Sony Confirms "Enhance PSSR Image Quality" Only Works on Compatible Games

In recent weeks, there has been considerable discussion surrounding the PS5 Pro, particularly concerning a setting that promised to globally enhance image quality via SuperSampling. However, the actual functionality has proven to be far more limited than many anticipated. Sony has finally clarified how its 'Enhance PSSR Image Quality' setting truly works, revealing that, to the surprise of many, it has no effect in certain games, which fully explains the widespread user confusion.

Many users interpreted it as a universal enhancement for all titles, but, as Mark Cerny himself has pointed out, the reality differs from initial perceptions.

Sony Confirms "Enhance PSSR Image Quality" Is Often Ineffective

To understand the situation, it's essential to know what PSSR is. It's Sony's AI-based upscaling technology, designed to render images at a lower resolution and then reconstruct them with greater sharpness, similar to other market solutions like AMD FSR, which it builds upon. On top of this technology, Sony introduced an additional setting that, in theory, applies an enhanced reconstruction model.

The crucial aspect is that this function doesn't operate independently; it doesn't enable PSSR 2 compatibility in an unsupported game or enhance titles that don't utilize PSSR. Its sole action is to apply an alternative version of the model in games that are already compatible. In other words, if a game lacks the necessary preparation or support, the option is completely useless. And in cases where it is compatible, the improvement is usually very subtle, mainly affecting fine details such as edges, textures, or aliasing reduction.

This is where the controversy arises, as many users activate the option expecting a noticeable and immediate visual improvement across all games, only to find it makes no difference, leading to understandable frustration.

Mark Cerny Confirms It Subtly

This has led to the perception that the setting is broken or poorly implemented, when in reality its behavior is as intended, albeit poorly communicated by Sony. Furthermore, the situation is complicated because some titles already integrate their own optimizations or versions of the model, which further diminishes the relevance of the 'Enhance PSSR Image Quality' toggle. Essentially, this is a very specific function with a limited effect, entirely dependent on game support, as Cerny himself has admitted:

"The current strategy is for it to be a fixed problem; that is, even if there are updated network parameters for the latest PS5 Pro games, those parameters will not be applied when using the enhancement feature. This allows the PS5 Pro community to provide clear instructions on how and when to use the enhancement feature; conversely, if the parameters were continually updated, it would be much harder to provide such instructions."

In summary, it appears Sony aimed to implement a controlled and predictable solution, but the result is a tool that, without proper context, has caused more confusion than benefits, or at least it did. Will we see a true evolution of PSSR that makes these types of settings relevant for the average user? For now, it seems to be a feature reserved for very specific cases, and in most instances, its functionality will be integrated directly into the game itself, rendering the 'Enhance PSSR Image Quality' toggle ineffective.