Hacking Is DealExtreme.com selling bootlegs?

[yukine]

I bought my first R4 DS from DealExtreme.com, and finally got it today. Unfortunately, it broke within the first few hours (the microSD card won't stay in the cart... it just pops out.) That seems awfully suspect to me, but I don't know if I just have bad luck or what.

Also, the box that it came in looks a bit different from other websites that are selling the R4. Of course, I didn't notice this until I actually received mine... but they show the contents and the box on their website quite clearly: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.1202

While trying to find a way to fix it, I opened up the case and inside looks a bit different from what I have seen online as well, instead of a small black chip on the bottom left, there is something that is black and round (I'm no expert in electronics so is this the same thing?)

Before it quit holding the microSD, it seemed to work pretty good... although for some reason I couldn't get custom skins to work properly, and hitting the middle icon on the main menu would always error and say that the "_DS_MSHL.NDS" couldn't be found in root. I tried formatting the microSD numerous times to no avail, playing roms works fine however.

I contacted them, and explained that it practically arrived broken and that I want a refund. They informed me that I will not have to wait nearly as long and already issued me a replacement to be sent. I have no problem waiting again, but I don't want to waste all this time if these are indeed bootlegs. I suppose these are minor issues, but considering that there was a rumor of DealExtreme selling bootlegged R4s, coupled with the cheap price is concerning.

 

[Destructobot]

It's not a bootleg. The counterfeit R4s that have been reported don't even have microSD slots. The crappy SD slot is an issue that more than a few people have had with the R4/M3 Simply.

The black blob thing instead of a chip means that you got the revised version that cannot be easily modded into an M3 Simply, or changed from Chinese to English or vice versa.

 

[yukine]

Thanks for the quick reply, would you perhaps know why it doesn't load customized skins properly? I also tried to install the 1.7 A Kernel Update (the one that changes the theme based on the current month) and even that wouldn't change what it looked like. It remained looking like a very old interface, with a (I think) Pacman as the gaming icon.

 

[Destructobot]

I'm not sure. A few people have been unable to get skins working, for no apparent reason. I don't know if a solution was found, or if it's the same problem you were having.

No point worrying about it too much before your replacement arrives.

 

[yukine]

Indeed... I'm most likely going to push for a refund, and pay the extra $10.00 to get it in 3 - 4 days. I know I said I wouldn't mind waiting, but 22 days is a pretty long wait for something so nifty as the R4.

 

[yukine]

If you have the ability, please go right ahead and bury/delete this thread. I don't want to discourage anyone from ordering from DealExtreme, as they are quite a good company that has very nice prices. The shipping is the worse part, but it is coming from Hong Kong so it's understandable.

 

[diglett]

...

 

[yukine]

If you were not already aware, all R4 units have issues with the microsd slot. Try pressing it in while gently squeezing the plastic surrounding the slot. Also, fully depressing the flash card into the slot will cause it to pop out of my cards nearly every time. Try inserting it just a bit farther than the normal resting position.

Thanks for the tips, I tried and it didn't work. I just think I got a really faulty R4, or something. It was working fine until I put it in, and it went a bit further than normal (I didn't notice) I tried to boot it up and it said the microSD card is missing. I then had to very gently pull it out, as it wouldn't spring the card back out. Now it won't go in at all (I could always tape it... I guess.)

 

[coobico]

I just got my R4 yesterday from dealextreme. Glad it came in black and was excited to test out the microSD slot (my other 1gb microSD card in my EZ4 is all scratched up from scraping in out each time with my fingernails). So I stuck in a new microSD into the R4 and heard the loud click locking on. I depressed it again in hopes that it would spring right back up, but it didn't. rather, it went further in and just sat there. I whipped out a needle nose plier and yanked the microSD back out. A little depressed that I had a bum R4, I decided to try it one more time. Again, I pushed it in slowly till i heard the click. but this time, I gently pushed it down and the card spring right back up. =D I did this several more times and it works as advertised. I used the included microSD reader to dump the R4 files onto the card and threw some roms on there along with a new skin. Everything works flawlessly. The R4+EZ4 combo on the DS is hard to beat!

