Is Sony’s $2000 InZone Setup Worth It?
This is it, Sony's complete InZone ecosystem: monitor, headset, keyboard, mouse, mouse matte and even studio monitor earbuds. All of this has been designed to give you a competitive edge when it comes to PC gaming. And If you’re already very competitive when gaming online, this has been designed to make you even better.
And I'll be honest with you, if this InZone stuff can stop me getting my ass kicked, it would be a good investment. So here's the thing... This is more than just a review. I'm going to set up this ultimate Sony InZone battlestation, and I’m going to download the new Battlefield 6 game, jump into a competitive match, and see if this gear can give me the edge I need to dominate…
THE BUILD - Unboxing & Setup
Maybe the most important element aside from the PC itself is, of course, the monitor. Sony makes some of the most colour-accurate reference monitors on the planet. So this should do the trick. It’s their flagship InZone M10S QHD OLED. 480Hz, and it’s a tournament-sized 27” display. And the stand is so small it almost looks like some kind of optical illusion. And a small footprint is important because I need that desk space for the Inzone Matt D. Which is large and just 4mm thin and has a surface designed for high sensitivity controls. Now, to go with that, the InZone mouse. This might be the lightest mouse that I’ve ever used.
It’s just 48.8grams. It’s got custom sensors, optical switches and an 8,000Hz polling rate. And of course, I’ve got the InZone KBD H75 keyboard. It’s a full metal chassis, rapid trigger switches, an 8,000Hz polling rate, game-changing RGB, and there’s a gasket mount, which makes each key press feel and sound so satisfying. For audio, I got two options: the Inzone H9. They have Sony’s custom drivers from the WH1000-XM6 & Active noise cancelling, and I’ve got the InZone E9 studio monitors. So I'll test them both out. Now, let me show you the glue that binds them together and some of the secret weapons that can hopefully give even more of an edge.
INZONE HUB FEATURES
This is the Sony InZone Hub. As you can see, I have access to all the InZone Gaming stuff. And even the E9 earbuds will show up here if you use the USB to analogue dac.. Anyway, here are some of the things that I’m going to set up. The 360 spatial sound should give me a better sense of directional audio cues. Setting this up does involve using a phone. And going to use the FPS1 EQ to enhance foot steps. In the M10S settings, I'm going to activate the FPS Pro + calibration. This should help to highlight hidden targets by sharpening up their outlines
For the keyboard, I'm not going to map out any key binds just yet. Since this will be my first time playing this game. However, I am going to change the volume wheel to adjust the volume in the H9 II headset. I could change the actuation point for some of the keys, but let's get a feel for it first. I am going to change the aswd keys’ backlighting colours to make them stand out a little. If, for whatever reason, I need more speed, I could switch on ultra-low latency mode, which kills the backlighting on the keyboard. And for the mouse. I'm just going to make sure the polling rate is set to 8000Hz, and I'm going to change the lift of distance to 0.7mm. Making it ultra responsive.
THE ULTIMATE TEST
Ok, now it’s time to give this Inzone setup a go.
Monitor
Ok, so I’ve RTX4070 and I’ve set the graphics and frame rates to be as good as they can be, and the M10S does not disappoint. It looks so good, so smooth. One of the big advantages of OLED is the fact that it can show true black, so if someone is hiding in the shadows, they’ll be clearly visible. There are also some colour profiles here that might ruin the cinematic look, but will give you a big advantage when it comes to spotting your enemies.
Mouse
The Mouse is so light it almost feels like it’s not there at all. It’s kind of crazy how it just floats around so freely. That’s, of course, thanks to its design and sensor tech, but also because of the Mouse Mat D.
Keyboard
And the KBD H75. It feels just so comfortable; it’s sturdy, solid, stable, and responsive. And because it’s compact and the monitor stand is so small and low profile, I can place it exactly where it needs to be.
Audio
And Audio from the InZone H9II is amazing. You have to remember that Sony's initial big success was because of their audio equipment. And it is something they’re very proud of. And yeah, these sound good, and the ANC is super useful if you have a noisy PC or a NAS drive that's been calibrated for the last 5 days. If you’ve been hearing that hard disk sound in the background in this video, that’s what that is. I wish I could have stopped it or paused it for this video, but I can’t, and I’m not about to restart it 4 days in.
Anyway, I’m going to switch to the InZone E9 earbuds now. So obviously there’s no ANC, but the passive noise cancelling is impressive, and that’s because I’m using the foam eartips that Sony provides. A big advantage that these have is that your ears won’t get sweaty. Also, because they’re wired earbuds, they can be used with almost any device & the sound is very detailed and the soundstage is impressive too.
FINAL VERDICT & THE REVEAL
There’s one thing you should know. Remember that problem I mentioned in the intro. Well, it’s the fact that the last time I played mouse and keyboard and was just a little bit competitive was back in the Quake days. Yeah, it’s been a minute. But that fact… I am doing better than I thought I would. Now listen, if I can make a few decent plays with this gear while essentially learning to walk, imagine what you can do. It's the ultimate setup... I just need to learn the controls. And you know, mentality when it comes to gaming is, the only good to give up is ( NEVER ), it can make me a little bit competitive after more than a couple of decades of not gaming on a mouse and keyboard. Imagine what the InZone ecosystem could do for you if you’re a dedicated PC gamer.
