It was only last year in mid-July when Nintendo announced that it would be producing a NES Classic Edition that would come packaged with 30 games. While the firm would offer pre-orders for some, those in the United States would be forced to wake up early on launch day and line up for a chance to obtain one.
Although there was a decent sized shipment of units for the release date, Nintendo would have trouble replenishing stock for the weeks and months to come. Finally, after months of it being out of stock, it would be confirmed that the console would never be coming back. This would leave many in shock, as it was assumed that it would be a staple product that would be available for some time, rather than becoming a limited-edition item.
If you hunt around, you"ll be able to pick yourself up one for around $200 or more from a third party, or if you"re one that likes to tinker, you can build yourself something similar for a lot less money. But, it appears that some have decided to exploit the demand and try and fill up the gaping hole that Nintendo left many fans with by producing very convincing clones and selling them to potentially unsuspecting buyers.
According to a user on NeoGAF, these NES Classic Edition clones are eerily similar to the real deal but do have minor issues that allow them to be identified as fake. Just like the real console, it has a proper box, powers via microUSB, and even has the Wii controller port connections. While there are little things that appear off, like the logos on the console and the controller, those that are unsuspecting would probably not notice anything amiss. The console even boots to a similar type of menu that the NES Classic Edition offers, but with some minor differences.
Sadly, there is no way to tell how many of these units have hit the market so far, but if a deal is a little too good to be true, it probably isn"t worth your time or hard-earned money.
Source: NeoGAF via Ars Technica