Peripherals

ROCCAT Kone Pure Review

vortez
November 20, 2012 9 Min Read
2 0

Little brother to the Kone XTD, designed for the core gaming experience with few frills, will it still compete in performance and quality?




Product on Review: ROCCAT Kone XTD
Manufacturer and Sponsor: ROCCAT
Street Price: €68.99 / £63.99 (Inc VAT)

ROCCAT‘s great reputation for style in their gaming peripherals was evidenced last month in our review of the Kone XTD. Solid functional design blended with aesthetic flares to create a mouse suitable for a wide variety of games and gamers, who also benefit from built-in customisation. ROCCAT’s hardware development process – curated by ROCCAT Labs – tends to be evolutionary, focussing on improving internal technology rather than radical external redesigns of mice which have already received excellent feedback from users with regards to shape and button layout. Even so, they can’t resist a few tweaks here and there, allowing enthusiasts to customise their mouse or keyboard in subtle ways.

In our review of the Isku, David discussed the then-new ROCCAT Talk technology which allowed keyboard modifiers to control certain aspects of mouse performance, resulting in additional control for the users. Easy-Shift[+] by contrast can be used with just a mouse, and effectively doubles the number of functions a mouse button may be bound to. As you might also expect for products which offer almost bewildering choice, the driver software utility is marked by clear layout and customisation depth.



The ROCCAT Kone XTD is the high-end of the Kone models refreshed recently ostensibly to update to a new 8200dpi Pro-Aim R3 laser sensor. Today we have our hands on the slightly (but only slightly) more modest Kone Pure, which skims a little from the XTD to give us a sleeker, more focussed mouse. Gone are the weight customisation options, tilt-wheel and four-location independent lighting; however the core of a quality laser sensor and Omron switches remain in a smaller, sleeker package.

About the ROCCAT Kone Pure

With legendary Kone blood pumping through its veins, the ROCCAT™ Kone Pure delivers a powerful Next Gen combo of core essentials every skirmisher needs to rack up victory after victory.

In designing the Pure, our ROCCAT™ Scientists took the legendary Kone form and slimmed it down to 91% the size of the Kone[+] – while adding even more competition-crushing power – to create a sleek, awesome tool perfectly built for major mass ownage.

The Kone Pure is powered by a killer performance package loaded with the latest 8200dpi Pro-Aim R3 laser sensor, a mighty 32-bit Turbo Core V2 72MHz ARM MCU processor, and the most advanced Tracking & Distance Control Unit around – all working in perfect harmony to deliver unrivalled battle performance.

Add to that a wealth of ergonomic features designed for long-play comfort – and a suite of the world’s most advanced gaming software for max customization – and it’s easy to see why the Pure is good enough to be called a Kone.

Features



FULLY-ADJUSTBALE 8200DPI PRO-AIM (R3) SENSOR
with 41 true DPI setting ranging from 200 to 8200

ROCCAT™ CLICK MASTER
switch tech powered by Omron©

EASY-SHIFT[+]™ BUTTON DUPLICATOR
with Easy-Aim + Easy-Wheel functions

32-BIT TURBO CORE V2 PROCESSOR
for lightning-fast computing speed

TRACKING & DISTANCE CONTROL UNIT
for less pick-up flight & more precise gaming

576KB ON-BOARD MEMORY
for storing a wealth of macros and settings

16.8 MILLION-COLOR LIGHTING SYSTEM
for customizable colors + effects

7 MOUSE BUTTONS + SOLID 2D WHEEL
for a full complement of command options

SOFT-TOUCH SURFACE
for extended gaming in total comfort

ROCCAT™ DRIVER + MACRO MANAGER
for advanced customization + presets for games & apps

ROCCAT™ ACHIEVEMENTS DISPLAY
for monitoring gaming performance



Technical Specs.

* Pro-Aim Laser Sensor R3 with up to 8200dpi
* 1000Hz polling rate
* 1ms response time
* 12000fps, 10.8megapixel
* 30G acceleration
* 3.8m/s (150ips)
* 16-bit data channel
* 1-5mm Lift off distance
* Tracking & Distance Control Unit
* 72MHz Turbo Core V2 32-bit Arm based MCU
* 576kB onboard memory
* Zero angle snapping/prediction
* 1.8m braided USB cable


Packaging And First Look





‘Core Performance Gaming Mouse’ – in four words the ROCCAT Kone Pure sets itself apart from the Kone XTD reviewed last month. The mouse is aimed at purists who eschew exotic design elements in favour of the core experience, and reflects that in a relative lack of customisation options. Some things remain unchanged however: we still see a stylised shot of the Kone Pure in conjunction with four inserts detailing core features – 8200DPI Pro-Aim Laser Sensor R3, Easy-Shift[+], TDCU tracking engine and a more subtle lighting system. The packaging opens to reveal the mouse itself, along with a more detailed overview of the feature-set.

