 Sony's trying something a little new. It's making its own gaming monitors and headsets for PC and PS5. Sony is good at entertaining you in the living room, but it usually leaves a PC gaming space to other companies. That's changing with its new in-zone lineup of gaming monitors and headsets for PC and PS5 launching this summer. Yes, the name is goofy, but I think the gadgets are pretty cool. I've gotten to spend a little bit of time with Sony's high-end in-zone M9 monitor. It's an $899, 27-inch 4K model, and it has the features that the most discerning gamers want in a monitor. A fast 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, variable refresh rate, along with DisplayPort and HDMI 2.1 ports to take full advantage of the PS5 and PC's potential in terms of graphics. It also has a bunch of USB-A ports for connecting accessories, plus a USB-C port with video support so you won't have to use an adapter to plug in a Mac. The M9 kind of checks a lot of boxes. A dedicated gaming display is both the most obvious move that Sony could make at this point in time, and an unexpected one. Other display manufacturers like Asus, Acer, LG, and Samsung have all but cornered the monitor market. But Sony's in-zone M9 comes with a couple extra unique features that may justify its $899 price compared to other options. Which is good, because $899 is a lot of money. So okay, what are you actually getting for that price? The M9 features full-array local dimming with 96 zones for finer control over the backlighting. That means you'll see more impressive contrast, and a lot less haloing around bright objects and dark fields. Full-array local dimming is super common in high-end TVs, like the ones Sony makes, but you'd be surprised how uncommon it is in gaming monitors. Most other gaming monitors in this price range are edge-lit, and typically use vertical dimming zones which just aren't as pleasant to look at. It also supports DisplayHDR600, reaching a peak brightness of 600 nits. That's lower than where most high-end TVs are at, but it's brighter than most monitors. The finer control of dimming zones and the HDR working in tandem makes games like Returnal and Uncharted even more punchy with contrast-rich landscapes. Brights are brighter, and darks are darker. So a scary game feels just a little scarier when you're playing it alone in a dark room. But those aren't the only cool TV features Sony is bringing to this gaming monitor. It's got auto HDR tone mapping for the PS5. Theoretically, that should just make the HDR perform better. The monitor will recognize the PS5 when it's plugged into the console, and HDR settings will automatically be optimized. But we'll have to do more testing to see if this feature is actually worth the hype, and whether you can manually tweak the display if the automatic results aren't to your liking. Another cool PS5-exclusive feature is Auto Genre Picture Mode, which automatically applies Cinema Mode when you switch from playing a game to either using a streaming service or watching Blu-ray. It's great that you won't have to switch between gaming and movie mode, and then back to gaming mode, and then back to movie mode by yourself on the monitor, because navigating menus on monitors is usually so annoying. In my short time with the M9, playing PS5 games looked fantastic. I cycled through a few games, each one showing off a better-looking picture than I'd seen before while using a PS5 with any other gaming monitor. Returnal looked incredibly spooky with its brilliant use of lighting and neon bullet effects. Later this winter, Sony will bring a 27-inch 1080p version of this monitor to the market. It's called the M3, and it'll cost $529. And while it's a big step down in terms of resolution, it boosts the refresh rate to 240Hz without compromising on too many of the M9's high-end features. It still has variable refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 ports, NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility, along with DisplayHDR 400, but it lacks full-array local dimming. You might have already seen it appear in some of the footage in this video. It's also right behind me. But Sony's also announcing some gaming headsets to coincide with the monitor launch. This is great news because the M9 monitor speakers aren't great. At the highest end of the lineup is the $299 Inzone H9, which can handle dual wireless connections simultaneously, one through its USB-A transmitter and another through Bluetooth. Sony says that the Inzone H9 shares some common traits with the 1000XM5 headphones, like the soft pillowy earpads and the stellar noise cancellation. I've had a little bit more time with the H9 headset than I've had with Sony's gaming monitor, and I really like two things about them. One, they're very comfortable. The notches of the headband can extend well beyond what my large noggin requires, which I love. Two, they sound just as good, if not better, than my personal Sony XM3 headphones. I could see these being my go-to headset for gaming, video calls, and for listening to music. One thing that isn't cool though, they look absolutely massive when they're on my head. I mean, look at them. Like almost all headset makers, Sony is touting spatial audio as being a big deal with the H9, with the idea being that it can help you notice little audio details like enemy footsteps before they get the drop on you. But it goes a step further than most companies because it's trying to tune the feature to your ear shape. Sony made a whole mobile app that takes photos of your ears to improve how the feature works on PC. Going this far with the process is optional, and while it's easy enough to follow along with the steps, I couldn't immediately notice the benefit in games, but I need to test it out some more. If you understandably don't want to spend $300 on a gaming headset, Sony has two other options in the $229 wireless H7 and the $99 wired H3. The H7 ditches the noise cancellation from the H9, seeing a boost in total battery life as a result. As for the H3, it has a slightly different design with less premium-feeling build materials, but it's also only $100, and the audio performance is impressive for that price. Everyone is trying to be the cheapest, or the best, or sometimes even both, but I think Sony's new models might just be unique enough to stand out. I need to spend a little bit more time with Sony's new gadgets, but be sure to tune into TheVerge.com to check out my final reviews soon. And shameless plug, but we have a new show on Netflix called The Future Of, and you should check it out.
 Sony's trying something a little new.
 It's making its own gaming monitors and headsets for PC and PS5.
 Sony is good at entertaining you in the living room, but it usually leaves a PC gaming space
 to other companies.
 That's changing with its new in-zone lineup of gaming monitors and headsets for PC and
 PS5 launching this summer.
