ares vs gbajs3

ares is a free, open-source emulator for multiple systems, with a stated focus on accuracy and preservation. It supports systems including Arcade, Atari 2600, WonderSwan, ColecoVision, NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation, though some listed systems are experimental. Playback options include save states, run-ahead, rewind, and fast-forward. Pixel shaders and optional color correction can alter display characteristics, while Virtual Game-Pads let users configure controls for use across emulated systems. The interface framework uses WinAPI on Windows, Cocoa on macOS, and GTK2 or GTK3 on POSIX platforms. Simple debugging features such as trace logging support development of original software for supported systems. Windows builds support Windows 7 or later; AMD64 binaries require at least Intel Nehalem or AMD Jaguar architecture. macOS binaries require Catalina 10.15 and support Intel and Apple Silicon. The project prefers Linux users compile from source and points to third-party packages rather than official Linux binaries. Source code uses the ISC license. Android is not supported, and a BIOS is required.

gbajs3 is a free, browser-based Game Boy Advance emulator for modern browsers, with no plugins required. It offers interchangeable mGBA WebAssembly and pure JavaScript gbajs cores. Both cores support a realtime clock. Controls include remappable keyboard bindings and virtual controls for desktop and mobile, alongside mobile interface support and offline progressive web app support. Fast forward is included. Save states and cheat codes work with the mGBA core, while a surface-level assembly debugger is available with the gbajs core. The project also lists a Go server for logged-in users, an Nginx server for content, an admin interface and PostgreSQL support. Self-hosting uses an environment file and Docker Compose. The setup guide says the default admin password is admin and instructs changing it after login. The README marks debugger and server enhancements as unfinished, and GitHub lists no releases.