[


The reverse shows yet more detail of the Kone Pure, from button placement to the nine features ROCCAT feel are most integral to the mouse. The short explanation provides some context to features which might otherwise appear to be mere marketing, and the image at the top gives a slightly different angled view of the mouser than you would otherwise see. Nine language translations for these features should also be of use in a multi-lingual region.

First Look



This is our first look at the Kone Pure, and it looks pretty good. In accordance with the mouse’s cut-down principles the Pure isn’t bundled with accessories, though a Quick Installation guide is included. Setting aside the mouse itself, this should serve to reduce costs and improve QA in the long run, or long as the potential customer is well aware that they’ll need access to an internet connection to download the drivers (though no connection is required to activate them).

Closer Look





At first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Kone Pure was simply a re-skin of the Kone XTD, omitting a few lights. This is not the case, despite appearances the Pure is actually appreciably smaller and lighter than the XTD. The finish is a almost uniformly softly rubberised matte grey/black which only dully reflects light; one visible glossy section is around the wheel button block, which appears to be more dark than the rest. Over the course of weeks the rubberised surface will pick up a little discolouration due to sweat, but it’s quite easy to rub this away with a lint-free cloth.

The ROCCAT logo of the Kone Pure does feature illumination in the form of a linked bank of LEDs, although when not illuminated the logo remains differentiated from the black palm-rest as a slightly paler grey. This effect mirrors that of the more budget-orientated LUA, and whilst subtle does allow a level of customisation on an otherwise relatively plain mouse.

The top features the main left and right mouse buttons, central wheel and up/down rocker switch. Unlike the XTD, the wheel (marketed as a Tital Wheel) doesn’t have tilt functionality, but still acts as an independent button as well as up/down scrolling. The rocker switch will generally be most often used for changing DPI, and though difficult to access for those preferring a palm grip, claw and finger grip styles shouldn’t have an issue.



Two thumb buttons are featured on the mouse’s left shoulder, above a contoured recess/thumb rest. The contour doesn’t extend around far enough to support the thumb above the mousing surface, but is well designed to support the thumb when the mouse is in use. It doesn’t however support a ‘sniper button’, an element seen in other high-end mice recently but with slightly mixed feedback.



The right of the mouse is completely bare of both buttons and rest positions for ring and little fingers. The shape and layout of the Kone Pure makes it ergonomically suited to right-handed users, though the left-handed may need to look elsewhere depending on their own dexterity.



Teflon skates dominate the underside of the mouse, where the 8200DPI Pro-Aim Sensor R3 is centrally located. Also labelled are product and serial numbers – useful information for those registering their Kone Pure.



Finally we come to the cable and USB connector. The braid is a little stiff and may take some time to loosen; the Kone Pure’s low weight and low-friction skates may cause a little difficulty with regards to cable tension moving the mouse when not supported by the hand. Braid quality seems very good, tightly sheathing cable cores and showing very no fraying after a couple of weeks usage. As far as connectors go, the ROCCAT Kone Pure’s is very compact and robust with no loose fittings which may cause damage to the sensitive connections in the long term; it does not however include a cap for the USB connector to protect terminations when not in use.

The ROCCAT Kone Pure is a design with discrete aesthetic features (when necessary) and a robust construction. This makes it ideal for the home gaming rig, or an office where more restrained look is required.

Lighting Customisation





If you compare to the ROCCAT Kone XTD, you might think that customisation options are limited for the Kone Pure; compare to many other mice in a similar price bracket however and it might surprise you. The Kone Pure features an LED-illuminated lighting logo, in theory capable of 16.8 million colours in RGB space.

Lighting colour is customised via the ROCCAT software utility which allows the selection of a colour in a 2D spectrum or selecting colour via its RGB value. Whichever colour is selected, the response on the mouse is bright and rich; we should note that our photos slightly desaturate the lighting, bleaching out the colour. The LEDs do appear to have difficulty matching particular colours with low intensities in a particular RGB field: a little (<5) blue in a strongly red signal will tend to appear more pink/purple than expected; a little green creates a strongly orange/yellow etc. That said, you should be able to achieve a pleasing result if you play around a little. Whilst perhaps not quite 16.8million different colours, there are at least dozens and probably hundreds of colours to choose from.



