If you’ve been recently thinking about upgrading your standard PlayStation 5 for a PS5 Pro, Sony has some interesting news for you. Your ordinary PS5 is getting AI upscaling.
Yes, the large white machine you already own has learned another trick. Sony has introduced Quick Spectral Super Resolution, which we will thankfully call QSSR from this point because life is too short. The technology uses AI to improve image quality on the standard PS5, with Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei becoming the first supported games. Both received patches adding QSSR as another graphics option, and Sony plans to make the technology available to other PlayStation developers. PlayStation
Now before you get ahead of yourself, this does not transform the standard PS5 into a PS5 Pro. Which is something Sony would probably like to make very clear. But it does give the older console access to a version of one of the Pro’s most heavily advertised features.
And therein lies the interesting part.
So Here’s What AI Upscaling Actually Does
In simple terms, QSSR lets the PS5 create a lower-quality version of the image first. Then it uses AI to sharpen it and fill in the details that were missing. This can make games look clearer without forcing the console to do all the heavy lifting. So basically, the PS5 does part of the job and lets AI do the rest. Pretty neat!
Sony introduced PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR, with the PS5 Pro. That technology analyses game images pixel by pixel and reconstructs them with better detail and stability. But PSSR requires hardware that the standard PS5 does not have. QSSR uses a more streamlined neural network and an implementation designed specifically for the original console. Sony still describes PSSR as the better technology, so Pro owners can put down the pitchforks for now.
The results will also depend on the game. Digital Foundry’s early testing found that QSSR produced a noticeable improvement in Marvel’s Wolverine, particularly in Performance Mode. Fine details appeared clearer and the image looked more stable. The difference in Ghost of Yōtei was reportedly less dramatic, although the game already used another upscaling solution.
So if you’re expecting that pressing the QSSR option will not make every game suddenly look as though you acquired a new TV, it won’t. Because developers still need to support it, and some games will benefit more than others.
This Is Excellent News for Standard PS5 Owners
The standard PS5 having launched almost six years ago, so I’m sure that there are plenty of people out there who are already the proud owners of one with no particular desire to purchase another version of the same console. Which is totally understandable.
The PS5 Pro offers stronger hardware, improved ray tracing and better image quality, that’s for sure. But upgrading remains difficult to justify if your existing console still plays the same games. And the truth is that most people do not examine every shadow while fighting an enemy, right? They are generally more concerned with surviving as long as they possibly can.
QSSR makes the standard PS5 more capable without asking owners to buy new hardware, which is a plus if you ask me. And if developers support it properly, games could offer sharper Performance Modes while maintaining the smoother frame rates many players prefer. Because that has always been the awkward choice on consoles, hasn’t it? Do you want the game to look beautiful, or would you like it to move without behaving like an expensive slideshow? AI upscaling may help narrow that gap.
But This Is Slightly Awkward for the PS5 Pro
When Sony launched the PS5 Pro, PSSR formed an important part of its sales pitch. The Pro could deliver a clearer image while allowing games to run at higher frame rates. For people who spend time examining performance comparisons, counting pixels and noticing when a distant fence becomes slightly fuzzy, makes absolute sense.
Now the standard PS5 has received its own version. Again, QSSR does not match PSSR. The Pro still has more powerful hardware, improved ray tracing and the stronger upscaling solution. But the announcement may change the calculation for anyone who was considering an upgrade. If the PS5 sitting under your television can now produce a cleaner image in supported games, the difference between wanting a Pro and needing one becomes even smaller.
But that does not mean that the PS5 Pro becomes pointless. Enthusiasts who want the best console version of a game will still see the value. But for everybody else, QSSR may have removed some of the fear that the standard console is being left behind. And you have to admire the awkwardness of it all. Sony has improved the experience for millions of players while making one of its more expensive products slightly harder to explain.
The Real Question Is How Many Games Will Support It
At the moment, QSSR works with Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei. And while that is a useful beginning, two games do not create a revolution.
The technology becomes genuinely important if major third-party developers adopt it and Sony continues adding support to older releases. A patch for a game people already own may be far more meaningful than another technical demonstration featuring an extremely detailed puddle.
There is also the question of consistency. AI upscaling can improve image quality without a doubt. But poor implementations may create strange edges, flickering details or objects that look unstable while moving. The letters QSSR alone do not guarantee that every game will look better. But you have to agree that the arrival of AI upscaling on the standard PS5 still feels significant. It shows that Sony can improve image quality on existing hardware without forcing an immediate console upgrade.
The PS5 Pro will remain the stronger machine. Nobody has secretly downloaded additional hardware into the original PS5 overnight. But for players who already own the standard console, QSSR offers something better than another reason to spend money.
It gives them another reason not to.
