QSSR: Sony and AMD bring AI upscaling to Basis-PS5
Sony, in collaboration with AMD, has unveiled QSSR (Quick Spectral Super Resolution), an AI upscaling technology now coming to the standard PlayStation 5. Developed under Project Amethyst, the technology is specifically tailored for the Basis-PS5 hardware to deliver improved visual clarity without relying on the dedicated machine-learning units found in the PS5 Pro.
A streamlined approach for PS5
QSSR is not a simple port of the PSSR technology used in the PS5 Pro. Instead, Sony describes it as a refactored, leaner neural network architecture. Since the base PlayStation 5 lacks the specialized INT8 acceleration hardware present in the Pro model, the implementation relies on FP16 mathematics, Packed-Math instructions, and manual GPU optimizations to maintain efficiency.
The goal is not to bridge the technical gap with the PS5 Pro, but to enhance image stability and detail on the original console. Sony positions QSSR as a tier below PSSR, but significantly above the standard upscaling methods currently available on the hardware.
Performance and Implementation
Initial measurements by Digital Foundry indicate that QSSR does introduce additional frame time. In Marvel’s Wolverine, when outputting at WQHD in a 120Hz/VRR mode, the technology added approximately 1.5–1.8 ms per frame, resulting in a loss of about 8–10 FPS. At UHD (4K) resolutions, the overhead increases to roughly 4.4 ms.
However, in standard 60 FPS performance modes, developers can use dynamic resolution to offset this cost, lowering the internal rendering resolution to maintain a steady frame rate while using QSSR for superior reconstruction. In Ghost of Yōtei, QSSR performed similarly to FSR-3 in performance mode, suggesting that the performance impact can vary depending on the implementation.
Game Support
QSSR will not be an automatic update for all existing PlayStation 5 titles. Developers must manually integrate the new library and adjust their graphics modes. Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei are confirmed as the first titles to feature the technology. Sony noted that for games already supporting PSSR, the integration process should be relatively straightforward.
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