The sharpness of the ROCCAT logo’s illumination is good. There’s a very slight amount of bleed underneath the black at high LED intensities which is visible without ambient illumination, but it’s pretty difficult to spot without looking for it. The lighting itself could be more evenly distributed, but equally it’s orientated towards a typical right-handed user, reducing the distraction to someone sitting nearby. We’re not sure if this was a deliberate design decision, but it’s worth highlighting.

The mouse also features breathing and fully-off modes for lighting. Adding the ability to change the rate of the breathing pulse, or simply adding a means of flowing through all colours, would be a pretty cool; however as configured the effect is smooth without any significantly perceptible step transitions between intensities.



Colours are stored on a per-profile basis, meaning that a particular colour combination could be used to discriminate between said profiles. Once again as with the Kone XTD, it would be useful to enable the user to tie colour more directly into current DPI, one of the few features in which the Kone Pure (and Kone XTD) lack compared to competing products.

Overall, the colour customisation is great, enabling user choice for either subtle highlight or desk centrepiece.

Software



The ROCCAT Kone Pure does not come with a driver CD, a decision ROCCAT has taken for all its most recent products in order to cut both costs and potential issues surrounding shipping old driver sets which may prove incompatible with new OS versions. Instead, you will need to download and install the latest drivers specific to the mouse from ROCCAT.org, a package which will also include the most up to date firmware available for the mouse, and will prompt you to update if possible.

The driver for the ROCCAT Kone Pure is available here. Tests were performed with driver version v1.10, firmware 1.17.



The Main Control panel is where features such as DPI level and sensitivity are controlled. These directly impact how the cursor behaves as you move the mouse, and will need to be adjusted to find a balance perfect for you. This panel is almost identical to that of the panel for the Kone XTD with one exception – Horizontal Tilt isn’t native to the Pure (it has no tilt on the mouse-wheel), but remains an assignable function via Button Assignment.

DPI Selection may appear to allow fine variation between 0 and 8200, but in reality variation is only possible in 200DPI chunks. This will not be an issue for most however, especially at the high end of the DPI setting where the difference between 7600 and 7800 (for example) is negligible. The mouse Easy-Aim functionality will look up one of these settings directly, so be aware of that.

All the configuration options of the ROCCAT Kone Pure are stored on a per-Profile basis, which can be switched between easily thanks to button assignments (default: Easy-Shift[+] 17 & 18). Profiles can be individually named, and each of the profile icons are colour-coded to reflect the individual colour choice made for it in Colour Control.

Profiles can also be saved and loaded for long-term storage and recall, allowing expandability beyond those typically stored on the mouse onboard memory. This functionality is accessed via the Profile Load/Save/Edit buttons directly below the main window. ROCCAT Kone Pure profiles (.rmp extension files) are by default stored under ‘\Programs Files (x86)\ROCCAT\Kone Pure Mouse\config‘.



The next panel is Button Assignment, where individual buttons can be bound to specific keystrokes, common mouse functions or ROCCAT-specific functions. The assignments twin panels refer to assignment with and without EasyShift[+] active, close to doubling the number of possible assignments. Of the available mouse buttons, EasyShift[+] can only be bound to buttons 4 and 5; EasyAim can similarly only be bound to buttons 4 or 5, and only when EasyShift[+] isn’t enabled.

Under ideal conditions the user would also be utilising an Isku keyboard, which allows both EasyShift[+] and EasyAim to be bound to the keyboard and free up mouse buttons 4 and 5 entirely.



The Macro Manager – accessed via the central button on the Button Assignment panel or through “Create New Macro” – allows the user to create their own macros representing a sequence of keystrokes, with additional time delays if required. The Kone Pure software also has access to pre-assembled macros for various games (such as WoW or Starcraft 2), which helps to get you started in terms of the capabilities.



The Advanced Control panel allows you to adjust advanced mouse features to tweak the Kone Pure to the ideal mousing dynamics for you. Many users won’t need to adjust these settings significantly, but the advanced user should revel in them. At the very least, disabling sound notifications would be a good first step as they break gaming flow significantly and don’t really add anything to the experience, with the possible exception of DPI notification. Even here, it would be useful to allow a visual rather than audio notification, or add functionality to change the notification sounds from a subtle voice to a chime.



Colour Control if the panel to adjust colour and lighting effects for the LEDs on the mouse palm rest. We’ve discussed the lighting previously, but we should also note that reflecting the selected colour in the main image of the mouse on the left would be a nice addition. Due to the less complicated lighting customisation on the Pure vs the XTD, the panel for the Pure is also less complicated; however this extents to the lighting effects, of which we would like to see more than the one possible for the Pure.



