Sony has finally put AI-guided upscaling on PS5, and it’s already in two games. The technology, called Quick Spectral Super Resolution (QSSR), is described as a slightly watered-down version of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), the “gold standard” of AI-guided upscaling found on PS5 Pro.
The announcement came via a PlayStation blog post, and the games that got it first are Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yotei.
How QSSR Works
QSSR improves image detail and “stability”, according to Sony. The company says the implementation is “hand-tuned” to maximize performance on PS5. A comparison video for Marvel’s Wolverine shows the close-up image appearing sharper and crisper with QSSR enabled.
Insomniac head of tech Mike Fitzgerald commented directly on the feature. “QSSR adds more pixel-level clarity and stability to our environments,” he said, “bringing out extra detail amidst the busy streets of Madripoor, the dense alleyways of Shinjuku, and many other areas across Logan’s epic journey.” He added that it brings “a great taste of the PS5 Pro experience” to players on PS5.
Sucker Punch’s lead rendering engineer Jasmin Parry made a similar pitch for Ghost of Yotei. “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,” she said.
The Digital Foundry Breakdown
Digital Foundry has tested QSSR and is enthusiastic about it. The firm said that in Marvel’s Wolverine’s case especially, “the quality boost can be exceptional.”
The review points to several specific gains. Temporal stability is substantially improved. Detail level increases. Sub-pixel integrity is considerably superior. Artefacts from elements like moving foliage are much reduced.
There is a catch. DF noted that “there remains a big divide between the same game running QSSR on standard PS5 and PSSR on Pro.”
The Technical Difference
The move is notable because it closes a gap that existed between the two consoles. PS5 Pro had the gold-standard upscaling; PS5 did not. Now PS5 has its own version, and two games ship with it enabled.
The key difference is hardware. PS5 Pro has dedicated AI upscaling technology. PS5 does not. Sony found a way to run the QSSR algorithm on PS5’s existing AMD-based architecture anyway. That means there is now a potentially better solution for image upscaling than upscalers like FSR, AMD’s native solution.
The hand-tuned implementation is designed to fit PS5’s performance targets, which is why Sony describes it as a “diluted” or “lesser” version.
What Comes Next
QSSR is going to be “offered broadly to all PlayStation developers”, Sony said in the blog post. That means more games could pick it up in the future.
It is not clear whether this QSSR update has anything to do with a PS5 firmware update that just rolled out. That update improves “system software performance and stability”.
| Feature | PS5 Pro (PSSR) | PS5 (QSSR) |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated AI hardware | Yes | No |
| Performance target | Gold standard | Hand-tuned for PS5 |
| Games shipping with it | None mentioned | Marvel’s Wolverine, Ghost of Yotei |
| Game | Developer | QSSR Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Marvel’s Wolverine | Insomniac | “Brings a great taste of the PS5 Pro experience” |
| Ghost of Yotei | Sucker Punch | “Excels at resolving the fine details” |
Our Take
QSSR is a genuine improvement. The Digital Foundry numbers back it up, and the video comparisons show the difference. It is not the same as PSSR, but it is the same family of technology.
The bigger picture is that Sony has given PS5 owners a new visual option. Developers now have a free tool to improve their games.
The irony is that Sony spent years promoting PS5 Pro as the console with the best upscaling, and now PS5 has it too. The Pro version remains the gold standard, but the base console is catching up fast.
This is a win for PS5 owners who want sharper visuals. It is a win for developers who get a free tool to improve their games. And it is a win for Sony, which finally has a unified upscaling story across its entire lineup.
The only question left is which game will pick it up next.
See the video the story is built around at Eurogamer.
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