The PS5 Pro is getting upgraded upscaling tech in March

After suggesting that a version of AMD’s FSR 4 could be ported to the PS5 Pro last year, it looks like Sony is finally rolling out an update with the upscaling technology in March. Mark Cerny, the lead architect of the PS4, PS5, and PS5 Pro, shared via a blog post that the PS5 Pro will be updated with a new version of the company’s PSSR (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution) upscaling technology next month, and Resident Evil Requiem is one of the first games to use it.

PSSR is “an AI library that analyzes game images pixel by pixel as it scales them,” explains Cerny, which improves the visual fidelity of games on PS5 Pro, while running them at a less demanding resolution. The improved version of PSSR “takes a very different approach to not only the neural network but also the overall algorithm” and is now able to maintain both a high frame rate and image quality when enabled.

Cerny’s blog post includes comparison images if you’re curious about the visual differences the new PSSR is capable of achieving. Masaru Ijuin, Senior Director of the R&D Fundamental Technology Department of Capcom’s Engine Development Support Section, also provided feedback on how the new scaling technology is improving. Resident Evil Requiem:

With Resident Evil RequiemWe focused on improving the presentation quality of the protagonist through an enhanced version of RE Engine to deepen the player’s immersion in horror. For example, each strand of hair and beard is represented as a polygon, allowing it to move realistically in response to body movements and wind. The way light passes through her hair also changes depending on how the hair strands overlap. This detailed expression of texture is one of many details we would particularly like our fans to see.

The improved PSSR allowed us to elevate our expressiveness by successfully addressing these textural details and peculiarities, which are traditionally difficult to upgrade due to their complexity. We hope you experience this unprecedented level of horror and visual fidelity, as well as the new gameplay feel it offers.

Sony and AMD have officially announced “Project Amethyst,” their collaboration to develop machine learning technology to improve graphics and gameplay, in 2024. The partnership has already benefited both companies: Cerny says Sony helped develop AMD’s FSR 4, and similar improvements are now trickling down to the PS5 Pro. The two companies’ plans to improve everything from improved performance to power efficiency could also pay off in future consoles and GPUs.

The upgraded PSSR will roll out to PS5 Pro owners as part of a software update in March and can be turned on and off in the console’s settings, according to Cerny. Around the same time, several PS5 games are also expected to be updated to support upscaling technology. While the graphics improvements are still incremental over a normal PS5, the fact that Sony continues to squeeze more performance out of its console should at least reassure anyone who spent $700 (or now $750) on a PS5 Pro.