After the announcement of PSVR2 and the launch of Sony’s PlayStation 5, the behemoth company has taken its technology efforts a step further by creating the INZONE brand.
It was revealed that Sony created the aforementioned brand in a bid to enter the eSports tech vertical. The INZONE brand boats a line-up of high-end devices. And for the brand’s first outing, Sony will be releasing a series of headsets and two gaming monitors as it aims to ’strike’ the eSports tech market ’at the heart’.
Sony’s Head of Game Business, Yukihiro Kitajima stated that Sony might deploy these devices across eSports leagues that it currently owns or sponsors, such as the likes of the PGL Dota 2 Arlington Major, the VALORANT Champions Tour and the Evolution Championship Series.
Comparison with other similar devices:
Sony has named its new set of eSports gaming headsets as ’H3’, H7’, and ‘H9’. And since they’re a tiered offering, you’ll be getting better headsets with each new iteration. It’s no surprise that is reflected in their respective prices below:
INZONE H3: Spatial Sound, Wired, INZONE Hub, Entry-Level ($99)
INZONE H7: Spatial Sound, Wireless (40hr), INZONE Hub, Mid-Level ($229)
INZONE H9: Spatial Sound, Noise Cancelling, Wireless (32/20hrs), INZONE Hub, LED Lighting, Leather Earpad, High-Level ($299)
The H-Series of headsets come with a clean black and white style. Sony said that the H7 and H9 are ‘perfect for PS5’, as they feature ‘acoustic designs’ that are optimised for gaming. However, the spatial audio features, at least on a 360-degree level, are only available on PC.
The H3 utilises a standard USB connection, while the H7 and H9 are rechargeable via a USB-C connector. For social gamers, the H-Series of headsets are all ‘Discord certified’.
Here is the breakdown of the specification for these monitors:
INZONE M3 Monitor: 27-inches, 1920×1080, 240hz, 1ms latency, built-in 2w speakers, HDR-ready, feat. HDMI, DP, USB-C, USB-B, USB-A, and 3.5mm audio ports (price TBC).
INZONE M9 Monitor: 27-inches, 3840×2160, 144hz, 1ms latency, built-in 2w speakers, HDR-ready, feat. HDMI, DP, USB-C, USB-B, USB-A, and 3.5mm audio ports (price TBC).
The above INZONE headsets are expected to launch in July 2022, but the monitors will likely not make an appearance for several months. Chances are when the headsets become available, we might see a couple of them make an appearance at some of the top-tier eSports tournaments.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
