- PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny has confirmed that a major update for the PS5 Pro will release in 2026
- Sony will implement an advanced graphics upscaling algorithm for the PS5 Pro as part of Project Amethyst in collaboration with AMD
- Cerny said this update is "a drop-in replacement for the current PSSR" that will improve performance on PS5 Pro
Sony is set to release a major update for the PlayStation 5 Pro in 2026, which is expected to significantly improve performance.
That's according to PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny, who told Tom's Guide that the company will implement an advanced graphics upscaling algorithm for the PS5 Pro as part of its previously announced Project Amethyst initiative in partnership with AMD.
Cerny called this update "a drop-in replacement for the current PSSR" (PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution), which will offer better performance than upscaling tech and be easy for game developers to accommodate when it releases next year.
He also said that the upgrade should have taken years, but by collaborating with AMD, Sony has been able to develop the advanced upscaling algorithm quickly enough for a 2026 release.
"This is not for proprietary technology," Cerny said. "This is really trying to move the industry forward. Obviously we want to use these technologies on our consoles, but these technologies are available to any of AMD's customers freely."
Cerny also explained that this new version is not weaker than AMD's FSR 4, which both companies are aiming to deliver a version of for the PS5 Pro.
"It’s not a cut-down [version] of the algorithm,” he explained. "It’s the full-fat version of the co-developed super resolution that we’ll be releasing on PS5 Pro."
The console architect went on to further discuss Sony's partnership with AMD, saying that they are now collaborating more closely than they did when designing the PS5 and the PS5 Pro.
Both companies are also learning from each other, with Cerny mentioning that Sony helped AMD integrate more demanding, graphically complex scenes into their research, while AMD pushed Sony to create a dedicated quality assurance team aimed at vetting each new iteration of an upscaling algorithm.
"Mark makes us a better company," said Jack Huynh, AMD senior vice president and general manager of the Computing and Graphics Group. "We push each other."
Project Amethyst was announced in December 2024 with the goal of developing machine learning technology across various devices and to create "in parallel, a set of high-quality CNNs for game graphics" to will help further graphical capability.
"With Amethyst, we’ve started on another long journey and are combining our expertise with two goals in mind," Mark Cerny said at the time.
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