 Yes, the name is goofy, but I think the gadgets are pretty cool.
 I've gotten to spend a little bit of time with Sony's high-end in-zone M9 monitor.
 It's an $899, 27-inch 4K model, and it has the features that the most discerning gamers
 want in a monitor.
 A fast 144Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, variable refresh rate, along with DisplayPort
 and HDMI 2.1 ports to take full advantage of the PS5 and PC's potential in terms of
 graphics.
 It also has a bunch of USB-A ports for connecting accessories, plus a USB-C port with video
 support so you won't have to use an adapter to plug in a Mac.
 The M9 kind of checks a lot of boxes.
 A dedicated gaming display is both the most obvious move that Sony could make at this
 point in time, and an unexpected one.
 Other display manufacturers like Asus, Acer, LG, and Samsung have all but cornered the
 monitor market.
 But Sony's in-zone M9 comes with a couple extra unique features that may justify its
 $899 price compared to other options.
 Which is good, because $899 is a lot of money.
 So okay, what are you actually getting for that price?
 The M9 features full-array local dimming with 96 zones for finer control over the backlighting.
 That means you'll see more impressive contrast, and a lot less haloing around bright objects
 and dark fields.
 Full-array local dimming is super common in high-end TVs, like the ones Sony makes, but
 you'd be surprised how uncommon it is in gaming monitors.
 Most other gaming monitors in this price range are edge-lit, and typically use vertical dimming
 zones which just aren't as pleasant to look at.
 It also supports DisplayHDR600, reaching a peak brightness of 600 nits.
 That's lower than where most high-end TVs are at, but it's brighter than most monitors.
 The finer control of dimming zones and the HDR working in tandem makes games like Returnal
 and Uncharted even more punchy with contrast-rich landscapes.
 Brights are brighter, and darks are darker.
 So a scary game feels just a little scarier when you're playing it alone in a dark room.
 But those aren't the only cool TV features Sony is bringing to this gaming monitor.
 It's got auto HDR tone mapping for the PS5.
 Theoretically, that should just make the HDR perform better.
 The monitor will recognize the PS5 when it's plugged into the console, and HDR settings
 will automatically be optimized.
 But we'll have to do more testing to see if this feature is actually worth the hype,
 and whether you can manually tweak the display if the automatic results aren't to your liking.
 Another cool PS5-exclusive feature is Auto Genre Picture Mode, which automatically applies
 Cinema Mode when you switch from playing a game to either using a streaming service or
 watching Blu-ray.
 It's great that you won't have to switch between gaming and movie mode, and then back
 to gaming mode, and then back to movie mode by yourself on the monitor, because navigating
 menus on monitors is usually so annoying.
 In my short time with the M9, playing PS5 games looked fantastic.
 I cycled through a few games, each one showing off a better-looking picture than I'd seen
 before while using a PS5 with any other gaming monitor.
 Returnal looked incredibly spooky with its brilliant use of lighting and neon bullet
 effects.
 Later this winter, Sony will bring a 27-inch 1080p version of this monitor to the market.
 It's called the M3, and it'll cost $529.
 And while it's a big step down in terms of resolution, it boosts the refresh rate to
 240Hz without compromising on too many of the M9's high-end features.
 It still has variable refresh rate, HDMI 2.1 ports, NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility, along
 with DisplayHDR 400, but it lacks full-array local dimming.
 You might have already seen it appear in some of the footage in this video.
 It's also right behind me.
 But Sony's also announcing some gaming headsets to coincide with the monitor launch.
 This is great news because the M9 monitor speakers aren't great.
 At the highest end of the lineup is the $299 Inzone H9, which can handle dual wireless
 connections simultaneously, one through its USB-A transmitter and another through Bluetooth.
 Sony says that the Inzone H9 shares some common traits with the 1000XM5 headphones, like the
 soft pillowy earpads and the stellar noise cancellation.
 I've had a little bit more time with the H9 headset than I've had with Sony's gaming
 monitor, and I really like two things about them.
 One, they're very comfortable.
 The notches of the headband can extend well beyond what my large noggin requires, which
 I love.
 Two, they sound just as good, if not better, than my personal Sony XM3 headphones.
 I could see these being my go-to headset for gaming, video calls, and for listening to
 music.
 One thing that isn't cool though, they look absolutely massive when they're on my head.
 I mean, look at them.
 Like almost all headset makers, Sony is touting spatial audio as being a big deal with the
 H9, with the idea being that it can help you notice little audio details like enemy footsteps
 before they get the drop on you.
 But it goes a step further than most companies because it's trying to tune the feature to
 your ear shape.
 Sony made a whole mobile app that takes photos of your ears to improve how the feature works
 on PC.
 Going this far with the process is optional, and while it's easy enough to follow along
 with the steps, I couldn't immediately notice the benefit in games, but I need to test it
 out some more.
 If you understandably don't want to spend $300 on a gaming headset, Sony has two other
 options in the $229 wireless H7 and the $99 wired H3.
 The H7 ditches the noise cancellation from the H9, seeing a boost in total battery life
 as a result.
 As for the H3, it has a slightly different design with less premium-feeling build materials,
 but it's also only $100, and the audio performance is impressive for that price.
 Everyone is trying to be the cheapest, or the best, or sometimes even both, but I think
 Sony's new models might just be unique enough to stand out.
 I need to spend a little bit more time with Sony's new gadgets, but be sure to tune into
 TheVerge.com to check out my final reviews soon.
 And shameless plug, but we have a new show on Netflix called The Future Of, and you should
 check it out.