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Sony Electronics launches a gaming equipment brand called Inzone, aimed at PC gamers. The company announced its new brand on Tuesday with two 27-inch monitors and three variations of gaming headphones.
Inzone had been working since 2019, before the pandemic, as Sony executives observed growth in the video game and sports industries.
“We are entering the gaming equipment industry with monitors and headphones at an exciting time, as games and sports have become even more popular in recent years,” said Kazuo Kii, president of entertainment for Sony home and sound products in the Washington Post. “We are leveraging Sony’s high-quality audio and display technologies to deliver products that allow gamers to immerse themselves in their gaming world.”
The brand name, Kii said, wants to refer to the immersive feeling players experience when they are “in the zone.”
Admitted late in the PC gaming market, Sony plans to win players with competitively priced products. Sony plans to sell a $ 899 4K resolution monitor with a refresh rate of 144 hertz, available this summer, and a $ 529 1080p monitor with a refresh rate of 240 hertz, which will arrive later this year .
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The Japanese conglomerate expects PC gamers, especially first-person shooters, to give Inzone a try and not associate Sony primarily with consoles. The brand name wants to refer to the immersive feeling players experience when they are “in the zone,” according to Kii.
“We’re not saying we’re not focusing on PS5 users. But because we’re lagging behind monitors and headphones [the] gaming segment, we believe we have a chance to catch up, “said Kii. He added that he hopes Sony can catch up by appealing to the best competitive players and influencers who can use Inzone products and promote them to your audience.
“I think if the best players from the best companies say‘ Oh, Sony’s Inzone is fantastic, ’we can catch up,” Kii said.
While Sony hopes to attract PC gamers, it hasn’t left PlayStation 5 users behind. Aesthetically, the monitors and headphones are designed to pair with the PS5, in case users have one. Both monitors work with the PS5, which will optimize screen colors once connected. The monitors also have a switch function, which allows users to connect a single keyboard, mouse, and headset to one PC and PS5 at a time, and switch between the two.
Sony’s approach to gaming headphones is to try to see which of its options resonate with consumers. The company will offer a $ 299 wireless headset with noise cancellation and synthetic leather, along with a reduced $ 229 wireless headset (without leather or noise cancellation) and a pair of $ 99 headphones with noise cancellation cable. Kii said the three pairs will be equipped with a spatial sound field function; players will be able to hear how far their opponents are and where they are, based on sound indications.
The headphones are also designed to be less tight around the ears so players can wear them comfortably for hours.
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The launch of the new brand comes shortly after the Xbox announcement in early June that it was trying to woo Japanese developers, who have traditionally worked more with PlayStation. While Inzone points to a gaming community most commonly associated with Windows PCs and Xbox, Kii denied that the brand’s launch was an offer to compete for the Xbox audience, saying many gamers use multiple devices to play.
Inzone hardware is based on Sony’s current offerings for noise-canceling TVs, monitors and headphones, adapting this technology to attract gamers. The company has not yet decided on whether it plans to offer hardware in addition to monitors and headphones under the Inzone brand, according to Kii.
Inzone will come with a software program called Inzone hub so that users can 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, a senior analyst at research firm Niko Partners. “More recently, the company has been looking to reach a wider demographic of gamers beyond the console, starting with those who play on the computer. Asia is a region of the world where console games are overshadowed by games. for PC and mobile. As Asia is a critical market for the gaming industry, Sony is finding ways to address this market beyond consoles with this move. “