 

[Renegade_R]

Indeed... I'm most likely going to push for a refund, and pay the extra $10.00 to get it in 3 - 4 days. I know I said I wouldn't mind waiting, but 22 days is a pretty long wait for something so nifty as the R4.

Goddamn 22 days?! I just ordered a lot of stuff i want from them.

 

[Kenjis]

No, he probably meant for him to get a working one, 11 days for the first one 11 days for the new one etc.

I just ordered an R4 with a 1gb Microsd from them yesterday, its packaging and it'll be sent by tommorow it'll arrive in 10-14 Days. Great work and for $43 you can't beat that.

 

[retiredjerk]

Dealextreme does sell bootleg stuff. Their wiikeys are fakes. I dealt with this company one time and they sent me a non working product.Not only that they have no encryption on their site at all. You guy must love to take risks to save a few bucks. Sending my CC info unencrypted somewhere in china just isnt cool with me.

 

[ozzyzak]

Dealextreme does sell bootleg stuff. Their wiikeys are fakes. I dealt with this company one time and they sent me a non working product.Not only that they have no encryption on their site at all. You guy must love to take risks to save a few bucks. Sending my CC info unencrypted somewhere in china just isnt cool with me.

I don't know about you, but I didn't send my CC info to anyone. I sent a paypal payment. If it turns out to be a scam, I can just notify paypal and get a refund. Troll much?

 

[joe_gamer]

Dealextreme does sell bootleg stuff. Their wiikeys are fakes. I dealt with this company one time and they sent me a non working product.Not only that they have no encryption on their site at all. You guy must love to take risks to save a few bucks. Sending my CC info unencrypted somewhere in china just isnt cool with me.

You can't even enter your CC info in there, you have to pay via PayPal.

 

[aslacker55]

Their wiikeys are fakes.

Do you have any proof of that. Did you order a wiikey from them or are you just a sourgrape.

 

[dbgtdob]

Dealextreme does sell bootleg stuff. Their wiikeys are fakes. I dealt with this company one time and they sent me a non working product.Not only that they have no encryption on their site at all. You guy must love to take risks to save a few bucks. Sending my CC info unencrypted somewhere in china just isnt cool with me.

they sell bootleg super cards, look at the pictures they are obvious fakes, the official supercard website has pictures of what a supercard is suppose to look like.

 

[FuManChuu]

Wow... serious case of trolls... I've been buying from dealextreme/fifthunit for years... Yeah a lot of their shit is Chinese knockoff crap, but thats what they are selling

Their Supercard/R4/wiikeys are real. Shipping doesn't take months, it takes 2 weeks at worst... stop being girls. As for CC info... yeah, use paypal and stop bitching.

Idiots like some of the people on this forum give decent companies a bad name

 

[Shinji]

You shouldnt even acknowledge people knocking off Dealextreme/Fifthunit/ledshoppe unless they have actual proof. so far, we have alot of peolpe from this board saying they're a legit store, we have ALL of slickdeals.net (and believe me, thats alot) and we have FatWallet saying they're legit. Apparently retiredjerk doesnt know better and I hope to whatever religious figure you pray to that dbgtdob is just kidding...


EDIT: hey look, this is my 1337 post...

, posted at 1:33 and 7 seconds.

 

[betaboy]

Dealextreme does sell bootleg stuff. Their wiikeys are fakes. I dealt with this company one time and they sent me a non working product.Not only that they have no encryption on their site at all. You guy must love to take risks to save a few bucks. Sending my CC info unencrypted somewhere in china just isnt cool with me.

I think this jerk's just come out of retirement!

 

[macaque]

Dealextreme does sell bootleg stuff. Their wiikeys are fakes. I dealt with this company one time and they sent me a non working product.Not only that they have no encryption on their site at all. You guy must love to take risks to save a few bucks. Sending my CC info unencrypted somewhere in china just isnt cool with me.

if you have a credit card, then you should have no problem registering it with paypal which is what dealextreme recommends you do. no risks are taken and we're saving a lot of bucks thank you very much.