Speedrunner Niftski has set a new Super Mario Bros. world record of 4:54.332, leaving the run only four frames short of the game’s believed theoretical fastest time. The achievement shows how the competition has narrowed from seconds to individual frames, making a first perfect run appear increasingly likely.

Niftski beat LeKukie’s previous record by two frames, executing almost every major pixel-perfect technique; the remaining time loss came in the final 8-4 level. His heart rate reached 176 during the run and 191 afterwards, while the record also follows a community dispute over his use of keyboard controls and a controller switch for the final level, a method recently ruled legal again under new conditions.