Sony PS5 Pro: PlayStation’s New PSSR Upscaling Explained

As whispers and excitement bubble up about the potential launch of a Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) Pro, there’s one rumor that’s capturing the imaginations of gamers everywhere. It’s about a groundbreaking upscaling technology that could redefine our gaming visuals. Upscaling is a bit of wizardry that’s been transforming the PC gaming scene, thanks to Nvidia’s DLSS and AMD’s FSR tech. These tools have become everyday heroes in the quest for crisper, smoother visuals without the need for monstrous hardware.

But what about our beloved consoles? The upcoming PS5 Pro is rumored to be not just a more powerful version of its predecessor but also a bearer of new visual magic with something called PSSR. If you’re scratching your head wondering what this new acronym spells out for your gaming sessions, you’re not alone. Here’s a detailed look into what PSSR is and how it promises to improve gaming on the PS5 Pro.

What is PSSR?

PSSR stands for PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, an advanced upscaling technique that Sony is reportedly integrating into the PlayStation 5 Pro. This technology is described as a machine learning-enhanced version of Temporal Anti-Aliasing Upscale (TAAU), aiming to deliver greatly improved visual fidelity.

The essence of PSSR lies in its ability to upscale images to higher resolutions without the need for native rendering at those higher resolutions, thus promising better performance and image quality. The PS5 Pro will probably come with AMD’s RDNA3-based custom GPU, which underscores the potential of PSSR leveraging cutting-edge hardware capabilities.

Improvements Over the Standard PS5

The PS5 Pro is rumored to be not just a minor improvement but a significant upgrade over the standard PS5. One of the key differences is the increased RAM—1.2 GB more than its predecessor, totaling 13.7 GB. This extra memory is crucial for developers to fully utilize the PSSR technology, among other features like enhanced ray tracing.

Sony claims that the extra RAM supports the memory demands of PSSR (with its 250MB footprint) and ray tracing, allowing developers to tap into more of the console’s capabilities to deliver improved visuals and possibly frame rates in existing PlayStation games​.

Potential and Performance Targets

Sony’s ambition with the PS5 Pro and PSSR technology seems to be setting high-performance targets. Leaked specifications and analyses suggest that the PS5 Pro could significantly improve the image quality of existing PS5 titles, thanks to its extra GPU power and the PSSR upscaling. This improvement in visual fidelity is crucial, considering the increasing demand for higher resolution and smoother gameplay.

While specific performance targets have been hinted at, including achieving 4K at 60FPS and even 8K at 30FPS, the actual performance will largely depend on the implementation by game developers and the technical capabilities of the final hardware.

Bottom Line

The PS5 Pro, with its PSSR technology, represents Sony’s latest effort to push the boundaries of console gaming. By using machine learning for image upscaling, the PS5 Pro aims to deliver superior graphics without the hardware constraints typically associated with high-resolution gaming. While the official details from Sony are still forthcoming, the leaked information paints a promising picture of what gamers can expect from the next iteration of the PlayStation console.

As with all leaks and rumors, it’s important to await official confirmation from Sony for the most accurate details regarding the PS5 Pro and the capabilities of PSSR. Nonetheless, the prospect of enhanced gaming visuals and performance is an exciting development for the gaming community.