Top 10 Most Active Bootleg/Unauthorized Console Markets - Part II

Where is the largest market for bootleg/unauthorized consoles? Answering to this objectively has not been easy because there're few reliable aggregation related to them. However, now we can see relative comparison based on the numbers of the models in each region when you utilize Unauthorizon. Of course such numbers don't immediately represent the popularity of clone consoles. However, I believe at least it should be helpful as an index of market activity degree.

Note: Personally I've never really experienced famiclone market outside Japan so the following text may include some misunderstanding. Please let me know if you find incorrect descriptions.

5. Japan (417 records)

Even myself, a Japanese person of no other background, is surprised by this result. You know Japan is a typical 'post-patent' famiclone market. However, unlike the USA (the 7th place), usual style of console is much popular than the plug and play consoles here.

The reason for such higher place is perhaps Japanese peculiar popularity of arcade prize machines such as crane games. More than 2/3 of Japanese famiclones have been supplied just for those machines! Usually they are very cheaply made Chinese products, consumed casually and not seriously received. So most of players don't care their feature, brand and where it was from. That's the reason suppliers like Y.S.N. has repackaged the same products again and again. 

Perhaps Columbus Circle has been the only successful exception outside from the prize-famiclone trend. In any case, the trend seems almost coming to an end in recent years, so Japan's current rank might be soon overtaken by Indonesia, currently in the 6th place.

Famiclones stored in a prize arcade machine. It is very common in Japan. You can watch a movie showing how it works here:

4. ex-USSR (647 records)

What makes ex-USSR -- especially Russian -- market distinctive is its continuity. The Dendy's market started in 1993, a bit late for 'patented era' trend, but soon it grew up notably large. Then the Mega Drive clones came in, and by the end of the 1990s they gained large popularity comparable advantageously with Dendy. The market was large enough throughout the '90s.

Like South Korea, India and Argentina, usually such a 'patented era' market peaked out at some point during the end of the '90s ~ mid '00s. However, Russian market has kept some unabated vigor even after the period. Driven by powerful newer suppliers like New Game and Simba's, more new models of Mega Drive clones have appeared one after another even through the '00s, and today still we can see not a few new Dendy/Mega Drive releases.

Too persistent repackaging is also recent trend of Russian suppliers. You can easily find a lot of packages featuring modern movies or games which is obviously unrelated to famiclones/MD clones at all, and the products inside are basically the same. That's also one of the reasons why so many Russian models are recorded in our database.

'Dendy' was originally Steepler's trademark but has already been expired. Although some companies like New Game and Qishenglong claims the trademark since then, the name has virtually been a common noun for decades. Every famiclone can be a 'Dendy' in Russia.

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