There’s only a little over a week before the first (and possibly last, given Microsoft’s apparent lack of plans to do another Xbox One X-type launch) console refresh of this generation, the PS5 Pro, launches globally.
As we approach the release date, more developers are talking about their experience with the hardware. Earlier today, we shared an excerpt from an interview in which Dying Light Franchise Director Tymon Smektala mentioned how PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution could be more important than the other hardware advancements.
Interestingly, we can now reinforce that opinion with similar impressions from our PS5 Pro Q&A with Nexon’s Engine Programmer Junhwan Kim, who worked on the enhancements coming to the free-to-play looter shooter The First Descendant. Kim also believes that PSSR is the console’s most impressive feature and even went as far as saying its image quality stands up to any other upscalers on the market, including NVIDIA DLSS. Interestingly, they decided to mix PSSR upscaling with AMD FSR frame generation.
Read the full Q&A below. As a reminder, the PS5 Pro is out on November 7 for $699/£699/€799. The First Descendant, on the other hand, has recently received the second update of its first season of live service.
What do you think of the PS5 Pro’s hardware? What’s the single feature you were most impressed with?
Considering that the PS5 Pro is a performance-enhanced model rather than a full-fledged successor, it has achieved significant performance improvements in many areas. As you already know, it is based on three main features: enhanced GPU performance, improved ray-tracing architecture with a new command set, and AI-driven upscaling. The most impressive aspect during the PS5 Pro adaptation process was the AI-driven upscaling technology known as PSSR. On the existing PS5 base model, the FSR Image Upscaling feature is typically used, which has some drawbacks, such as pixel ghosting and pixel jittering during the pixel reconstruction process. The PS5 Pro’s Image Upscaling based on PSSR minimizes these weaknesses and delivers highly impressive results.
Compared to the jump between PS4 Pro and PS4, would you say the PS5 Pro-PS5 difference is similar or reduced (e.g., the advancement is less pronounced)?
The difference between the PS4 and PS4 Pro was mainly in the enhanced CPU and GPU performance, as well as some optimization methods that enabled near-4K image output using techniques like Checkerboard rendering. I believe this created a noticeable distinction between the two. The difference between the PS5 and PS5 Pro shares a similar goal with the previous generation, but the approach this time was distinctly different and much more interesting, resulting in significantly improved outcomes. I think this is a suitable way to advance at the current generation.
How much of an improvement is there between the PS5 and PS5 Pro versions of the game?
For The First Descendant, we aimed to provide higher resolution and more ray-tracing features on the PS5 Pro. In terms of ray tracing, we achieved enhancements with expanded features such as ray-traced ambient occlusion, ray-traced Lumen diffuse, ray-traced opaque, and translucency surface reflection.
Also, how does the PS5 Pro version stack with the maxed-out PC game? Will the PS5 Pro version support the same ray tracing effects as the PC version with the same quality?
Providing the same quality as a high-end PC is a very challenging task. The team did their best to add as many features as possible to deliver the best possible image quality and performance.
Will there be different modes for the PS5 Pro version of The First Descendant?
The original PS5 base model offered FSR upscaling and FSR frame generation features. On the PS5 Pro, we provide an option that combines PSSR with FSR frame generation, allowing for a higher-resolution, high-frame-rate experience compared to before.
Are you using PSSR? What do you think about it compared to other upscalers like NVIDIA DLSS, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS?
As mentioned earlier, we actively adopted PSSR. Each upscaling technology has its own advantages and disadvantages. PSSR delivers image quality that stands up to comparison with any other upscaling technology.
Thank you for your time.
