Sony announced Quick Spectral Super Resolution (QSSR), an AI-guided upscaler designed for the standard PlayStation 5, on October 1, 2026. Sony named Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei as the first games due to receive QSSR patches, which it said were being issued that day.
A hands-on evaluation reported October 1 found improved image detail and temporal stability in both games, with the more noticeable visual change in Marvel’s Wolverine. Its performance observations varied by game mode and output target: in one test, QSSR added processing time and showed a frame-rate difference, while a 60 fps-targeted mode maintained a similar output frame rate at a lower internal resolution.
Sony designed QSSR for standard PS5
QSSR is an image upscaler: it reconstructs a higher-resolution output from a lower-resolution game render. Sony described it as a streamlined neural network with an implementation tuned for the standard PS5. The company said the technology grew out of Project Amethyst, its graphics collaboration with AMD.
Sony positions QSSR for the standard PS5 and PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) for PS5 Pro. Sony graphics R&D engineer Daniel Craig described QSSR as relying primarily on FP16 math; his technical explanation contrasted that approach with PSSR’s use of INT8 instructions and dedicated machine-learning hardware on PS5 Pro. QSSR is designed for the standard console’s hardware, not a direct port of PSSR.
What testing found in the first two games
The reported hands-on evaluation found clearer detail and improved temporal stability—a more consistent appearance of fine details from frame to frame—in Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei. The improvement was more substantial in Wolverine; the visual change in Ghost of Yōtei was less dramatic.
The frame-rate and processing results depended on the game, mode, and target resolution. The evaluation, published October 1 after roughly six hours of access about two weeks earlier, reported these separate test cases:
| Game and mode | Test conditions | Reported result |
| Marvel’s Wolverine, uncapped performance mode with VRR | 864p input upscaled to 1440p; compared with Insomniac’s upscaler at like-for-like settings | QSSR added about 1.5–1.8 ms of processing time and showed an 8–10 fps difference. |
| Marvel’s Wolverine, 60 Hz performance mode | Dynamic resolution scaling targeted 60 fps | Output frame rates were similar with QSSR, at a lower internal resolution and with higher output image quality. |
| Marvel’s Wolverine, uncapped fidelity mode | Targeted 2160p output | QSSR added about 4.4 ms of frame time and showed an 8–10 fps difference. |
| Ghost of Yōtei, uncapped performance mode with VRR | Compared with the game’s standard FSR 3 implementation | Frame rates were almost identical; equivalent input and output resolutions still needed confirmation. |
The measurements describe specific tests, not a fixed cost for every game. In particular, the Wolverine results show why a single number cannot describe QSSR’s performance impact: its effect differed between a mode using dynamic resolution scaling and uncapped tests with different output targets.
Which games will support QSSR?
Sony named Marvel’s Wolverine and Ghost of Yōtei as the first QSSR games and said patches were being issued for both on October 1. Sony also said it would offer QSSR broadly to PlayStation developers. Each game still needs its own implementation for players to use the upscaler.
