In my last article, we covered **Twitch’s new 100-hour storage limit for Highlights**, which threatens thousands of existing speedruns. Since **all runs submitted with Twitch links are at risk**, we knew a solution was needed - not just for this situation, but to **build a system that allows us to respond faster to similar issues in the future**.

Today, we’re rolling out **new tools** to help runners and moderators **identify and manage runs at risk** more efficiently.

## ![](/static/blob/7n63q24n.png)

# **Identifying Runs at Risk**

To make it easier to track affected runs, runners can now see all of their at-risk submissions in the Pending Tab on their profile

![](/static/blob/1n7j9m7n.png)

..and moderators have access to the same information within the Mod Hub alongside all the other previously available filters. 

**For most cases, the view you will want is "Verified" runs that are also "At risk" as seen in the image below.**

![](/static/blob/1n5364qz.png)

Additionally, **at-risk runs will now be marked with a yellow identifier on their Video Proof Icons** for quick visibility.

# **Managing Runs at Risk: The Video State Variable**

![](/static/blob/rnq2352n.png)

To give users control over their runs, we’ve introduced a **“Video State” global variable**. This variable will only be visible on runs considered at-risk. If a run is flagged as at-risk, its Video State will default to **“⚠️ Video at Risk”**, and runners or moderators can update its status based on the situation:

✅ **Mark as Safe** - Use this if the video proof within the run submission has been updated to a link that won’t be removed in the upcoming Twitch deletion on April 19th, 2025 (e.g., reuploaded to YouTube) or if the Twitch VOD is included in the 100-hour storage limit on the runner’s channel.

🔴 **Mark as Abandoned** - Use this if the video proof **cannot be updated** and the existing video link has been or will be removed. **This does not impact the run itself** - it simply acknowledges that the run once had valid proof and remains a viable leaderboard submission.

# **Who Can Update Video States?**

- **Runners** can update video states on runs they were a player in (this includes co-op runs)
- **Submitters** can update video states on runs they submitted (whether they are the player or not)
- **Moderators** can update video states on games they moderate

# **A Note to Moderators**

While SRC has no control over where videos are re-uploaded or by who, we ask that moderators allow **runners some time to update the video proof on their own submissions first**. This helps prevent run content from being reuploaded to channels not owned by the runner.

However, **we support moderators downloading and backing up** run video proof as long as they **wait to update submissions**, giving runners time to handle updating their own submissions first.

# **Related Changes & Improvements**

As part of this update, we’ve made a few other related improvements

- **Added Embed Support** - Runs with video links from **TikTok, RUTUBE, and YouTube Live** will now have the video proof embedded properly
- **“View Run” → “Triage Run”** - The terminology has been updated to better reflect the new workflow, and is now distinct from Edit Run

![](/static/blob/7z38544n.png)

- **The “Pending” Tab** - The Pending tab on runner profiles now counts runs at risk, making them easier to track

![](/static/blob/qnygmk4n.png)

# **Backing Up Your Runs: How to Download At-Risk Videos**

Let’s quickly recap how to backup your runs if you aren’t already familiar. If you haven't backed up your runs yet, now is the time to do so.

Here are the best ways to download your runs:

### **Speedrun Rescue Script - Advanced Setup**

![](/static/blob/dz4wx9me.png)

Developed by @Matse007 and some other amazing contributors from within the speedrunning community, this script automatically detects and downloads your runs that were submitted with Twitch Highlights.

- Detects at-risk runs either per runner or per leaderboard/game
- Best for runners and moderators who need to bulk download all at-risk runs per runner or per leaderboard/game
- Lots of new customization options (see Github page)
- Requirements: Python + dependencies (installation instructions on the page)
- Get it here: [https://github.com/Matse007/SpeedrunRescueScript](https://github.com/Matse007/SpeedrunRescueScript)

Matse has also gone ahead and created a handy YouTube tutorial for S.R.S.!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkgnHt2aVmQ

### **TwitchDownloader - Easy Setup (Still Somewhat Technical)**

TwitchDownloader allows you to bulk download your VODs and Highlights from a Twitch channel.

