So, just as I feared, SNES games on 3DS suffer from a noticeably dimmer brightness than other software (similar to the GBA games, but not as bad it seems).
What I don't get is that when you boot up the game, the Virtual Console menu pops up, and you click resume, the brightness displays higher - the way it should - for a split second and then instantly drops. So, the game IS capable of displaying a higher brightness, but for whatever reason the system kicks it down.
I've got brightness set to max, power-save off, auto-brightness off and perfect pixel on. The charging cord doesn't produce a change, either. Am I missing some obscure setting? Because like I said, the game CAN display a higher brightness as evidenced by that split second upon startup.
I really wish Nintendo would fix this. There is absolutely no reason for it. Same for the GBA games brightness, which they never bothered to fix. It's either an emulation issue or some buried system function that kicks brightness down when emulating on VC. It's completely unecessary and totally fixable. C'mon, Nintendo. Patch out the brightness issues.