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The story
Digital Foundry tested Sony’s new upscaling tech “QSSR” and reported a major improvement in image quality. QSSR adapts “PSSR” — originally built exclusively for the PS5 Pro — for the base-model PS5, drawing attention for achieving better image quality through software processing alone, without a dedicated AI chip. Thread reactions were split: some praised Sony’s technical chops, while others raised doubts about the processing-load trade-off, DF’s own reviewing stance, and how it actually looks on a 4K setup.
What people said
– QSSR adapts "PSSR" — originally exclusive to the PS5 Pro — for the base-model PS5.
– It's already achieving a significantly clearer image.
So why's he about to get pushed out, then?
Who'd have thought they'd end up having to roll out tech like this
stop trying to tank the Pro's resale value
Tech beyond anything on PC—base PS5s are gonna sell out just like the Pro did
Whipping this up in just a few days means total dominance
PC's already moved even further ahead with DLSS5 though 🥺
Grandpa, these days it's all about 'path tracing,' you know…
It's software-based, so shouldn't it basically be a wash at best, if not a hit?
They're probably rendering at a lower resolution and then upscaling it
that one's supposed to keep performance scaled down while still getting a dedicated AI chip
https://gazlog.jp/entry/amd-driver-contain-ps6-gpu-info/
Apparently they're stripping features from the PC chip to cut costs 🥺
Since they've now built a method that works even without an AI core,
there's a chance the PS6 plan is to go cheap by dropping the AI core too 🥺
QSSR's target is native-quality upscaled 1440p-1620p/60fps
At the same quality as before, you get a higher frame rate
At the same frame rate as before, you get better quality
https://x.com/rinyokosuka/status/2105833109048733754
https://imgur.com/DaNSjKs.jpeg
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That's because it's a combo of DLSS and FSR—
it's the FSR side (the tech Sony uses) that's garbage 🥺
The reason it ended up this way is that
Nvidia didn't unlock frame generation for the Switch 2, and that's on them 🥺
AMD deserves credit for rolling its latest tech out even to older hardware like the PS5 🥺
There's no way frame gen could work on the Switch 2's hand-me-down RTX 3000-series architecture and its pathetically few Tensor cores
Even DLSS's frame gen becomes useless when the base framerate is garbage—under 30fps—since the added latency gets way too big and quality can't be maintained
Everyone's hyped about Gears right now instead
But that's the same DF that went nuts over Gears, and now they're going nuts over this too
Come to think of it, none of those self-proclaimed experts on X actually tried it themselves
Same as always, just posting insults about Nintendo and Xbox fans
I stopped trusting them completely once they became Sony's cheerleader
Getting invited for an early preview recording and then dropping a gushing praise video the instant it ships is just a bit too convenient
QSSR has surpassed DLSS—you could call it an out-of-place artifact beyond existing technology
Is that what they're saying?
Same reaction I had toward Radeon folks when FSR4 came out and I thought, 'So what was FSR3 even for, then?'
As a mainly-GeForce user, I always thought FSR3's flickering was too distracting to deal with
It is heavier than the old scaling method, but:
– it's still more efficient than native rendering (higher frame rate)
– image quality is definitely improved
I think they just implemented QSSR after weighing that balance
RDNA2 was supposed to have machine learning cores, wasn't it????
That's from RDNA3 onward
From the article it sounds like it's really easy to implement
The devs probably think the same way, which is why it quietly gets forgotten about
It's not wrong, though
The base graphics themselves don't get any prettier—
it's more like the shimmering and flickering in the background scenery and around character outlines goes away
If you're playing on a smaller monitor you probably won't notice much
It's the kind of thing that stands out on a big-screen TV
Flaws that are hard to spot otherwise stand out on a big screen
Since this targets 1440p output, playing on a 4K TV means it gets stretched and looks worse either way
So ironically, the bigger your 4K TV, the uglier it looks
The base PS5's performance mode was already targeting 1440p-1080p to begin with
QSSR is meant to be effective when you're playing in performance mode
So even though it's marketed as '4K-capable' hardware,
Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the Switch 2 editions of Zelda BotW/TotK
all have PS3-tier garbage graphics that only get upscaled to 1440p anyway—
so basically, the Switch 2 is trash?
Background and key points of discussion
QSSR is said to be a software-based redesign of “PSSR” — the AI upscaler built exclusively for the PS5 Pro — adapted for the base PS5, which has no dedicated AI chip. The thread’s discussion centered on two main points. One was the trade-off with processing load: since it lacks an AI core, QSSR ends up heavier than conventional upscaling, but it was noted to still be lighter than native resolution while also improving image quality. The other was DF’s own credibility — commenters brought up its past backlash for gushing over early DLSS, as well as its pre-recorded praise of Xbox titles, questioning how objective its reviews really are. There was also the point that, since the output target sits around 1440p, a large 4K TV can actually make the stretched image look rougher — a case where the effect depends heavily on your setup, and is easy to misunderstand.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “Digital Foundry heaps praise on Sony’s QSSR: “Sony has pulled off a technical triumph here!”.”
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