Following the unveiling of Sony INZONE hardware lineup, the company has said that it wants to be “the Nike of gaming gear.” Speaking to Nikkei Asia, Executive Deputy President Kazuo Kii said that Sony is targeting “hardcore PC gamers” with INZONE, adding that it won’t be in conflict with the PlayStation division because the brand’s target market isn’t PlayStation players even though the monitors and headsets are compatible with consoles.
Sony INZONE development started before the pandemic
Sony was considering its gaming gear lineup well before the pandemic struck, according to Kii. The concept entered development phase following the restructuring of Sony’s television business. The executive believes that TV and audio markets have now matured, and it’s time for Sony’s technology to live on through gaming monitors and headsets. The company is expecting a small boost in Bravia TV sales due to INZONE. Kii added:
We’re going to start at the top and learn what top esports gamers want. The vision we have in mind is that of Mizuno and Nike providing shoes for athletes. You can win prize money in esports. If a monitor’s response time lags even slightly, you lose. Sony products aren’t going to let people engaged in these grueling battles down.
When asked if he thinks Sony is late to the party when it comes to gaming gear, Kii responded that there’s no established market leader in this arena and likened the segment to “warring states.” He’s of the view that this gives Sony the perfect opportunity to enter the gaming gear market, where it has an edge because of its history of manufacturing audio and visual products.
In other news, a new report claims that Rockstar has cancelled plans for a Red Dead Redemption 2 current-gen port, and here are all the PS4 and PS5 games releasing this week.
[Source: Nikkei]
