Sony is bringing a taste of PS5 Pro image quality to the standard PS5 with QSSR, a lighter AI upscaling technology built to run on the base console.
Since the launch of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) on the PS5 Pro, there has been a lingering question about whether the base PS5 could achieve something similar. Sony Interactive Entertainment answered that question today, announcing Quick Spectral Super Resolution (QSSR), a new tier of AI upscaling built specifically for the PS5. From the looks of things, it could make a lot of players very happy.
Coming out of Project Amethyst, Sony’s AI graphics collaboration with AMD, QSSR is a leaner evolution of PSSR that pairs a more efficient neural network architecture with a hand-tuned implementation designed to get the most out of PS5 hardware. PSSR, which analyzes game images pixel by pixel and uses AI to upscale them, was previously too computationally demanding for the base console. While it remains the more advanced option on PS5 Pro, QSSR now brings notable improvements to both image detail and stability on the PS5.
While it will not be supported with every game at launch, in fact, currently there are only two titles that support it,: Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei, both of which are being patched today to offer QSSR as an additional graphics option on PS5.
“Our team at Insomniac works hard to make sure each of our games is a showcase of PlayStation hardware, and we’re excited for Marvel’s Wolverine to be one of the first titles to bring this new QSSR technology to players,” said Mike Fitzgerald, head of technology at Insomniac Games. “QSSR adds more pixel-level clarity and stability to our environments, bringing out extra detail amidst the busy streets of Madripoor, the dense alleyways of Shinjuku, and many other areas across Logan’s epic journey.”
Sucker Punch Productions joined in on the enthusiasm. “QSSR excels at resolving the fine details in our characters and environments and does so with a level of temporal stability that hasn’t been possible on the PS5 console until now,” said Jasmin Patry, lead rendering engineer at Sucker Punch Productions. “We’ve long wished that all PS5 players could experience the incredible image quality that PSSR brings to PS5 Pro, and QSSR is a positive step towards that goal.”
Sony says QSSR will be offered broadly to all PlayStation developers, so players can expect to see the technology appear in many more titles going forward. With two of the latest first-party titles already adopting it, the feature is a nice surprise for people who have been lamenting their inability to find a PS5 Pro, especially with stock levels at stores seemingly rather low. Hopefully gamers will not need to wait long for QSSR to make it to their favorite titles.