![](/static/blob/1n83vr9z.png)

**How to Use:**

Best for bulk downloading VODs and Highlights from a single Twitch channel.

    1. Install TwitchDownloader (GUI is recommended over CLI)
    2. Open the Task Queue tab and hit Search VODs
    3. Enter your Twitch channel name to generate a list of all VODs/Highlights
    4. Select all relevant runs (or select all) and add them to the queue for downloading

- Get it here: [https://github.com/lay295/TwitchDownloader/releases](https://github.com/lay295/TwitchDownloader/releases)
- Installation Instructions: [https://github.com/lay295/TwitchDownloader/ReadMe](https://github.com/lay295/TwitchDownloader?tab=readme-ov-file#readme) (Go down to any of Windows/MacOS/Linux “Getting Started” sections)

This is probably the easiest “set it and forget it” solution, but will still require some basic Github knowledge to download/install.

## **What’s Next?**

While these changes currently apply only to existing at-risk runs, these features lay the groundwork for responding more effectively to similar issues in the future.

We're actively monitoring the impact of these changes and are prepared to make additional adjustments as necessary. If you have any feedback, suggestions, or run into issues using the new tools, let us know! This is a community-wide effort, and we’re committed to making the process as smooth as possible.

**- Cam // Meta, Speedrun.com Community Manager**

Twitch Runs At Risk are now visible and easier to manage!

Twitch Runs At Risk Are Now Visible for Runners & Moderators

# The Gold Split Newsletter - Week #36 - Consoles Can Go Faster, Too?

The Gold Split offers a free, weekly digest of news from the world of speedrunning and beyond.

This **Story of the Week** is all about consoles that might appear to become faster with increasing age. and was featured in this week's issue. The full post includes **more news**, briefly, as well as a fun fact and this week's top times. Check it out **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-36)**.

## ![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/wzxxw3qz.png)

# Story of the Week ✨

There are several factors outside of player skill that can make a difference in a speedrun, but that are usually accounted for in order to level the playing field: different emulators, console generations, storage mediums… the list goes on. But usually, console hardware between identical consoles of the same generation is assumed to perform perfectly consistently. This assumption of consistency is necessary in order to make runs comparable.

### Tool-Assisted Woes

In the world of tool-assisted speedruns, **the humble SNES** has troubled the community for a long time. Attempting to play back a tool-assisted speedrun on a real console rather than an emulator would more often than not lead to desynchronisation issues. When inputs are scheduled to happen down to the individual frame, consistency is key.

![A picture of an SNES console](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd99a4d8e-1643-49cf-a348-d828e5e55d75_1200x850.jpeg)*Image credit: JCD1981NL via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)*

As reported by [ArsTechnica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/03/this-small-snes-timing-issue-is-causing-big-speedrun-problems/), [404media](https://www.404media.co/super-nintendo-hardware-is-running-faster-as-it-ages/), and [IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/speedrunners-left-scratching-their-heads-after-new-discovery-suggests-the-snes-works-faster-as-it-ages), Allan Cecil, better known as **[dwangoAC](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkij8hgkomFCsXGAFtv1sgg)**, keeper of TASBot, has recently launched a large-scale investigation into the underlying issues. On [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/tas.bot/post/3lj47u3fga22n), he asked community members with an SNES and a flash cart to run a software test on their console and report the outcome.

More than 100 people responded, and the results were consistent. One specific frequency measurement seems higher on average than it was more than 20 years ago, implying that this part of the console may be becoming faster as it ages.

### Technical Details

The aforementioned articles do a much better job at explaining the technical details, so I’ll keep this short. The SNES uses an audio processing unit (APU) with a digital signal processing rate of 32,000 Hz, at least according to the documentation. This sample rate is set by a ceramic resonator, and these types of resonators are known to be affected by external factors like heat.

