PS5 Gets a PS5 Pro-Style AI Upscaler: QSSR Explained

Sony has unveiled QSSR, a new AI-upscaling upgrade that brings sharper visuals to the base PS5. Only two games support it right now, but Sony says all PlayStation developers will get it soon.

Still happily gaming on a launch-day PS5 while side-eyeing that $900 PS5 Pro? Sony just handed you a reason to hold off a little longer, and it's called QSSR.

The company has unveiled a new AI-upscaling upgrade for the base PS5 called Spectral Super Resolution, or QSSR. If the name sounds familiar, it's because it works a lot like PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), the tech that makes games look sharper and helps maximize performance on the PS5 Pro. The difference here is that QSSR is aimed at the older machine, and it comes out of Sony's AI graphics collaboration with AMD, using what Sony describes as a "streamlined neural network architecture" for games.

PSSR isn't going anywhere, though. Sony says it will still remain the "gold standard" for what PlayStation games can look like on PS5 Pro. QSSR, meanwhile, looks like it'll serve up a noticeable improvement for anyone still on the standard console.

Now for the catch: right now, only two games support it. Those are Marvel's Wolverine and Ghost of Yotei, which is getting a new Complete Edition this month. Both PS5 exclusives are receiving a patch today that adds QSSR as an additional graphics option, so you can flip it on and see the difference for yourself. Sony and the studios have also shared samples of it in action.

Insomniac Games' head of technology, Mike Fitzgerald, wrote in a PS Blog post that 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." He called it a perfect companion to the launch of Marvel's Wolverine and "a great taste of the PS5 Pro experience" for PS5 players. Over at Sucker Punch Productions, lead rendering engineer Jasmin Patry added that QSSR excels at "resolving the fine details" in characters and environments that previously wasn't possible on the base PS5.

That's a small list of games, but the bigger picture is what matters. Sony says QSSR will be offered to all PlayStation developers soon. If studios actually pick it up and spread it across a wide range of titles, it could become a serious selling point for the PS5 — especially since the console will be six years old in November.

Timing-wise, this lands in a weird spot for the platform. Price hikes have made jumping into the current console generation more expensive, and for anyone who can afford the $900 PS5 Pro, stock seems increasingly harder to find as demand outpaces supply. In Japan, potential buyers are now being asked to enter a lottery system and prove they've played at least 60 hours over the last two years on their current PS5 console. Compared to all that, a better gaming experience on a regular PS5 — even one that was much cheaper when it launched in 2020 — sounds like it makes a whole lot of financial sense.

Of course, everything hinges on how widely QSSR gets adopted. Two games today could be a dozen next year, or it could sit on the shelf while PSSR keeps soaking up the spotlight. Either way, base PS5 owners finally have something to look forward to that doesn't require dropping nearly a grand.

What do you think — is QSSR enough to keep you happily on the base PS5, or are you still saving up for the Pro? Will you be picking up Wolverine or Ghost of Yotei to test it out?