote name='eldad9']And copyright infringement is not theft. Is it so hard not to get these two mixed up?[/quote]

Copyright infringement is theft of intellectual property.[/quote]

No, it's not. These words mean different things.
 
[quote name='eldad9'][quote name='lain21us'][quote name='eldad9']And copyright infringement is not theft. Is it so hard not to get these two mixed up?[/quote]

Copyright infringement is theft of intellectual property.[/quote]

No, it's not. These words mean different things.[/quote]

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=theft

Main Entry: theft
Pronunciation: 'theft
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thIefth; akin to Old English thEof thief
1 a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property

(b) sounds like what we're talking about to me (not the guy buying the game, but the pirates).
 
[quote name='eldad9'][quote name='lain21us'][quote name='eldad9']And copyright infringement is not theft. Is it so hard not to get these two mixed up?[/quote]

Copyright infringement is theft of intellectual property.[/quote]

No, it's not. These words mean different things.[/quote]

Why are you defending the bad sellers? And if its not theft, then what is it?
 
copyright infringement is different from theft in that it does not deprive anyone of the actual item. making a copy of a cd is not the same as taking somebody's milk. Not arguing for or against, just saying its different.

that said, i bought a bootleg castlevania cart from a street vendor when I was in hong kong and the save didn't last longer than a couple of months. the cart itself was also a tighter fit into the gba than a real cart. and you can tell if you look closely the nintendo logo is different than on a real cart.
 
My bootleg MMBN1 battery went out after a few months. My bootleg MMBN2 still saves, and both these games were bought from the same seller. I guess if you get lucky the saves might last a while, but still not worth buying them for the cheap price.
 
One point that I don't think has been mentioned yet about the problems with bootleg games is that the manual is often incomplete - they cut out pages to save money. Back when I was young and naive, I bought Breath of Fire for GBA that turned out to be pirated. The manual in several places made references like 'See page 37 for more information about managing your party', which was rather difficult to do seeing as the manual I got only had like 16 pages...

It didn't really matter anyway, though - the battery died within a couple of weeks. Stay away from bootlegs.
 
Bootlegs help support bad things like Terrorism and Drugs. Don't but them, ever ;x
 
I had good prices and luck with Asian DVDs (non bootleg). But its hard to tell this from the auction its just luck of the draw. You can check the feedback on someone and usually there is at least one person complaining about packaging , language, manuals which would be a good indicator.
 
[quote name='My Name Is BoB']Why are you defending the bad sellers? And if its not theft, then what is it?[/quote]

It's copyright infringement.

By the same logic, if you couldn't tell the difference between, say, vandalism and murder, and I explained they were different, I'd be defending the vandals.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']Main Entry: theft
Pronunciation: 'theft
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thIefth; akin to Old English thEof thief
1 a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property

(b) sounds like what we're talking about to me (not the guy buying the game, but the pirates).[/quote]

No, it doesn't. What is the thing that is taken?

The terms "theft" and "copyright infringement" have specific legal meanings. If I take your stuff from you, so that you stop having it and I start having it, without your consent - that's theft (to oversimplify).
 
[quote name='eldad9'][quote name='elprincipe']Main Entry: theft
Pronunciation: 'theft
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thIefth; akin to Old English thEof thief
1 a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property

(b) sounds like what we're talking about to me (not the guy buying the game, but the pirates).[/quote]

No, it doesn't. What is the thing that is taken?

The terms "theft" and "copyright infringement" have specific legal meanings. If I take your stuff from you, so that you stop having it and I start having it, without your consent - that's theft (to oversimplify).[/quote]

So if I embezzled funds from your bank account electronically, it's not theft? That's my reasoning. "Copyright infringement" is stealing of intellectual property, simple as that.
 
[quote name='elprincipe'][quote name='eldad9'][quote name='elprincipe']Main Entry: theft
Pronunciation: 'theft
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thIefth; akin to Old English thEof thief
1 a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property

(b) sounds like what we're talking about to me (not the guy buying the game, but the pirates).[/quote]

No, it doesn't. What is the thing that is taken?

The terms "theft" and "copyright infringement" have specific legal meanings. If I take your stuff from you, so that you stop having it and I start having it, without your consent - that's theft (to oversimplify).[/quote]

So if I embezzled funds from your bank account electronically, it's not theft? That's my reasoning. "Copyright infringement" is stealing of intellectual property, simple as that.[/quote]

If you found a way to embezzle funds from my account in a way that they would still be in my account, it would not be theft.

If I steal your intellectual property, you no longer have it.

An example of stealing intellectual property would be to break into your house, steal blueprints for an invention you're working on, then file a patent before you do.

Is graffiti the stealing of clean walls?
Is jaywalking the stealing of road surface?
Is telling kids santa does not exist the stealing of innocence?
 
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