This is not my original work. All credits to Game Verifying.
How NTR-005 cartridges should look:
Label should be centered and have a noticeable margin (0.5mm) from label to cart, but can shift over time.
ESRB rating should look like this: (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/ESRB_Everyone.svg/1468px-ESRB_Everyone.svg.png).
Front should have more definition, and clearer.
Nintendo logo background should be translucent.
Lower-left corner should be straight-cut.
Font should look slim and blocky in most cases, this can differ for some JP and US cartridges.
Triangle should be barely visible in some lighting.
Back should be minutely but visibly concave.
Injection mold should be faintly visible and shallow.
Nintendo logo should be clearly definable, and should look slim like this cart rear - https://i.imgur.com/daR79c5.jpg
NTR-005 font should not be thick, and should look slim like this cart rear - https://i.imgur.com/daR79c5.jpg
PAT. PEND should look like this cart rear - https://i.imgur.com/daR79c5.jpg
Dot-matrix stamp should look slim like this cart rear (different numbers are common, XXXXN0J09 is a legitimate stamp variation) - https://i.imgur.com/daR79c5.jpg
Kerning, position and size of DB should look like this cart rear - https://i.imgur.com/daR79c5.jpg
PCB colour should be dark green.
Tab should be chamfered at a 45° angle.
Here is a photo of a fake vs real Platinum cartridge. Remember fake cartridges can vary, so use the confirmed real one for reference. Likewise, don’t assume it’s real because it looks real.
Before and after purchase, post a picture on r/gameverifying, front and back pictures only, to get it verified. If you post pictures featuring debunked methods, like the top of the cart or light method, it will be removed.
Please see:
https://gameverifying.com/wiki/cart-based-systems/nds for more details.
Sorry for formatting; wrote this in my car at work. I will fix it.
