Remedy has significantly elevated the visual fidelity of Alan Wake 2 on the PS5 Pro by harnessing the capabilities of PSSR 2.0. Expert analyses reveal notable improvements, particularly in the game’s performance mode, where the project now presents a much more refined look.
Previously, Alan Wake 2, utilizing the initial PSSR version, targeted 60 FPS with an internal resolution of 864p, upscaled to 4K. This often led to visual drawbacks, including shimmering details, aliasing on vegetation, issues with fine cables, and overall flickering. The enhanced PSSR version specifically addresses these areas, delivering its most significant impact.
Post-update, environments like forests and dense foliage appear notably cleaner, with the problematic ‘pixel crawling’ on leaves largely eliminated, and indirect lighting exhibiting greater stability. The overall visual coherence during movement has also seen improvement, leading to more stable scenes where elements like street textures no longer appear to ‘tremble.’ While fine lines and cables still aren’t entirely flawless, the visual enhancement is distinct, rendering the game’s assets more compelling in 4K.
However, in the 30 FPS quality mode, the benefits are less pronounced, and the inherent limitations of ray tracing persist. It is crucial to understand that PSSR 2.0 functions as an image upscaling tool, working to enhance the game’s original visual data, rather than serving as a replacement for advanced technologies like ray reconstruction.