Sony is actively promoting its new graphics technology “PSSR” for the PS5 Pro. But what does the abbreviation actually mean and what does it mean for players who buy a PS5 Pro. And can you also use this on the old PS5 Slim? MeinMMO enlightens you.
With the PS5 Pro, manufacturer Sony not only presented a new and, above all, improved PS5, but also mentioned a number of technical improvements. Included is the “PSSR” graphics technology. Some journalists are already enthusiastic about PSSR and praise its advantages.
But what is “PSSR” and what does it bring to the PS5 Pro? MeinMMO explains the term and what it means.
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PSSR explained and the benefits in detail
What does “PSSR” stand for? PSSR is an acronym for “PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution.” Each of the four letters stands for an independent word.
What is PSSR? PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution” is a so-called upscaling technology. Simply put, the game is rendered at a low resolution, such as Full HD, and then scaled up to the correct resolution using AI. Mark Cerny, the chief architect behind the PS5, says:
We added dedicated machine learning hardware and an AI library called PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, or PSSR. PSSR analyzes the game frames pixel by pixel and can add an extraordinary amount of detail, increasing the effective resolution of the games.
What does PSSR bring? Scaling using PSSR has a big advantage. Rendering a game in a low resolution costs significantly less performance than if you had to run the game directly in the correct, native resolution. As a rule, the game then runs much more smoothly and quickly because the console simply has to calculate less. And that has several advantages:
In other words, PSSR uses artificial intelligence to make your games look sharper, clearer and more detailed without putting additional strain on the console’s performance.
PSSR on the PS5 Pro: Disadvantages and alternatives
Are there any disadvantages of PSSR? Some players criticize that PSSR does not represent a native or true resolution. If you look closely, you can always see certain misrepresentations or inconsistencies in upscaling technologies. For example with faces or irregular shapes. Other games complain that features like upscaling mean that developers no longer optimize their games.
However, a final conclusion can only be drawn when the PS5 Pro is officially on sale and we can test PSSR.
Is PSSR also available on the PC? Jain. Although PSSR does not exist on the PC, PC manufacturers have developed their own upscaling technologies for the computer: FSR (AMD), XeSS (Intel) and DLSS (Nvidia). In practice, these technologies all work the same or at least very similar.
What’s important, however, is that Sony didn’t just copy PC technology, but developed its upscaling technology specifically for the PS5 Pro. And that makes the PS5 Pro the first console that can do that. There is at least speculation that DLSS will be included with the Nintendo Switch 2.
PSSR: Which games and what about the PS5 Slim?
Which games support PSSR? If you want to use PSSR on the PS5 Pro, the games must be supported by the PS5 Pro. Sony refers to these games as “PS5 Pro Enhanced”. You can find all the games that are supported by the PS5 Pro as a list directly on MeinMMO.
Can you use PSSR on the PS5 Slim? No, you can’t do it at the moment and it shouldn’t be possible. Because according to Sony, PSSR relies on the new hardware of the PS5 Pro, which is not available in either the normal PS5 or the slim model. If you want to use PSSR, you not only need the right game, but also the right console.
More about the PS5 Pro: At first glance, the PS5 and PS5 Pro look very similar because Sony has hardly changed the design at all. But what are the similarities and, above all, the differences between PS5 and PS5 Pro? MeinMMO introduces you to all the details and explains what you should pay attention to: PS5 Pro vs PS5 in comparison: What similarities and differences are there?