Those who own the current generation of Apple's iPhone have a large range of shoddy, rip-off Nintendo-themed accessories to choose from. There are a million unlicensed phone cases out there with images of Nintendo characters and retro controllers. A month or so ago I myself upgraded to an iPhone 5s after years of suffering an obsolete Samsung model, and my phone was adorned with one of those cheap rubber Game Boy slip covers you see at shady street markets and temporary shopping mall stalls. Then I remembered seeing one particular, officially licensed item at E3 last year, and I immediately ordered one in.

Step aside, cheap ripoffs! This one is legit!

Made by PDP, a company with a sizeable history of gaming wallets, charger accessories and trendy third party controllers (including the New Super Mario Bros 2 3DS case in the previous Mariobilia), this protective case is endorsed by Nintendo and fits the iPhone 5 and 5s models. It comes as a two-piece frame made of durable polycarbonate that snaps together around your phone, housing it snugly in the middle while giving you complete access to the entire screen.

Out of the box

Padded interior

Out of the box, the case can be opened via two tabs at the bottom, where the phone's speakers will be positioned. The clips are quite solid and must be gently pried apart with a blunt knife or flat-head screwdriver in order to separate the two halves. The inside of the case is lined with a soft, protective silicone layer. When the phone is clipped inside the case, there is a raised frame around the screen so you can place the phone face-down onto the table without worrying about scratches.

The raised frame protects the screen when you put it down

The case provides added buttons for the volume and power controls, which frankly are easier to press than the existing buttons on the phone. There are also gaps allowing you to access the lock switch, and the ports at the bottom of the case let you plug in the Apple charger cord and headphones without any issues. There's a gap at the corner of the case for the phone's built-in camera – it's unfortunate but vital to the purpose of the case, and it's been designed with care to match the retro look of the overall case. Part of the original iPhone's shell can be seen inside the camera port, but also unavoidable and forgivable. I'm glad I picked the Space Gray model of phone, it matches quite well.

Easy access to the charger and headphone ports

These volume buttons are better than the phone's!

Being licensed by Nintendo, this case hits all the marks in just the right way. The colors, the button placement, everything is spot on to an authentic NES controller, with the understandable exception of the size difference between the iPhone5 and the original controller – the gray border is slightly wider on the phone casing. The NES buttons themselves are pressable and can be clicked to your heart's content; it doesn't serve any function whatsoever but it's undeniably fun to do so. What's even better is that the buttons are made from silicone rubber, so when you have the phone sitting face-up on the table they provide adequate grip to prevent it from sliding around while you use the touch screen. There really is a huge amount of thought put into the design process. The only real downside I can think of, is that it does add some weight and bulk to the iPhone's slim design. I have no issues with this, however, as I'm paranoid about losing the expensive piece of hardware and this ensures I can feel it in my pocket.

Side by side with the real thing. Looks authentic!

Sadly these cases had a limited manufacturing run, and they're getting hard to find, especially outside of America. They're still available at some online trading sites like Amazon Marketplace and eBay, at a price ranging from $10 to $30 depending on the seller. If you have an iPhone and grew up with the NES, I highly recommend picking one up while you still can. All that's left is to pick a suitable ringtone to match the case. Might I suggest Clockwork from Castlevania III?

As always, check out the gallery below for more pictures.