Emulator developers had already noticed a trend toward a faster sample rate in the 2000s. In order to compensate and to make the emulator work for all games, the emulated sample rate is set slightly higher than the documented one, at 32,040 Hz.

dwangoAC’s collected test results from the community suggest that it might now be even higher with an average of 32,076 Hz, while heat fluctuations had a much more minor impact than expected.

In practice, a faster sample rate means that audio data is being delivered slightly faster. This often happens during room transitions or between levels. During regular gameplay the game still runs identically, but loading times will be sped up ever so slightly, not noticeable to a human.

### Real-Time Speedrunning

We all want to know: what does this mean for real-time speedrunning on SNES hardware? Well… it’s complicated. The consensus so far seems to be that the difference in loading times between consoles is not big enough to impact RTA speedrunning, and that even on longer runs we’re far away from deviating by even a single second. Secondly, the true impact also depends a lot on the individual game, the audio driver and the interactions between them.

There are however plenty of games played at a very high level on real SNES consoles that measure their leaderboard times down to the millisecond. Hypothetically, if two runners in a longer run like Super Metroid (Any%) or The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (No Major Glitches) finish less than a second apart, could the difference in sample rates be enough to matter? I can’t say.

Ultimately, there is not enough reliable historical data to confirm the trend that the speed of the SNES consoles has increased with time. The only other sources are Nintendo’s documentation and single measurements on a smaller scale. It might very well be that the speed is consistent over time, but varies more widely than expected between consoles. It’s an important reminder that perfect consistency is difficult to achieve.

### Further Reading

Besides the already mentioned articles by [ArsTechnica](https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2025/03/this-small-snes-timing-issue-is-causing-big-speedrun-problems/) and [404media](https://www.404media.co/super-nintendo-hardware-is-running-faster-as-it-ages/), I recommend the much more technical [blog post by undisbeliever](https://undisbeliever.net/blog/20250313-smpspeed.html#what-does-this-mean-for-speedrunners).

You’ll find the data from the community’s test results on [Grist](https://docs.getgrist.com/fpwWkqDcnxXR/SNES-SMP-speed) and can stay up to date with the most recent developments or join the discussion on the [TASBot Discord](https://docs.getgrist.com/fpwWkqDcnxXR/SNES-SMP-speed).

![](https://www.speedrun.com/static/blob/rz251jdz.png)

Thank you for reading! If you're curious about more of this week's news or would even consider subscribing to the newsletter, you'll find the full post over **[HERE](https://goldsplit.substack.com/p/week-32)**.

Finding new stories to cover can be challenging. I encourage you to think about what happened recently in the communities you are a part of. If there are any stories, articles, glitches, events, or other topics I should be taking a look at, go ahead and **[submit them here](https://forms.gle/F1VJ4PG68FTZKqn49)** or on the **[Gold Split Discord](https://discord.gg/SpbFCgsYkU)**! 📨

The Gold Split is a free weekly newsletter focused on speedrunning. This week's main story is all about consoles that might appear to become faster with increasing age.

Consoles Can Go Faster, Too? - The Gold Split - Week #36

This month, we’re stepping into the shadows of *Aliens versus Predator 2 (AvP2)* - a cult-classic FPS packed with skips and tech.

# **📅 Challenge Details**

Start Date: March 28th, 2025 at 11:59PM UTC

End Date: April 6th, 2025 at 11:59PM UTC

All qualifying runs must be submitted through [the official Challenge leaderboard on Speedrun.com](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/42ymrr39-avp2-src-series-avp2-speedrun-challenge) (and not to the main leaderboard.) Prize-eligible runs (top 3) must also be livestreamed as part of the submission process.

