The worlds of American news media and knock-off Chinese consoles loaded with ropey ROM hacks collided recently in a report from NBC News that focuses on a cheap SNES Classic clone which includes 'X-rated' games.
The machine in question is the Super Mini SN-02, one of the countless unofficial clone systems which flood out of Chinese factories each year. Designed to mimic the appearance of the SNES Classic Edition, it comes pre-loaded with 821 games – many of which are either duplicates or unauthorised ROM hacks.
This won't be news to anyone who knows the dodgy reputation of these low-cost gaming devices, but NBC has spoken to concerned parents who purchased these devices for their children and were shocked at what they saw when it was booted up. Some of the hacked games contain nudity (albeit of the cartoonish, 2D kind), while others are racist in nature.
NBC reports that a version of The Jungle Book included on the console features a naked Mowgli, and it even went as far as to contact Disney for an explanation. The company hadn't responded by the time the report was broadcast, but we'd imagine it will be somewhat confused about why it's being chased up over an unofficial and unauthorised hack of a 30-year-old NES game.
While it's perhaps unfair to expect NBC and the parents involved to be aware of the rather dubious nature of these systems, it does raise a crucial point about the channels in which these devices are sold; the Super Mini SN-02 was being sold on both Amazon and Walmart, so you could forgive customers for assuming it wouldn't come pre-loaded with questionable content.
NBC reports that both retailers have promised to review the product, but, at the time of writing, the console is still available on Amazon from more than one third-party Amazon Marketplace reseller.
It's interesting to think what Nintendo itself makes of all of this, too; the console is clearly designed to imitate the SNES Classic, and, as one of the parents in the report says, it looks just like that system – so many will assume it's an official product. Some are pointing the finger directly at Nintendo for this situation; after all, the company has prematurely killed off its Mini Classic systems despite there being clear demand for them:
What's your take on this? Should buyers know better when it comes to these cheap-looking machines, or should retailers like Amazon take a harder line to prevent their sale? Let us know with a comment below.
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[source youtube.com, via twitter.com]
Comments 10
Nintendo are normally pretty quick to shut down any fan game related to their IP, you'd think they'd also extend that to dealing with companies selling knock-offs that closely resemble their console.
Overall, I'd say it's on Amazon for allowing knock-off products containing unauthorised copies of games to be sold on their storefront. They know it's going on, they just turn a blind eye until the bad publicity starts. The same goes for eBay where lots of repros are being sold as originals.
Amazon should be stopping a lot of nonsense happening through their marketplace. This isn't the only example of people getting shafted because they think they're buying a product from well-known retailer, but they're actually buying some worthless knock-off from a shady third party.
Walmart, too. I once took a chance on buying a cheap laptop through their website. I ended up getting a FedEx box with a completely different and very used model of laptop and a charging cable just rattling around loose inside the box.
It's ridiculous that these massive companies allow this to happen under their name, and that we put the onus on consumers to avoid it.
The news report never noted that the unit is made to look like the SNES Mini - it only referenced how it looked like the original SNES.
Also, as others have pointed out, the report never noted that these games violated copyright laws, even the real ones.
@mike_intv reporters are not attorneys, they do not know copyright laws, intellectual property theft laws etc. Plus that does not matter in the least, those laws do not apply to China.
@BulkSlash Nintendo does not have authority in China to take down any fan games. It is also not the responsibility of Amazon, Walmart, eBay etc. to prevent the sale of such products. It is the responsibility of the FEDERAL government. China does not play by international rules. Copyright infringement, intellectual property theft etc. does not apply to China because the federal government does not hold China accountable for their actions. There use to be federal laws in place to prevent things like this.
@Razieluigi It is not the responsibility of Amazon, Walmart, eBay etc. For the USA it is the responsibility of the federal government to hold China responsible for copyright infringement, intellectual property theft etc. There use to be laws preventing China from flooding the American market with cheaply made products.
@Razieluigi Yeah well said, there really needs to be a lot more control over 3'rd party sellers on these sites. Right now they have allowed for a flood of scammers and knockoffs, and it's made it a risky endeavor to purchase anything off a 3'rd party seller. Reminds me of how easy it was to get scammed on Ebay.
@OwningYou Actually, it is the responsibility of these storefronts to have some control over the kind of products and sellers that are being offered, not the government. They supposedly have all sorts of TOS and policy control, and these are their websites after all, where they could easily remove any questionable content and sellers.
@OwningYou I'm not sure exactly how you managed to turn this thread into a rant about China, but I have no doubt that there are plenty of shady Americans taking advantage of people on Amazon and Walmart's marketplaces.
The laptop I mentioned above certainly wasn't shipped in a FedEx box from China.
@OwningYou Even though China (and some other countries) do not seem to enforce IP laws and conventions (unless it applies to IPs from their own country), it still not legal for those to be sold.
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