Arcade Archives VS. SUPER MARIO BROS. (2017) and the classic NES version of Super Mario Bros.

Here’s the deep cut: Arcade Archives titles are third-party acts of archaeology. They are preserved against decay. Super Mario Bros. on the eShop is an act of proprietary memory. It's Nintendo saying, "We remember this, but only on our terms." No CRT filters for years. No dipswitches. Just the clean, slightly-sterile NES Online emulator with input lag that feels just off enough to make expert players wince.

The Core Problem: Execution Environment

Here is the first major fork in the road.

Title: The Ghost in the Machine: Arcade Archives, Super Mario Bros., and the Quiet Labor of Preservation

| Feature | Arcade Archives Vs. Super Mario Bros. (NSP) | NSO NES App (Super Mario Bros.) | Original NES (Hardware) | |---------|---------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|--------------------------| | Input lag (avg) | 2.3 frames | 5.1 frames | 1.5 frames (CRT) | | Audio emulation | Cycle-accurate APU | Sample-based approximation | Analog circuitry | | Save states | No (only high scores) | Yes (rewind, suspend) | No | | Refresh rate | 60.0988 Hz (arcade) | 60.000 Hz (forced) | 60.0988 Hz (NTSC) | | ROM checksum | Matches Vs. arcade set | Modified header for NSO | Original NES PRG/CHR |