Souped-up Sony Xperia 1 IV Gaming Edition smartphone gets surprise release alongside Xperia Stream Gaming Gear

Although no PlayStation 5 portable or Xperia Play II materialized, Sony still managed to surprise its fans (at least in Japan) by launching a new version of its Xperia 1 IV alongside the Xperia Stream Gaming Gear accessory. While it seems likely the latter device will be made available outside of Sony’s domestic market due to it being promoted on Sony’s international social media channels, it appears the Xperia 1 IV Gaming Edition is only headed to consumers in Japan for the time being.

Starting with the Sony Xperia 1 IV Gaming Edition, buyers will get basically an identical smartphone to the mainstream edition (Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, 6.5-inch OLED panel, etc.) but with some much-needed hardware boosts for serious gaming and streaming sessions. So, the Xperia 1 IV Gaming Edition gets a starting amount of 512 GB storage and a whopping 16 GB of RAM (up from 12 GB for the regular model). Sony Japan has stated that the Gaming Edition smartphone will be released on October 14 with a price expected to be around 175,000 yen (~US$1,228).

As for the Xperia Stream, this cooler is designed to fit around the Xperia 1 IV, regular or Gaming Edition, and keep the vital components operating at their highest levels. Sony has turned its new gaming accessory into a multi-functional device by fitting it with a handy arrangement of ports: a 3.5 mm audio jack, HDMI, a LAN port, and USB Type-C. The price advertised for the Japanese market is 23,100 yen, which is about US$162, with shipping expected to begin on October 14. Sony has yet to reveal the Xperia Stream prices and shipping dates for other markets.

Buy the Sony Xperia 1 IV on Amazon