Upgraded PSSR upscaler coming to PS5 Pro, starting with Resident Evil Requiem

An upgraded version of PlayStation 5 Pro’s AI upscaler PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution will be rolling out globally in the coming weeks, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced.

PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution has been used to boost the effective resolution of over 50 titles on PlayStation 5 Pro to date.

Resident Evil Requiem is the first game to use the more advanced version of the PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, which “takes a very different approach to not only the neural network but also the overall algorithm,” keeping both the frame rate and image quality high.

“With Resident Evil Requiem, we focused on enhancing the presentation quality of the protagonist through an upgraded version of RE Engine to deepen the player’s immersion in horror,” said Capcom‘s Engine Development Support Section R&D Foundational Technology Department senior manager Masaru Ijuin. “For example, each individual strand of hair and beard is rendered as a polygon, allowing it to move realistically in response to body motion and wind. The way light passes through his hair changes depending on how the strands of hair are overlapped as well. This detailed expression of texture is one of the many details that we would especially love for our fans to see.”

Ijuin continued, “The upgraded [PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution] has allowed us to elevate our expressiveness by successfully processing these details and textural particularities, which are traditionally difficult to upscale because of their intricacy. We hope you will experience this unprecedented level of horror and visual fidelity, and the new gameplay feel it delivers.”

Here is a comparison of Resident Evil Requiem featuring original PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution upscaling, against the new more advanced version:

—Original PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution upscaling.

—Upgraded PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution upscaling.

“The algorithm and neural network used in the new [PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution] stem from our Project Amethyst partnership with AMD,” PlayStation 5 lead system architect Mark Cerny said. “Through AMD’s FSR 4 upscaling technology, PC gamers have already seen the benefits of our collaboration. With the updated [PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution], we’re delivering the very latest of this co-developed technology with a further six months of refinement for [PlayStation 5] Pro players.”

More information will be shared in March, when multiple existing games are upgraded to the improved PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution. A system software update will allow users to select “Enhance PSSR Image Quality” in setting to experience the more advanced upscaling with any games that currently support PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution.