Sony Electronics is launching a gaming equipment brand called Inzone, aimed at PC gamers. The company announced its new brand on Tuesday with two 27-inch screens and three variants of gaming headphones. Inzone has been in the works since 2019 – before the pandemic – as Sony executives saw growth in the video game and esports industries. “We are entering the gaming equipment industry with screens and headphones at an exciting time, as games and esports have become even more popular in recent years,” said Kazuo Kii, president of Sony for home entertainment and audio products. “We leverage Sony’s high quality display and audio technologies to offer products that will allow players to immerse themselves in their gaming world.” The brand name, Kii said, is intended to refer to the riveting feeling that players experience when they are “in the zone”. Having belatedly accepted the PC gaming market, Sony plans to win over players through competitively priced products. Sony plans to sell a $ 899 4K 4K hertz refresh screen available this summer, and a $ 529 1080p 240 hertz refresh screen later this year. PS5 Designer: “When I started painting, it was much bigger” The Japanese heterogeneous group hopes that PC gamers – especially first-person shooters – will give Inzone a chance and not associate Sony primarily with consoles. The brand name is intended to refer to the riveting feeling that players experience when they are “in the zone”, according to Kii. “We are not saying we are not focusing on PS5 users. But because we are lagging behind in screens and headphones [the] “We believe we have a chance to make up the difference,” Kii said. He added that he hopes Sony will be able to make a difference by appealing to top competing players and influencers who may use Inzone products and promote them to their audiences. “I think if top players from top companies say, ‘Oh, Sony’s Inzone is great,’ we can make up the difference,” Kii said. While Sony hopes to attract PC gamers, it has not left PlayStation 5 users behind. Aesthetically, screens and headphones are designed to be paired with the PS5, in case users have one. Both screens work with the PS5, which will optimize screen colors once connected. The screens also have a toggle feature, which allows users to connect a single keyboard, mouse and headset to a PC and PS5 at the same time and toggle between the two. Sony’s approach to gaming headsets is to try to see which of their options resonate with consumers. The company will offer a cordless handset for $ 299 with noise cancellation and synthetic leather, along with a refurbished cordless handset for $ 229 (without leather or noise cancellation) and a pair of $ 99 wired headphones. Kii said all three pairs will be equipped with spatial sound field capability. Players will be able to hear how far their opponents are from them and where they are, based on audio signals. The headphones are also designed to be less tight around the ears so that players can wear them comfortably for hours. Read more: With the PS5, Sony’s big bet is that whatever is good for developers will be great for gamers. The launch of the new brand comes shortly after the Xbox announced in early June that it was trying to attract Japanese developers, who have traditionally worked more with the PlayStation. While Inzone is targeting a gaming community most commonly associated with Windows PC and Xbox, Kii denied that the brand release was an attempt to compete with the Xbox audience, saying that many gamers use multiple gaming devices. Inzone hardware builds on Sony’s current offerings for TVs, monitors and noise canceling headphones, adapting this technology for gamers to enjoy. The company is still undecided on whether it intends to offer material other than monitors and headphones under the Inzone brand, according to Kii. Inzone will come with a software program called Inzone hub for users to access and change settings such as lighting and bass. “Sony’s gaming division, PlayStation, has focused primarily on the console gaming market,” said Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at research firm Niko Partners. “More recently, the company has sought to reach a wider demographic of gamers beyond the console, starting with those who play computer games. Asia is a region of the world where console games are degraded by computer and mobile games. “As Asia is a critical market for the gaming industry, Sony is finding ways to address this market beyond consoles with this move.”
