Sony announces QSSR AI upscaling tech for base PS5 in Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei

Sony has brought AI-powered upscaling technology to the standard PlayStation 5 with the launch of QSSR (Quick Spectral Super Resolution), a refined version of the PSSR technology exclusive to the PS5 Pro. Developed in collaboration with AMD through Project Amethyst, QSSR was designed to overcome a significant technical challenge: the base PS5 lacks the dedicated machine learning hardware present in the Pro model, making AI upscaling previously thought impossible on the older console.

To achieve this, Sony engineered a “streamlined neural network architecture” and performance-tuned implementation that allows QSSR to run efficiently on the base PS5’s hardware. While QSSR is not as capable as PSSR—which remains Sony’s “gold standard” for upscaling—the technology still delivers meaningful visual improvements by analyzing game images on a pixel-by-pixel basis and using AI to enhance clarity and detail that would otherwise appear blurry.

Two games are launching with QSSR support: Marvel’s Wolverine, which has QSSR enabled by default in its latest patch, and Ghost of Yōtei. Early hands-on impressions from Digital Foundry indicate the technology shows “remarkable potential,” particularly in Marvel’s Wolverine, where the quality boost can be exceptional. The technology balances visual quality improvements with performance optimization, allowing developers to enhance their games while maintaining consistent frame rates.

This development represents a significant benefit for the millions of base PS5 owners nearly six years into the console’s lifecycle, as QSSR could be adopted by more developers to improve visual fidelity across the PS5’s library. While adoption may be gradual, the technology’s successful implementation on standard hardware could influence how future console generations approach AI-driven graphics enhancement.

Sony announces QSSR AI upscaling tech for base PS5 in Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei

Sources