Sony has introduced Quick Spectral Super Resolution (QSSR), an AI-based upscaling technology designed for the standard PlayStation 5. This feature, developed through the Project Amethyst collaboration with AMD, utilizes a lightweight neural network architecture optimized for the console's existing GPU resources.
Unlike the PSSR technology found on the PS5 Pro, which leverages dedicated AI hardware, QSSR is tailored for the standard hardware constraints. It allows developers to lower internal rendering resolutions—such as reducing from 1080p to approximately 936p—while reconstructing a sharper 1440p output image.
The technology is currently available for developers to integrate into their titles. Marvel's Wolverine and Ghost of Yotei are the first games to support QSSR, with users receiving the feature via free software updates. Sony notes that QSSR can serve as a direct replacement for existing upscaling methods like TAA or FSR.
While QSSR improves image stability and reduces visual artifacts like flickering in distant objects, it carries a computational cost. Testing indicates a potential performance impact of about 9 frames per second, though this can be offset by lowering the base rendering resolution, allowing for better graphical effects elsewhere.
Sony has made QSSR available to all PlayStation developers, not just first-party studios. This move aims to extend the graphical capabilities of the standard PS5, which is in the latter half of its lifecycle, by enabling AI-driven image reconstruction without requiring hardware upgrades.
