It is therefore on the PC that we must seek out this audience and at Sony, we decided to launch a new brand, independent of PlayStation to reach this market. It is from this (unofficial) premise that Sony has just launched Inzone, which is none other than a new brand of gaming equipment for PC gamers. Screens, gaming headsets and other accessories to come, the Japanese giant wants to increase and accelerate its presence on PC, even if most of these products will be compatible with the PS5. Sébastien Minaux, Senior Product Manager for the INZONE TV and Gaming activity at Sony Spain, explains this desire to go beyond the PlayStation ecosystem:
The market has expanded: the expansion of esports tournaments and the wider broadcast of matches have increased interest in gaming. With Sony having a long history of technologically advanced audio and video products, this new range will provide additional options for those looking to upgrade their current gaming gear. We are committed to supporting the growth of gaming culture by providing PC and PlayStation gamers with a wide range of options to enrich their gaming experience. Sony is also a proud sponsor of the world's leading esports leagues, Evolution Championship Series (Evo) 2022 and 2023, PGL DOTA2 Arlington Major 2022, and the VALORANT Champions Tour, and we want gaming culture to grow even further.
For the moment, Sony will therefore launch two monitors and three gaming headsets for its Inzone brand, with different characteristics and prices that vary in order to adapt to users' wallets. On the screen side, there is the Inzone M9 and the Inzone M3, which both have 4K definition and high contrast, with Local Dimming (local backlight management) over the entire surface. If the Inzone M9 can count on its refresh rate at 144Hz and a response time of 1 ms gray-to-gray of its IPS panel, the Inzone M3 can go up to 240Hz for its refresh rate, but in 1080p Full HD. On the design side, Sony has also designed its screens to optimize the comfort of players, with a shallow depth, in order to save space on the desk for other peripherals. A small screen footprint has also been designed so that players can easily place a keyboard at an angle and an imposing gaming mouse pad around or under the screen. Of course, the screens can be adjusted in height and level of inclination, with the added bonus of being able to choose its lighting color on the back of the monitor. Finally, the icing on the cake, these screens both have an auto KVM switch (USB hub auto switch), which allows you to control up to two PCs from a single keyboard, mouse and headset, by plugging them into the monitor .
As far as gaming headsets are concerned, Sony offers the Inzone H9 and the Inzone H7, which are two wireless headsets, and offer (on paper) a battery life of 32 hours and 40 hours respectively. As for the Inzone H3, it is the same model, except that it is necessarily wired. Anyway, the three models have on the side a microphone on a flexible boom tilting upwards, with the "Mute" function, if ever you need to cut your voice. In terms of performance, all three headsets offer 360° spatial sound thanks to software called PC INZONE Hub, which is supposed to reproduce spatial sound from a multi-channel source. Of course, Sony's in-house technology, the Tempest 3D AudioTech, is also integrated to enjoy more immersive sounds. Design level, here too Sony has made efforts so that the player is not too embarrassed during his games, especially if they last for whole hours. We are therefore told of a large and soft padding of the headband which allows the weight to be distributed over the whole of the player's head. The shape of the ear cups has been studied to reduce the pressure on the player's ears by optimizing contact with the sides of the head. Of course, these three headsets are equipped with a noise reduction, knowing that there is also the "Ambient Noise" mode, which allows the player to still hear what is happening around him, such as the ringtone of his phone, the house doorbell, or even a friend who would talk to him in-game.
INZONE Gaming Monitors Features:
INZONE M9: 27-inch 4K/144Hz gaming monitor
4K definition and high contrast thanks to full-surface Local Dimming and DisplayHDR 600 certification. It covers more than 95% of the DCI-P3 color space. It provides superb detail in highlights and deep blacks, as well as faithful color reproduction. Up to 144Hz refresh rate, IPS, 1ms GtG (gray-to-gray) response time and compatibility with variable refresh rate technologies like NVIDIA® G-SYNC® and HDMI 2.1 standard VRR .
INZONE M3: 27-inch Full HD/240Hz gaming monitor
240Hz maximum refresh rate, IPS, 1ms GtG (gray-to-gray) response time, and compatibility with variable refresh rate technologies like NVIDIA® G-SYNC®[7] and standard VRR HDMI 2.1.
Features DisplayHDR 400[8] certification, 99% coverage of the sRGB color space, and support for 1,07 billion colors, to deliver a superb gaming experience with rich colors.
INZONE Gaming Headset Features:
INZONE H9: Noise Canceling Wireless Gaming Headset: Precise target detection with 360° Spatial Sound for Gaming and advanced acoustic-optimizing technology. Play for hours with the comfortable headband and ear cups, noise canceling and ambient sound mode. 32 hours of battery life9 and 10-minute quick charge provides up to 1 hour of playtime.
INZONE H7: Wireless Gaming Headset: Precise target detection with 360° Spatial Sound for Gaming and advanced acoustic-optimizing technology. The ability to play for hours with the headband and comfortable ear cups. 40 hours of battery life9 and 10-minute quick charge provides up to 1 hour of playtime.
INZONE H3: Wired Gaming Headset: Accurate target detection with 360° Spatial Sound for gaming and advanced acoustic-optimizing technology. The possibility of playing for hours with the headband and the comfortable ear cups.
Price and availability:
INZONE Gaming Monitors
INZONE M9: €1099 (available summer 2022)
INZONE M3: Price and availability known during 2022
INZONE Gaming Headsets
INZONE H9: 300 €
INZONE H7: 230 €
INZONE H3: 100 €
