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Review Roccat Kone[+] Gaming Mouse

Gaming pro. The Roccat Kone gaming mouse [+] is a full-fledged gaming mouse with a feature-rich Windows driver and a variety of functions. The following article will reveal what kind of impression the mouse and its 6000dpi sensor leave us with.
Roccat Kone[+]

Thanks to the Roccat Kone +’s large size, it is also suited for users with large hands. Tipping the scales at 164g, the gaming rodent is a bit too heavy for use on the go. But on the other hand, the large form does promise long and tireless desktop use.

Technical data

 

  • Dimensions: 129 x 70 x 42 (L x W x H)
  • Weight: 164g
  • 8 keys on the mouse + a 4-way scroll wheel
  • Scanning: Max. 6000 dpi, Laser
  • 1000 Hz polling rate, 1ms response time

Design and Finish

Roccat Kone Plus

The big Roccat Kone [+] has been kept entirely in black. The design is dominated by curved lines and especially the two LED light bars catch your eyes right away. The Roccat logo is printed in a subtle gray and looks classy. On the whole, we were quite pleased with the use of forms and the choice of color for the gaming mouse.

They have done a good job with the choice of material. The soft-touch plastic surfaces are pleasant to the touch and showed no signs of wear during the whole test period. The finish is also flawless. The only negatives are the fact that the compartment holding the weights on the bottom can be a bit tricky to open and, above all, that the weights can only be removed with a great deal of effort. The Logitech G5 can do this much better for example.

Features

It is the extensive driver for Windows in particular which gives the Roccat Kone + an impressive range of features. You cannot only freely define the function of each key. In addition the Easy Shift [+], already known from the Roccat Pryra, allows to define almost twice as many functions by specifying a "shift" key. Furthermore, using profiles and the macro manager, the mouse can be adjusted and can also do difficult commands.  It not only allows for all the keys to be engaged freely, it also allows the Easyshift[+] to be activated so that twice as many functions can be used  (by pressing a “Shift” key).  One can also further adjust the mouse and call up complex commands via the profiles and macro-manager.

Sound feedback is also integrated in the driver and can for instance indicate when changing the DPI levels. 

The two photo-luminescent strips, which are actuated through 4 multi-colored LEDs, can also be configured in detail from the driver menu. This allows the appearance to be personalized and also enhanced with several effects (such as pulsation). The color effects were impressive in the test, although the animations weren’t quite so elegantly implemented.

The "Tracking Control Unit" and "Distance Control Unit" can also be configured allowing the user to have a say in terms of the laser settings.

Unfortunately, all of these extensive driver features are only available for the Microsoft Windows operating systems (XP 32bit, Vista and Windows 7 32 and 64). There are currently no dedicated drivers for Linux and Mac OS X. However, the Kone+ worked flawlessly with both operating systems (Ubuntu 10.10 and OS X 10.6.4) in our test.

As is typical for high-end gaming mice, the weight of the Kone + can be adjusted with four 5-gram units. However, the system isn’t suited for frequent adjustments due to the awkward handling.

 

Performance

6000 DPI laser sensor
6000 DPI laser sensor

In spite of its large construction, the Kone [+] fits comfortably in the hands of even our smaller-handed testers and allowed for effortless use. However, the design is only suitable for right-handed users as these can very easily reach almost all the built-in keys.  In testing, only the special key sitting in front of the mouse wheel could not be pressed without reaching around.

At the heart of the Kone [+] is the 6000 DPI resolution Pro-Aim laser sensor with an integrated Tracking Distance Unit (TDCU). In practical gaming tests as well as in the normal daily applications, the combination provides the input device with impressive precision. However, the TDCU function of the mouse didn’t provide any noticeable improvement on our old Func Surface 1030 mouse pad. The TDCU could potentially help on problematic surfaces.  Glass was the only surface on which the laser sensor generally did not function.  The only thing which could help here would be a Darkfield sensor such as for example the Anywhere MX Mouse.

The three built-in glide surfaces provide the Kone with very good gliding characteristics in spite of its heavy weight.

Verdict

The Roccat Kone [+] is an outstanding gaming mouse. Thanks to configurable light effects and a stylish design, it is ideally suited for large gaming notebooks like the Asus G73JW or an Alienware M17x. In addition to the nice design, we were also impressed by the chosen materials and the fit of the Kone Plus.

The precise gaming sensor can be extensively configured (using Windows) and its high precision impressed in the gaming test. Overall, the driver is certainly the main advantage of the Roccat Kone + as it can be adjusted in just about any way imaginable, from color effects to profiles to the extensive mouse key configuration.

The only noticeable drawbacks are the awkward changing of weights and the fact that there is no driver for Linux and Mac OS X.

+ high precision
+ good gliding traits
+ gaming performance
+ nice design
+ high-quality materials
+ highly configurable driver
+ adaptable weight
- high price
- no drivers for Mac OS X or Linux
- unhandy to adapt the weights

 

Roccat Kone[+] - mature gamer's mouse
Roccat Kone[+] - mature gamer's mouse


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Klaus Hinum, 2010-11- 1 (Update: 2013-06- 6)