Sony launches “INZONE” gaming monitor and headset series
PlayStation 5 manufacturer Sony has set its sights on PC gamers with its new gaming brand "INZONE"
Sony has unveiled its first-ever gaming monitors alongside a trio of new gaming headsets.
The M3 and M9 monitors and H3, H7 and H9 headsets are part of the Japanese manufacturer’s new gaming brand “INZONE”. They’ll work perfectly well with PlayStation 5, but are primarily aimed at PC gamers, with the monitors designed with mouse and keyboard use in mind and the headsets incorporating sound technology that can only be accessed on Windows.
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Sony M3 and Sony M9 gaming monitors
Sony’s inaugural monitors are both 27in models with stated input lag of under 5ms. The flagship M9 has a 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160) and a refresh rate of 144Hz, while the M3 has a lower Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080) but refreshes at 240Hz. Variable Refresh Rate is supported through Nvidia G-Sync, but not AMD Freesync.
The Sony M9’s 10-bit panel is able to reproduce over a billion colours, covers 95% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, and is DisplayHDR 600 certified so can hit peak luminance of 600cd/m². It also benefits from full-array local dimming, with 96 independent dimming zones ensuring precise contrast control across the flat-screen display, which has an anti-glare coating. The M3 won’t be as bright, as the panel is only DisplayHDR 400 certified, and only covers 99% of the sRGB colour space.
Both monitors support Auto HDR Tone Mapping and Auto Genre Picture Mode – two “Perfect for PlayStation 5” features that have made their way over from Sony’s Bravia XR TV series. The former optimises High Dynamic Range settings on your Sony console when the monitor is first detected, while the latter detects whether you’re playing a game or watching a movie and switches picture modes accordingly.
Gamers will also benefit from various assist functions, including a FPS game picture mode, black equaliser, crosshair adjuster, game timer and frame rate counter. There’s also automatic KVM switching, which will allow you to control two PCs or a PC and PS5 with a single mouse and keyboard. These features may not be of much use to casual gamers but will prove invaluable to the hardcore playerbase Sony is marketing the monitors at.
Both the M3 and M9 feature a trapeze-shaped tripod stand that’s height and tilt adjustable. You’ll be able to adjust the height by up to 70mm, while the display can be tilted by up to 20 degrees. The unusual stand design serves a practical purpose, allowing players to angle their keyboard underneath it in a manner commonly used by professional gamers.
In terms of connectivity, there’s a DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1 ports, a USB-C port, USB-B port, three USB-A ports and a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting a pair of headphones. If you’re not using headphones or a gaming headset, you can make use of the pair of built-in 2W speakers. Both models provide a cable management solution on the rear of their panels, with the M9 also featuring a lighting effect to enhance gaming ambience.
Sony is yet to announce pricing for the M3, which will be released this winter, but has confirmed the M9 will cost £999 when it launches in the summer.
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Sony H3, Sony H7 and Sony H9 gaming headsets
Similarly, Sony is yet to reveal firm release dates for its new trio of gaming headsets but says they’ll be available at some point in July. The entry-level wired H3 headset has an RRP of £89, while the H7 and H9, which support Bluetooth and wireless connectivity via a dongle, will cost £199 and £269, respectively.
All three headsets house 40mm drivers along with a flip-to-mute bi-directional boom arm microphone that can be removed and is made from a flexible material to allow precise adjustment. The trio all also support 360 Spatial Sound for gaming and this can be personalised using Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound Personaliser app.
Once the app has taken a few measurements and readings, the headsets will be optimised for your own ears and the app can be safely deleted. This is something only PC gamers will be able to take advantage of, though PlayStation 5 players can enjoy 3D audio courtesy of the console’s Tempest engine.
The headsets leverage hardware from Sony’s successful over-ear noise-cancelling headphones series, with the similarities to the Sony WH-1000XM5 most apparent in the flagship H9. These use the same soft-fit leather on their earpads as the XM5, so promise to be among the most comfortable gaming headsets on the market. That synthetic leather is replaced by smooth nylon on the H7 and H3.
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The H9 also offer noise cancelling and ambient modes, with each earcup housing one feedforward and one feedback microphone to ensure external sound is attenuated effectively.
Another feature exclusive to the H9 is a lighting effect on the outside of the earcups. This negatively impacts battery life, however; the H9 should last up to 32 hours on a single charge, which is eight hours less than its more affordable stablemate. But the headsets can both be used while charging and generate enough juice from just ten minutes on charge for an hour of gaming, meaning your only downtime will be to eat, sleep or show face with loved ones.
Discord certification is present on all three headsets, though you’ll need one of the wireless models if you want to be able to adjust game/chat balance via a dial on one of the earcups.
We hope to receive samples of both monitors and the flagship H9 headset in the near future, so be sure to keep an eye out for our reviews of Sony’s latest gaming hardware.