While we still wait on that PlayStation Gaming Moonitor with a controller hook, Sony is coming into this spring with a screen built explicitly for the most hardcore PC players. The new 27-inch Inzone M10S II doesn’t just come with a high-brightness OLED screen; it lets you game at an ultra-fast 720Hz refresh rate, though only if you’re willing to take a hit on resolution.
In the expanding world of fast-as-hell gaming monitors, Sony’s new tandem OLED still manages to stand out. The sequel to last year’s M10S isn’t just a barebones refresh. While it maintains the same 1440p QHD resolution, it now boasts LG’s WOLED panel technology. This is LG’s style of tandem organic light-emitting diode displays with a layer of white light to enhance the screen brightness.
The Inzone M10S II is designed to offer better brightness for first-person shooter players, even when employing its motion blur reduction technology. This is also called black frame insertion, which normally reduces perceived brightness by strobing the screen’s backlight. Sony claims it incorporated the tech without reducing perceived brightness to any major degree.
This is the kind of screen that makes the esports pros and wannabe fanatics turn their heads. The big change this time around is a dual-mode refresh rate. At QHD, namely the 1440p resolution, you’ll still have a ridiculously fast 540Hz refresh rate. If you turn it down to 1080p, you push that up to 720Hz. The screen is also Nvidia G-Sync compatible over DisplayPort 2.1 and HMDI 2.1, so you shouldn’t notice any awkward hitching as you try to line up headshots with the monitor screen refreshing 720 times per second.
The 27-inch monitor can also enter into a “tournament mode” by reducing the screen size to 24.5 inches with black bars on the sides. This enables either a 1332p or a 1080p resolution in either of its two modes. It means players have less screen space to travel when aiming at targets.
You have to sacrifice something for high refresh rates
As with any dual-mode screen, you end up prioritizing frame rate above everything else. Most gamers won’t ever achieve anywhere close to 720 frames per second. A gamer with a beefy gaming rig may be able to achieve frame rates well above 240 fps. The problem is, most people but the most-obsessive FPS gamers can perceive a difference between 240Hz and 720Hz. As is often the case with these kinds of screens, Sony is selling users on the dream of lining up headshots without hindrance.
If all that still sounds good, just know the Sony Inzone M10S II costs $1,100 in the U.S., which means it’s not cheap by any standard. Asus ROG’s 4K Swift OLED Gen 3 includes a QD-OLED panel capable of 240Hz for $200 more. Sony’s new monitor does promise far more flexibility. It can tilt between -5 degrees and 35 degrees, swivel a total of 180 degrees in either direction, and raise and lower by 120mm (4.7 inches). If you have no care for 4K resolutions or you hate ultrawides, this gaming monitor may offer something that few other do, even for a premium price.
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