The Last of Us Part II Remastered Is an Impressive PlayStation 5 Pro, PSSR Showcase

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is an excellent showcase of what the PlayStation 5 Pro and the AI-powered PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution upscaler are capable of doing, according to a new early analysis.

The new analysis from Digital Foundry, based on pre-release footage, confirms the remaster of the second entry in the series by Naughty Dog targets 4K resolution, 60 FPS on the upcoming console, using PSSR to upscale to 4K resolution from 1440p. This delivers a considerable visual leap over the base model's Performance mode, as the upscaler improves texture detail and reduces blurriness and aliasing, especially in fine textures like foliage. On PlayStation 5 Pro, the game also shows noticeable improvements in geometric edges. Additionally, performance is extremely solid, as the game runs at a constant 60 FPS, with the exception of a few scenarios.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered's usage of PSSR also allowed Digital Foundry to highlight how the upscaler delivers better image stability than the more widely used AMD FSR. As the game has yet to be released on PC, a direct comparison is not possible, but using its predecessor, it's still clear how the upscaler lags behind NVIDIA DLSS in some regards, such as with fine edge details.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered was hardly in need of improvements, unlike other games like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, but still, it is great to hear that even games that look and run fine on the base model can take advantage of the PlayStation 5 Pro's features to offer even better experiences. As such, the remaster will become even more the ultimate way to enjoy Naughty Dog's games, as I highlighted in my review.