Nintendo Ds Game Serial Number Check
Jennifer Curtis
As the newest version of the DS system on the market, the Nintendo DSi includes a newer version of the operating system from the manufacturer that does a better job at detecting bootleg software and rejecting it with an error message. After launching the game, you'll see the message below displayed on the bottom screen.
Two things you can quickly check without having a Nintendo DSi handy is the quality of the cartridge's construction. First, with any Nintendo DS cartridge you'll notice a seam down the middle of the side. If you tug on this with a fingernail, the cartridge should not separate at all. If it does, you've got a bootleg.
Each published title has a serial number unique to itself. This serial number can be found on the front of the cartridge and on the back of the game case, next to the UPC. On the cartridge, you''ll find the serial number in the format of NTR-XXXX-YYY, where XXXX is the unique serial number for that game, and YYY represents the region, such as USA.
On the back of the game case, you''ll find the serial number again, in the format of NTR-P-XXXX, again where XXXX is the unique serial number. These two serial numbers will always match on a legitimate copy of the game. Also, compare this serial number to the string of letters printed in black on the back of the cartridge. The first four letters on the back will always match this serial number as well.
There are three types of DS Game Cases. The standard US case is black and has a slot for holding Game Boy Advance games that is solid. Newer "eco-friendly" DS cases have no GBA slot and feature a cut-out recycling symbol behind the manual. The Japanese case is black and has a slot for holding Game Boy Advance games that is in three pieces. The European case is clear and thicker, to accommodate game manuals in multiple languages. Games sold in the US are NEVER sold in the European style cases and rarely ever sold in the Japanese style cases. While there are a few exceptions to the Japanese cases, if you spot a US game in a Japanese case, it should draw your attention to look at the game itself more closely.
In the photo on the left, you'll see a European-style DS case on the left side and a US-style DS case on the right side. In the photo on the right, you'll see a Japanese-style DS case on the left side and a US-style DS case on the right side.
You can find further information about Nintendo's Anti-Piracy program on the official website. There are tips on how to identify counterfeit software for all consoles, not just the DS family, and photos for each category too.
However if you spot a US-sized case in Europe that's normal, some games (the ones I remember are some of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games) have been released in the slim black boxes. I don't think I own any of those so I can't tell you what the GBA cart holder looks like in them.
Also look for the plastic wrap, in Europe it's a foldwrap (not a shrinkwrap) and there's a ripcord running across it. On Nintendo published games that ripcord has the Nintendo logo printed on it, I think some other games may have that too. If those things are missing it's a re-wrapped copy and you should probably look for another one.
I guess I don't have to worry, I don't buy used DS games and I have never bought games online (and would never buy one on eBay). So unless a bootleg DS games winds up at Walmart or Best Buy or something, I shouldn't have a problem.
I've experienced this. It really sucks. I tried to get Metroid Prime:Hunters off of Ebay about a year ago, and got a cartridge that was obviously bootlegged. What REALLY makes me angry is that when I filed my complaint, Paypal ruled in favor of the seller. So, I'm out $20 and, to top it off, it came back to me in the mail after I sent it back like they told me to, so I'm stuck with it.
Anyway, great article!
Also if you purchased the cartridge from a dude in a trench coat/a middle eastern desert flea-market/a shop that says "R4 cards sold here" are all also good indications of the bootleg mafia............
Glad to be of some help.
Quote from: JDEI've experienced this. It really sucks. I tried to get Metroid Prime:Hunters off of Ebay about a year ago, and got a cartridge that was obviously bootlegged. What REALLY makes me angry is that when I filed my complaint, Paypal ruled in favor of the seller. So, I'm out $20 and, to top it off, it came back to me in the mail after I sent it back like they told me to, so I'm stuck with it.
Anyway, great article!
How long ago was this?
Here's a great tip for when you get screwed with a bootleg online - First things first, file a complaint at your local Post Office (assuming the item shipped via USPS). The seller may be liable for Postal Fraud. Do this even if the item did not ship from within the US - as enough complaints may potentially flag incoming packages at customs.
