Sony plans to integrate technology based on AMD’s FSR 4 upscaling technique into the PlayStation 5 (PS5) Pro, aiming to deliver even crisper graphics starting in 2026, according to PlayStation lead architect Mark Cerny. In an interview with Digital Foundry, Cerny revealed that Sony is working to implement “something very similar to FSR 4’s upscaler” for PS5 Pro titles as the next evolution of their current PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology.
While the $700 PS5 Pro already offers improved visual fidelity over the standard PS5 console, this upcoming enhancement represents a significant advancement in Sony’s AI upscaling capabilities. Current PSSR technology can transform 720p images into 4K resolution in real-time while adding extra particle effects, and has been favorably compared to AMD’s FSR 3.
Notably, the neural network underpinning AMD’s new FSR 4 upscaler is itself a product of collaboration between Sony and AMD under their “Project Amethyst” initiative. This partnership, officially announced in December but actually begun in 2023, has FSR 4 as its first major achievement.
“The neural network (and training recipe) in FSR 4’s upscaler are the first results of the Amethyst collaboration,” Cerny explained, describing it as “a more advanced approach that can exceed the crispness of PSSR.”
Despite these promising developments, Cerny emphasized that developers should continue using PSSR for now, as it will take time to “reimplement” FSR 4’s upscaling network into the PS5 Pro ecosystem. He indicated that Sony will develop “its own implementations” of algorithms created through the AMD collaboration.
Cerny also hinted that Project Amethyst may extend beyond home consoles, noting that “this technology has uses beyond PlayStation, and it’s about supporting broad work in machine learning across a variety of devices – the biggest win is when developers can freely move their code from device to device.”