# **💰Prize Distribution**

Total Prize Pool: $500 USD

- 🥇 **1st Place** – $250
- 🥈 **2nd Place** – $150
- 🥉 **3rd Place** – $100

***Note: Prizes may be subject to tax withholding based on the winner’s country of residence.***

# **🎁 Participation Rewards**

Submitting any run regardless of your placement comes with perks:

- One month of Speedrun.com Supporter
- The “Yautja” Title for your profile

![](/static/blob/5ngg3w4n.png)

[Supporter](https://www.speedrun.com/supporter) helps fund SRC and unlocks site-wide benefits, while [Titles](https://www.speedrun.com/news/17vr795x-introducing-titles) are exclusive profile tags only obtainable through participating in official Challenges!

# **🌍Eligibility**

The challenge is open to players aged 18 and older worldwide, except in the following restricted countries: North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Cuba, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.

If you're under 18, you're still welcome to participate and can earn participation rewards - but you will not be eligible for the cash prizes.

# **📤Submitting Your Run**

- Record your speedrun and submit it via the Challenge leaderboard on Speedrun.com
- Prize-eligible runs must be livestreamed
- Ensure your video follows the formatting and rules listed on the leaderboard

For complete contest and category rules, please visit [the challenge leaderboard](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/42ymrr39-avp2-src-series-avp2-speedrun-challenge).

# **Category**

You’ll be tearing through the **Predator campaign** in an **Any% speedrun**, using every skip, glitch, and exploit in the book to reach the end as fast as possible.

For complete contest and category rules, please visit the[ challenge leaderboard](https://www.speedrun.com/challenges/42ymrr39-avp2-src-series-avp2-speedrun-challenge).

# **🧠Preparation Suggestions**

To find tips & tricks for the speedrun, please come join the [IHS Discord Server](https://discord.gg/dDAzh64juT) and chat in #avp2 ([https://discord.com/channels/869351378726846494/937250393103171644](https://discord.com/channels/869351378726846494/937250393103171644)) - you can also follow the challenge here on Speedrun.com to receive notifications about challenge activity!



Good luck, and have fun!️

The next SRC Series challenge is live TODAY - and this time we’re teaming up with Indie Horror Speedruns (IHS) to unleash a challenge that’s fast, ruthless, and soaked in cult-classic chaos.

SRC Series: AvP2 Speedrun Challenge

*Super Mario* is a major licence in video games and speedrunning. After the first post with Zelda games in *Speedrunlympics*, I was really curious to see what *Super Mario* games could offer in the a speedrunlympic format.
I've set up the same rules as the precedent post, and the standings were taken on Mario day, March 10th.

## Rues

- There is every game of the Super Mario main series according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario#History_and_development). Remakes and remasters are counted with the original game.

- Each game have at least 2 categories, where there are the most entries.

- A category is picked if there is at least 50 runners and the goal is to finish the game.

- Original game and its remake count as one game (applying for rule 2).

- Category are picked from official learderboards game on SRC.

Rules are set, let's travel around the different standings !

# 2D Super Mario : 16 games

![](/static/blob/1n53g9qz.png)



## ![](/static/blob/1n7j1o7n.png)

# 3D Super Mario : 8 games

![](/static/blob/7n63p14n.png)



# ![](/static/blob/rnq2wq2n.png)

# All Super Mario : 24 games

![](/static/blob/7e9wkx3z.png)



![](/static/blob/ynlxp50n.png)

The **USA** is still on the top in the medal count, as we already seen on Zelda Games. But they are beaten on 2D games by **Japan** with their overall dominance on *Super Mario World* !

**Canada** is still on top 5 on all standings, but Sweden and France are a bit far this time. As we expected on Zelda, **Germany** is coming strong with a top 4 overall and a second place on 3D speedruns ! **Wales** is also surprisingly in the top 5 with **Jhay** performances around the *Super Mario Galaxy* games, placing him 2nd overall and 1st on 3Ds !

You may have also recognized some players in all games podium, **Nifstky** with his performances on *Super Mario Bros. & The Lost Levels* games, and, of course, **Suigi** who has all world records on *Super Mario 64* console categories.

