Sony has held yet another Xperia new product announcement event recently, but unlike the previous Xperia 5 IV launch, this time around it’s not a new smartphone. Instead, what we got is… a new phone case?
Okay, to be fair it’s not just any old smartphone case. Instead, it’s the Xperia Stream, part of their Gaming Gear lineup. Basically, it’s a gaming-centric case for the Sony Xperia 1 IV, designed to keep your smartphone cool during long hours of mobile gaming. According to Sony, the Xperia Stream was designed in collaboration with professional eSports players so that it can withstand the ‘rigorous demands of professional gaming’.
The Xperia Stream features a rather ergonomic design, making the Xperia 1 IV it holds almost seem like a PlayStation Portable for the modern age. It packs a fan in the center which Sony says drives air along the entire back of the smartphone, creating a continuous air stream to help dissipate heat.
Perhaps the weirdest design choice though was its addition of an Ethernet port which Sony says will provide ‘stable network ping’ for gaming. Next to that is a 3.5mm audio jack, a HDMI port for video output and a USB-C port which you’ll need as there’s no built in battery.
If you want the full experience, you can also opt for the full package by getting the Sony Xperia 1 IV Gaming Edition bundle, which includes the Xperia Stream case as well as the Xperia 1 IV itself. However, this isn’t your standard Xperia 1 IV—this one’s been given a slight upgrade by Sony perhaps for more gaming potential. It still has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but it’s now mated to 16GB of RAM instead of the regular 12GB.
As for pricing and availability, Sony has not yet indicated any local pricing or availability details for neither the Xperia Stream nor the Xperia 1 IV Gaming Edition. However, the Sony Japan website does have a price listed, with the Xperia Stream priced at JPY 23,100 (~RM728.05), while the full gaming bundle will set you back JPY 189,200 (~RM5,963.05). Considering how the regular Xperia 1 IV is sold in Malaysia at RM6,099 though, it’s likely that it’ll be priced higher than that, if it does make it to our shores.