Next, contact the seller for a refund. Explain that the item is counterfeit. If they ask for the item to be returned, only send it back under two conditions:
1.) They must reimburse you the full cost of the item, plus your shipping cost to mail it back to them - upfront.
2.) They must pay for you to ship the item non-USPS - as sending counterfeit items via USPS does, in theory, put you at risk of being investigated for Postal Fraud.
If that fails, then contact PayPal. More than likely, PayPal will *not* side with you. Likely, they'll require that you mail the item back before they'll refund you. This is not acceptable, as the seller has already shown that they are not trustworthy - you require reimbursement up front before you will send out the item (still not via USPS and still at the seller's cost).
Again, likely, you'll get no satisfaction through Paypal. When this happens, contact your credit card company and file a chargeback. Explain the situation (counterfeit merchandise, postal fraud, etc.). They'll attempt to tell you that you have to return the merchandise first - make sure you explain that you attempted to make arrangements to return the merchandise, but that the seller would not work with you to make arrangements (again, no USPS - because you don't want to partake in postal fraud!). You may have to escalate to a supervisor, but you'll win, 100% of the time. Paypal won't be a fan, so don't have your bank account tied to Paypal (which you shouldn't anyway), and don't leave a balance in the account). If PayPal or your credit card company questions the postal fraud part of the complaint, offer them a copy of your fraud complaint that you already filed.
*Absolutely* do not send the counterfeit items back to the seller via USPS. Again, you put yourself at risk of being accused of mail fraud. Once everything is complete, either destroy the counterfeit or contact Nintendo with your story and see if they'd like the item. In theory, you could keep it, but that seems a little dishonest and - supposedly - can damage your system.
Most importantly, don't give up. The idea is to A.) Get 100% of your money back so you suffer no losses and B.) Cause a loss to the counterfeiter. Ultimately, they risk being out the cost of the product, the various eBay/Paypal fees, the bad seller rep with eBay and PayPal and/or the cost to ship the item back via non-USPS courier. Bonus if customs start confiscating incoming packages from them, but that's a long shot.
Yeah....I wish I had known that before I even bothered. I thought SURELY they'd bring me justice, but noooo....They screwed me. They said that I didn't provide accurate tracking information, and immediately closed the case without giving me a chance to try entering the tracking information again. Also, I sent several e-mails to the seller through PayPal, and I don't remember him replying ONCE after I filed the complaint.
I've never had a more frustrating experience with a website. I created a paypal account today. I went to add my bank card and received an error message saying "Invalid card number. Please check the number and try again". I double then triple checked my card number to make sure I was putting in the correct information (which I was). The expiration date is correct, and I entered it in the correct format paypal requires "00/0000". There is plenty of money in my account. I called paypal regarding this issue and their customer service team said it was something on my end, which is impossible since I just used my visa/debit at a store, as well as to make an online purchase today. I tried adding my bankcard on my computer, a friends computer and even my phone. I tried using safari and google chrome and CONTINUE to get the same "invalid card number" which is NOT invalid. I called paypal back to explain my situation and their customer service team said there was nothing on their end that they could do. I asked to speak to a manager. The manager said that it ISN'T actually my CARD NUMBER creating the error but that the billing address doesn't match up to the information attached to my card. (again doesn't make sense since i JUST purchased something online). I called my bank to verify that the information that they had on file (my billing address) was the EXACT SAME as what I was entering on the paypal website. It is. Still cannot figure out the problem. Customer service has been incredibly unhelpful. This is clearly something on the end of paypal. Anyone else experienced this issue? Any suggestions on how to fix it?
I had a similar issue with a credit card after I moved some years ago. The problem was finally traced to some database that had a previous, previous address (that I hadn't lived at for about 10 years). Once I entered the old, invalid address, it worked. If you have a suite number, that can also cause this because the two systems that are being compared don't always store the street address in the same way. And you only get this resolved if you get a really good, persistent individual in customer support. Good luck!!
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