## Statistics

- **Number of categories:** 117
- **Number of medal-winning players:** 187
- **Game with the most categories:** Super Mario 64 (17 categories)
- **Game represented by the most countries:** Super Mario 64 (10 countries)
- **Categories with the most runners:** Super Mario 64 (16 Star [EMU]) with 4,574 runners & Super Mario Odyssey (Any% [1P]) with 4,524 runners
- **Fun fact:** There is 9 categories with more than 1000 runners on 6 different games

I hope you like this second post around *Speedrunlympics*. If you want to see other licences, i'm open to suggestions. You can find the data, including the complete standings, categories, and other details, in this [spreadsheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ua8lvuTp0sTLfliN9dIjgzRs7qycqC5kx6htXiktfeQ/edit?usp=sharing).

# Games Included

- 2D Super Mario Games : 

Super Mario Bros. , Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario Land, Super Mario World, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Run, Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario Bros. Wonder

- 3D Super Mario Games :

Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Odyssey, Bowser's Fury

Following the first post with Zelda games, let's see what a "Speedrunlympics" event would be around the "Super Mario" games.

What If Super Mario Speedruns Were an Olympic Event?

Aliens versus Predator 2

Fatzke

Contos

eqp8wpk5

SRC Series: AVP2 Speedrun Challenge

z2pkmyd9

SRC Series: Zuma's Revenge Initiate Challenge

SRC Series: DOOM (Kex Port) Legacy of Rust All Secrets Speedrun Challenge

34pov7kg

SRC Series: Plants vs. Zombies Speedrun Challenge

6lp4vpzw

SRC Series: Black Ops 6 Zombies Speedrun Challenge

56y1gy9e

SRC Series: Titanfall 2 Helmet Rush

4m7jny51

Rebel Rush Speedrun Challenge

j5y0ly9k

SRC Series: Peggle Initiate Speedrun Challenge

1qpekp36

SRC Series: MULLET MAD JACK Speedrun Challenge

nzy2zyq3

ALTF42 $5000 Speedrun Challenge

The Splodey $10,000 Speedrun Challenge

MoistCr1TiKaL $15,000 Speedrun Challenge #5

Athena Crisis Completionist Speedrun Challenge

1k75870l

Survive both Chapter 1 & 2 of Poppy Playtime

SRC Series: Poppy Playtime Duo Challenge

3dydl7r2

SRC Series: Ultrakill All Secret Levels (Inbounds)

xwpw4y0l

SRC Series: Rocket Racing Expert Tracks

m9yx0ygj

Pit of Eternal Sands - $10,000 Speedrun Challenge

Blood Will Run $10,000 Challenge

m2p98y5x

Peggle Nights

Plants vs. Zombies

Zuma's Revenge

Titanfall 2

ULTRAKILL

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 1

ALTF42 [Early Access]

Ghostrunner 2

Another Crab's Treasure

In order to properly figure out categories, rules, timing method, etc. this leaderboard will not feature any runs for the first two weeks after the game's release. In the meantime you can join us in the [Prince of Persia discord](https://discordapp.com/invite/0Ss0agDWPoiSvr3E) to discuss about the game.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Rocket Racing

MULLET MAD JACK

Athena Crisis

Splodey

Doom (Kex Port)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies

Tails Noir: Rebel Rush

HASTE: Broken Worlds

```
1 HOUR LEFT
```

---

# THE LEADERBOARD WILL BE LOCKED FOR 4 DAYS TO GIVE US TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE RULES, CATEGORIES ETC...

## *If we consider that the leaderboard doesn't need to stay this way anymore, we'll end the embargo early and you will finally be free to submit your runs!*

---

**For the time being, if you have any questions, wanna participate in the community or offer your help for the moderation, feel free to join the Speedrun Discord Server! :**

[https://discord.gg/9bH3G9jEGs](https://discord.gg/9bH3G9jEGs)

R.E.P.O.

Dead Rails

Lets discuss any relevant rules and any questions before we open the leaderboards

A Game About Digging A Hole

This leaderboard is a work in progress. Be sure to check the speedrunning discord server for updates! https://discord.gg/5DzQ3bVwbC