Hacking How to spot a fake Gateway

[YoshiInAVoid]

I am making this thread because of the large number of people who are unsure if their card is real or a clone.

Quick Check

From the official Gateway team:

You can visually inspect if you have a clone card by looking at the back of your Gateway 3DS Red Card, and looking at the middle pin on the bottom. If the middle pin is shorter than the other pins, then you have received a clone card.

Also note that some real cards will have the Gateway logo written in black whereas other real cards will have the logo slightly tinted blue. Same goes for spring loaded micro sd card slot, some have it, others don't. The only sure way to tell is from pin size, as above.

Symptoms

What can a clone card do and not do? The fake Gateway cards were working fine with all versions of the official Gateway firmware until yesterday when Gateway released a new version called Omega to private beta testers (which has since been leaked).

On attempting to run Omega firmware with a clone card, you will be presented with either "Please enter the red card" (or something similar), or the update will fail very early on.

What to do?

Gateway recommends to:

communicate with your reseller to receive a original replacement because this is out of our control.

Furthermore, we only recommend purchasing Gateway card from official resellers listed here to ensure they are 100% original products that will support and this and future updates.

 

[Schizoanalysis]

Damn those pesky clones...

 

[Prans]

From the official Gateway team:
You can visually inspect if you have a clone card by looking at the back of your Gateway 3DS Red Card, and looking at the middle pin on the bottom. If the middle pin is shorter than the other pins, then you have received a clone card.

The official Gateway team message says clone cards have a smaller middle pin, while the picture indicates the contrary...

 

[kyogre123]

The official Gateway team message says clone cards have a smaller middle pin, while the picture indicates the contrary...

The word is shorter, and that's indeed correct:

If the middle pin is shorter than the other pins, then you have received a clone card.

 

[KiiWii]

In one of the videos I was watching this morning on here (about FPGA updating card to OMEGA) and the user showed in a mirror an LED flashing various colors during the update process. My Gateway looks legit according to the checks above, but it has no LEDs... is that right? I followed the GW update tut's and OMEGA is working perfectly FYI.

 

[ATypicalSe7en]

I'm sorry but I am kinda confused here; I have a Gateway that looks exactly like the first picture the one that says real but instead of a Black logo mines is tinted blue. Do I have a clone? I brought mines from realhotstuff from the gateway site reseller section.

 

[qUaK3R]

I'm sorry but I am kinda confused here; I have a Gateway that looks exactly like the first picture the one that says real but instead of a Black logo mines is tinted blue. Do I have a clone? I brought mines from realhotstuff from the gateway site reseller section.

It probably is, I've seen some resellers making their own stickers at some point. If you were able to update the card with super hyper alpha omega update, you're good to go.

 

[Mira]

glad mine's real then.
anyway they should look for differences in the box too,sometimes your unable to just "unbox it to make sure"

 

[Jao Chu]

I don't understand this. I got my Gateway from the ONLY official Australian retailer. And it matches the fake picture. I think it's noteworthy to mention that my card successfully updated via FPGA with OMEGA 2.0. It doesn't have a spring loaded SD slot.

Any Aussies want to chime in here who bought from the same place?

 

[ATypicalSe7en]

It probably is, I've seen some resellers making their own stickers at some point. If you were able to update the card with super hyper alpha omega update, you're good to go.

Damn I guess I'll have to wait 1-2 days until Gateway release it to the public still I'm going to contact Realhotstuff to see what is going on and why I got a possible fake.

 

[KiiWii]

Mine is definitely tinted blue (not 100% black), the pin is longer, and the stickers are wonky as hell. Mine also doesnt have spring loaded slot, or an LED's when updating FPGA.

Got mine from seller on EBAY uk, from CANTON CHINA.

Pics:

Spoiler

However it updated to omega just fine.....weird..??

 

[qUaK3R]

Damn I guess I'll have to wait 1-2 days until Gateway release it to the public still I'm going to contact Realhotstuff to see what is going on and why I got a possible fake.

Sorry, I meant "it probably is REAL" xD

 

[bowser]

The official Gateway team message says clone cards have a smaller middle pin, while the picture indicates the contrary...

You do realize the pin is the gold part, right?

 

[ATypicalSe7en]

Sorry, I meant "it probably is REAL" xD

You do realize the pin is the gold part, right?

I knew something was weird as I looked at their old official videos and notice it was the same as mines lol Pheww now I can rest easy knowing I don't have to go through the trouble of replacing it.

Although I think most people think the pins are the Blueish/little greenish parts though which confuses people.

 

[migles]

conspiracy: maybe they made a second version of the card and they are telling the old version is fake so you need to get a replacement new one

its a genius marketing idea for having a gateway 2.0 without telling people they made a second version and will not support the older version of the card

 

[Doran754]

I'm very confused, I guess the confusion will go once I update, (I've got the files I'm just holding off updating for now) according to the visual checks my pin (the gold part) is longer, It has the springload for the MicroSD, It works fine so far but It's definitely tinted blue, does this mean It's fake? I think the colour variations are probably for different regions but It can't hurt to ask!

 

[nvidia5500]

I too have a bluish tint on the Gateway logo but matches the pins. No issues when updating to 2.0 beta and so far no issues encountered.

Spoiler

 

[migles]

I'm very confused, I guess the confusion will go once I update, (I've got the files I'm just holding off updating for now) according to the visual checks my pin (the gold part) is longer, It has the springload for the MicroSD, It works fine so far but It's definitely tinted blue, does this mean It's fake? I think the colour variations are probably for different regions but It can't hurt to ask!

don't trust on the stickers, gateway sends the cards without the stickers. usually they send the stickers as a separate thing and resellers apply them, resellers sometimes just print themselves...
this is what i heard

 

[YoshiInAVoid]

I've updated the article about stickers and spring loaded micro sd slots. I've also removed the broken image.

 

[wiibomb]

I bought mine from eachmall some months ago ( last november I think) but mine has the larger pin and has the blueish tint in the stickers, don't think it is precisely a clone...




oh and it looks like this too:

I too have a bluish tint on the Gateway logo but matches the pins. No issues when updating to 2.0 beta and so far no issues encountered.

Spoiler