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System-Wide Supersampling Coming To PlayStation 4 Pro
Sony is currently beta-testing their next major firmware update, 5.50, and testers have found a system-wide option for supersampling in games when using a PS4 Pro.
Supersampling is, essentially, rendering a game at a higher resolution than the display supports, making the image look better and less aliased. So a PS4 Pro that can run a game in 4K doesn't always offer a benefit to someone playing the game on a 1080p TV. This update should allow games to look nicer overall. Not all games offer downsampling built in, so this is a way for owners of 2K sets to get their money out of the Pro.
This is similar to Sony introducing Boost Mode last year, which leveraged the extra power of the Pro to improve performance on older games. When turning on Boost mode, the PS4 mentions that there is a possibility things will perform erratically, as the games were never tested for this specific function. A similar message appears when turning on Supersampling, and suggests turning it off if it causes problems.
The release date of the 5.50 firmware update has yet to be confirmed by Sony and is still undergoing beta testing.
[Source: ResetEra]
Our Take
Microsoft already has this feature in the One X, so it is good to see Sony following suit so quickly. Making sure 1080p owners get benefits from the Pro is the best way to increase adoption of the more expensive version.
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