Your eyes are not wrong. Sony is now making hardware for PC gaming, and Inzone, a hardware brand within Sony that specializes in PC gaming and is completely separate from PlayStation, is on a mission to enter the PC market, and will do so with a new line of headsets and gaming monitors that appear to have taken design inspiration from console gaming consoles. Inzone is on a mission to enter the PC market, and will do so with a new line of headsets and gaming monitors that appear to be inspired by console gaming designs.

The Sony Inzone M9 is a fantastic 4K 144Hz gaming monitor that makes a strong first impression. It is one of the best high refresh rate 4K monitors available, and it has some excellent features that set it apart from the rest.

As the first PC gaming monitor, Sony has taken an "everything but the kitchen sink" approach. This 27-inch 4K monitor operates at a 144Hz refresh rate and supports G-Sync with HDMI 2.1 VRR support. This means you can connect an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 and enjoy gaming at 120Hz 4K. Something even our favorite 4K gaming monitors can't do.

PlayStation 5 users can take advantage of a couple of features exclusive to the M9: first, auto HDR tone mapping, which is a feature that allows the PS5 to use the M9's HDR tone mapping function to create a HDR tone that is more accurate than the M9's. Essentially, as soon as the PS5 is connected, the console automatically optimizes the HDR settings. Second, depending on the media the Playstation 5 is running on, the monitor will automatically adjust the picture mode to match what you are watching or playing, whether you are playing an FPS or watching Netflix.

I currently have a PC with RTX 3090, a PlayStation 5, and an Xbox Series X connected to the M9, and I have to say it looks and plays the best I've seen on my consoles in a while, whether it's Halo Infinite on the Xbox, MLB The Show, watching the action at 4K 120Hz felt very close to what it looks like on PC. Sure it's not 144Hz, but the M9 seems perfect for the gamer who has everything. By all, I mean PC and console, meaning you don't have everything in life. No kidding.

I watched Cyberpunk 2077 and Horizon Zero Dawn (PC version) on a monitor set to 4K 144Hz Ultra. Colors looked great as I rode through the neon-lit Night City on my Akira-uninspired motorcycle or blasted the colorful debris of a mechanical dinosaur with an exploding arrow. The range of colors was impressive and just perfect for the vibrant game.

I'm still not 100% convinced about local dimming, but it definitely adds to the tension in a game like "Resident Evil: The Village" for PC with ray tracing turned on. Especially early on, when you're skulking around in the castle dungeon in knee-high, dirty water, dodging creepy vampire ladies. I'm starting to like it more and more. [Inzone hub is a fairly easy to use app that allows you to do more complex settings on the monitor, such as local dimming and turning off/on Adaptive Sync. My favorite thing I can do from here is to set up specific image presets for each game I play. That way, the monitor knows to use the FPS preset for Valorant and the RPG setting for Cyberpunk 2077. While this sounds good in theory, I have found that it is quite hit and miss, with certain games not automatically changing presets.

At $899, the M9 is in direct competition with LG's Ultragear 27GP950 (open in new tab) (also $899). I was able to see both this and the Samsung Odyssey G7 (opens in new tab) ($799) compared to the Inzone M9 at a recent event hosted by Sony before obtaining review samples. Indeed, comparing the M9 and UltraGear side-by-side, at first glance, both have pretty great image quality. However, where the M9 has a slight edge over both the Samsung and LG is in its superior local dimming and contrast.

Inzone has more local dimming zones than Ultragear (96 direct LED zones vs. 16 vertical edge LED zones). This essentially improves contrast and makes background details sharper in darker scenes and areas in the game, such as dungeons and nighttime settings. There is some subtle blooming when bright objects (such as subtitles) float above the dark zones, but not as much as on other monitors we have seen.

The M9 supports HDR 600, with a peak brightness of 600 nits; HDR 600 is the minimum required for a gaming monitor with HDR. Combined with approximately 100 dimming zones, the M9 delivers excellent contrast and color accuracy. The effect will be more noticeable in games like Elden Ring and Fortnite, where the game changes from day to night during the course of the game.

We really like the design of the M9, and while Inzone claims to be a separate company from PlayStation, that obviously didn't stop them from using PlayStation's color scheme in their products. The RGB strip on the back can be customized in blue, the same blue as the DualSense controller.

A subtle point I like is the M9's tripod base. The legs are arranged with two in the rear and one short in the front, which takes up less space on the desktop and leaves more room for the keyboard, mouse, and other items you want to cram onto your desk. One drawback of the M9 design is that the display does not rotate. It tilts slightly up and down, but there is no way to put it in portrait mode. As a primary monitor, this is probably not a major issue. But if you're looking for a fun dual-monitor setup or don't have a typical desk layout, the inability to rotate the monitor is a bummer.

However, it is VESA compatible if you want to mount this bad boy on your desk.

The two 2W speakers are pretty weak and will never replace decent headphones or computer speakers. Depending on how you plan to mount it on your desk, a soundbar may be the best option, given the extra space available on the monitor's stand.

Overall, the Inzone M9 is a heck of a gaming monitor, especially for Sony's first foray into PC gaming. It is an exceptional gaming monitor, especially for Sony's first foray into PC gaming. It is loaded with gaming features, and most importantly, it is priced at under $1,000. It is easily recommended, especially for those who own a fairly rugged PC and a gaming console or two and want to get the most out of each.

Sony's Inzone M9 will be available later this summer. Sony also plans to release a 27-inch 1080p 240Hz version of this monitor, called the M3, later this year for $529, but this monitor was not yet available for review.