PSSR vs FSR: Why Sony Is Building Its Own Upscaling Technology

Sony continues developing PSSR to avoid depending entirely on AMD’s FSR roadmap and maintain control over console graphics innovation.

Hardware by Vecna on Mar 13, 2026

When people talk about Sony's PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR), they often bring up a basic question: Does it make sense to keep working on PSSR when AMD already has FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR)?

Some people say that since newer versions like FSR5 are on the way, Sony could just adopt AMD's approach instead of keeping its own. But the truth is more complicated than that. Sony's upscaling method is not just a copy of AMD's; it's part of a broader plan that includes independence, control over performance, and platforms that will last for a long time.

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Why Sony Continues Developing PSSR

Strategic freedom is the main reason Sony continues to work on PSSR. If Sony relied solely on AMD's software roadmap, it would have to follow another company's goals and schedules. Sony ensures it always has an answer for its hardware by developing its own upscaling technology, even if AMD delays or releases something new.

People often think that PSSR is just a copy or rebranding of FSR. Still, writers with ties to Sony always argue against that idea. Though the technologies are related in terms of ideas and study, they are not the same. When it comes to growth, the link goes both ways.

Sony has helped AMD with its new ideas, and AMD has learned from Sony's work. Instead of just copying the other side, both sides affect each other.

From Sony's point of view, keeping two separate development tracks means they can still release a competitive feature even if AMD falls behind or changes its mind.

Historical Context of Upscaling Technologies

If you look at the history of current upscaling technologies, you can see why Sony wants to make its own.

AMD FSR 1 was released in 2021. It was considered on par with the early versions of Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) at the time. But that parallel needs more information. Early DLSS received a lot of negative reviews, and it sometimes looked worse than just using a resolution-lowering tool.

So, at first, FSR1 looked great because it beat a weak early version of DLSS. Things quickly changed, though.

When DLSS2 came out, it significantly improved picture quality and reconstruction. It was too good for FSR1 to handle. AMD responded with FSR2, which launched in 2022 and was praised in many games for quality close to that of DLSS2. Some experts thought AMD had closed the gap for a short time.

But Nvidia kept improving DLSS faster. DLSS3 added frame creation, DLSS3.5 added more advanced reconstruction features, and DLSS4 kept building on that. At the same time, AMD's FSR updates often arrived later and struggled to keep up with the others.

Many experts still think AMD's solution is a little behind Nvidia's latest DLSS implementation, even though FSR4 has improved quality significantly.

The most important thing to remember is that AMD needed about five years to get close to Nvidia's level of picture reconstruction. Even then, the race is still pretty close and not quite even.

PSSR's Rapid Progress

Sony joined the upscaling race much later with PSSR, which launched alongside the PlayStation 5 Pro in 2024. But after about two years, the technology had already reached a level of quality often on par with AMD's FSR4.

From our point of view, that speed is really fast. Sony basically caught up to AMD's growth over a few years in a lot less time.

Early experiences with PS5 Pro games like Resident Evil 9 in the real world show that PSSR can provide a very good picture reconstruction. It looks about the same as DLSS-level quality in many scenes. It can easily match the best FSR implementations out there right now.

We can see how that gives Sony a big edge. When running PSSR, a PS5 Pro can sometimes look much more advanced than rival consoles that rely on old-school rendering methods.

Hardware Differences and Custom Optimization

One of the main reasons PSSR exists is that devices can be changed. Sony builds its game systems with machine learning and graphics pipelines that differ from how AMD architectures are typically used in PCs.

For instance, the PS5 Pro has machine-learning technology that works best with PSSR's reconstruction process. That means Sony doesn't have to use a method that works with all GPUs, but can instead make the algorithm work perfectly with its hardware.

When we optimize software around a specific architecture, we often achieve better performance and output. This focused research is good for Sony's console ecosystem.

You also get more power over the graphics process. Sony doesn't have to wait for AMD to add features to FSR; they can add new techniques straight to PSSR whenever they want.

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Insurance Against Development Delays

Another thing is its reliability. AMD's growth schedule has sometimes moved more slowly than planned. For example, even though FSR 4 technology has been around for a while, it has taken time to gain official backing and be widely adopted across all hardware platforms.

If Sony relied on AMD for all its upscaling needs, delays like that could directly affect its hardware plans.

By keeping PSSR up to date, Sony will always have an answer ready, even if AMD's updates come late. It's like insurance for businesses.

We could think of it as a backup plan that also makes us stand out from the competition. Sony can use new AMD methods when they're useful, but they never rely on them alone.

Marketing Advantages

A strong business part is also there. When Sony advertises a device like the PS5 Pro, highlighting a unique feature like PSSR helps set it apart from other systems.

The marketing message would be less strong if both systems used the same upscaling technology. Sony can market PSSR as a unique advantage even though the ideas behind it are shared with industry studies by giving the system its own name.

When a consumer sees that a console has a named proprietary technology that improves picture quality, it can make the hardware feel like a generational upgrade.

Looking Toward PS6 and Future Technologies

Sony is also getting ready for the next wave of hardware, such as the PS6 and possible handheld systems, by working on PSSR.

Upscaling methods are likely to get harder to understand as machine learning is used more in graphics rendering. Sony can make changes to future consoles more quickly because they already have the skills and facilities it needs in-house.

Sony doesn't have to wait for AMD's next FSR update cycle; they can keep improving PSSR while hardware is being made.

This adaptability could be very useful if, in the future, drawing methods increasingly depend on AI models and specialized computers.

Final Thoughts

The purpose of PSSR is not just to replace FSR or directly compete with AMD's technology. The real drive is to be able to make decisions on their own, make changes more quickly, and better integrate hardware.

Having its own parallel upscaling option keeps Sony from relying too much on AMD's software roadmap, which is a good thing. At the same time, both businesses continue to learn from each other's research, which helps them improve their own technologies.

PSSR's quick progress also shows how well this approach can work. Sony quickly came up with an upscaling answer that could compete with technologies that had been in development for years.

As console hardware moves closer to rendering and AI-powered machine learning pipelines, it will likely become even more important to maintain control over these technologies. That long-term view is shown by Sony's continued spending in PSSR.

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