Sony's Inzone Gaming Monitors And Headsets Go Beyond Just PlayStation
Just as the rumors and leaks foretold, today Sony revealed a new gaming brand called Inzone. Of course, Sony already has its own gaming brand in PlayStation, but with Inzone, we're seeing the company branch out a bit. Products released with Inzone branding seem to be primarily aimed at PC gamers, though they'll unsurprisingly have a degree of added functionality when used with PlayStation 5 hardware.
To start, the Inzone brand will offer three headsets and two monitors. The monitors — simply dubbed the Inzone M9 and Inzone M3 — are arguably the stars of today's announcements. That said, the new headsets Sony has revealed — the H9, H7, and H3 — have some intriguing features and, in a couple of ways, seem like an upgrade from Sony's Pulse 3D headset.
Both the M9 and M3 monitors offer high refresh rates of 144Hz and 240Hz, respectively. Both also offer NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility and variable refresh rate via HDMI 2.1, along with a 1ms GtG response time. They each clock in at 27 inches, but the M3 maxes out at 1080p resolution while the M9 boasts a 4K panel. In the end, those who favor framerate above all else will probably want to opt for the lower resolution (and less expensive) M3, while those who favor resolution have the M9, which offers a solid refresh rate itself.
So far, it sounds like these monitors cover a fairly common array of specifications. When you toss in DisplayHDR 600 certification for the M9 and anticipated DisplayHDR 400 certification for the M3, these devices check even more boxes we'd expect modern gaming monitors to. However, the M9 and M3 offer some interesting functionality when paired with a PlayStation 5, potentially making them good options for gamers who play across both PS5 and PC.
PlayStation perks and audio upgrades
When used with a PlayStation 5 console, both the M9 and M3 monitors have special functionality. During setup, Inzone monitors can detect your console and automatically apply the appropriate HDR settings, according to Sony. They can also switch between display modes depending on what you're doing with your PlayStation 5 — if you're playing games, the monitor will automatically switch to Game1 mode, while watching movies through a streaming service or the PS5's Blu-Ray drive will prompt it to switch to Cinema mode.
Then we come to the three new headsets Sony revealed today — the H9, H7, and H3. As the product names suggest, the H9 is the flagship of this lineup, offering digital noise canceling and personalized sound that takes the shape of the users' ears into account. The H9 also supports simultaneous connections over Bluetooth and the included 2.4GHz wireless adapter, and features "soft fit leather" on the earcups.
The H7 and H3 headsets offer similar feature sets, though neither has the digital noise canceling of the H9. It's also worth pointing out that the H7 and H3 seem to come with different materials for the ear cushions and that the H3 is a wired headset. All three headsets, however, are compatible with PS5 and PC, and when used with PS5, users can expect support for 3D audio.
Given these specifications, it probably won't come as a surprise to learn that these aren't budget devices. The Inzone M9 monitor is out this summer with an $899 price tag, while the M9 will be launching this winter at $529. On the audio side, the H9 headset leads the charge with its $299 price tag, while the H7 comes in at $229, and the H3 rounds out the trio at $99.