If you’re looking for a pair of gaming earbuds, specifically for use with your PS5, then Sony has you covered. Again. In addition to the upcoming PS5 Explore earbuds, launching alongside the PlayStation Portal, Sony has announced the new $200 InZone Buds.
The idea behind these earbuds is to offer lowest possible latency audio and offer extended battery life — with up to 12 hours of continuous use. The buds also offer 360-degree spatial audio, and AI-based audio reduction to help tune out any distracting sounds around you.
The InZone Buds will be compatible with PS5, PC and mobile devices, with most of the connectivity coming from a USB-C dongle. However there is still Bluetooth LE Audio support, for anyone with a phone that supports the standard.
According to The Verge, while the InZone Buds aren’t designed for music and non-gaming audio, they aren’t really tuned that way. Though you will get active noise cancelation. Ambient sound modes, the same Dynamic Drive X architecture as Sony's WF-1000X earbuds and a bunch of silicone eartips for the perfect fit.
It’s a little odd that Sony would release these buds so close to the launch of the Pulse Explore earbuds. Those buds promise ultra low latency, lossless audio and wireless compatibility PlayStation Portal, thanks to the new PlayStation Link protocol. PS5 owners will still need to rely on a dongle, sadly.
You’d think Sony would merge the benefits of both earbuds together, and release a single product. That way nobody is going to get confused, and Sony doesn’t flood the market with buds that are far too similar to easily differentiate them. Particularly when they have identical price tags, and the Pulse Explore also has Bluetooth for non-PlayStation devices.
Plus the company already makes some of the best wireless earbuds. Wouldn’t it be better off improving those buds, while simultaneously adding gaming features? If the InZone Buds can last for 12 hours per charge, then there's no reason why the WF-1000XM5’s successor shouldn’t be able to do the same.
The InZone Buds are available to pre-order now, and according to the Amazon sales page they will be released on 15 October.
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