ROCCAT Achievement Display (R.A.D), tracks the usage statistics of the mouse such as number of clicks or total distance travelled – reach a set number and you get an achievement. The idea is that they’re cool metrics and serve as an entry into the Roccat World social hub. It’s a nice little addition which is well presented and provides information which may be useful at some point (after all, you never know).



The final panel is the Update/Support panel, and displays the current driver/firmware versions and a link to the ROCCAT software download and technical support pages. Automatically alerting in the event of an available update would be a useful addition, but simple making the driver and firmware version clear is a step up from many other manufacturers.

And that rounds off the Software. As you can see, it’s an extremely logical and cleanly presented package very much in concordance with other ROCCAT software packages we have used. There are no real oversights and, apart from minor points to extend functionality even more than they have done, it’s very hard to fault them. Unlike so many other peripherals, the software adds to the mouse rather than acts as a detriment to the overall experience.

Performance





To compare the Kone Pure with the Kone XTD we utilised the same mousing surface: a ROCCAT Taito. The Taito is a fairly straightforward 400mm x 300mm x 3mm thick mat with a rubber backing, which allows both smooth mousing over its cloth surface and considerable comfort thanks to its ample padding. Slightly on the large side as recently reviewed mats go, but still comfortable for many computer desk locations and suitable for LANs were space isn’t too cramped, it’s also notable for the exceptional grip the rubber rear provides.

General Performance

The two Teflon ‘feet’ of the Kone Pure allow very smooth mousing over the Taito’s cloth surface, and manufacturing precision results in a mouse which doesn’t wobble when on a flat, hard surface. In this light, it’s suitable both for cloth mats, and more rigid aluminium/plastic surfaces. The rubberised finish of the mouse doesn’t tend to accumulate much sweat during longer sessions at the desk.

The mouse is a little smaller and at 93 grams appreciably lighter than the Kone XTD. Light as it is however, it’s not so light that it would be pulled around by particularly inflexible or dense USB cables. It comes down to personal preference, but in general it’ll take much less energy to whip this mouse around over the course of a day than a heavier one, though it may be a little less suited to those with larger hands. It’s not however the size of some of those designed specifically for laptop, so in all likelihood won’t be an issue for those with larger than average hands.

Mouse presses are might lighter than the Kone XTD, requiring by contrast very little pressure and travel distance to actuate. The switch is more quiet as a result, resulting in a much more pleasant experience in an office environment.

The Kone Pure loses out to the XTD in terms of functionality through the lack of three assignable buttons: two tilt buttons on the mouse wheel and an additional button above the wheel. Users who make extensive use of spreadsheets – or significantly more user-defined macros – will see a difference, but for most the difference won’t be felt. Trading off against this is a wheel which is considerably less firm whilst still picking up all the incremental notches, leading to a movement which is much less tiring on the middle finger.

For an office environment, or streaming with a sensitive microphone the Kone Pure will be very good, and probably will be more suitable than the XTD.

Gaming Performance

As you should expect from a ROCCAT product, the Kone Pure begins to shine in gaming. The ergonomic shape and button layout of the Kone Pure is logical and consistent with market norms, far reducing the learning curve after picking up the mouse for the first time. Running a little counter to the Kone XTD, the shoulder buttons feel a little more proud and clearly differentiated, aiding precision a little compared to its sibling. The slightly more compact size of the Kone Pure makes this quite important, and for someone with average hand size the thumb buttons will be ideally placed.

Once again, the Japanese Omron switches are a surprising highlight. Each button press is precise and satisfying, with no rocking of the button in the housing. This really highlights the build quality of the Kone Pure, that feels if anything more secure than the XTD.

One feature which is lacking is a clear visual representation of DPI. The software allows for five DPI presets per profile, and although setting up lighting to differentiate between each profile is easy, the same cannot be said of DPI. There is an option to enable an audio cue for DPI, which calls out “1600 DPI” etc. in increasingly more urgent tones as DPI increases, but this breaks flow during gaming.

FPS gamers should feel particularly at home with the Pure. It’s a standard 5-button design for the most part, without a ‘sniper button’ with the potential to change DPI at relatively fast speed. Easy-Aim – a means of changing DPI level as a toggle rather than being constant – ameliorates this particular oversight, although it does eliminate a keybind unless used in conjunction with a ROCCAT Isku keyboard, a more optimal configuration.

MMO gamers will probably see the Kone Pure as slightly less suitable than the XTD by virtue of having fewer available locations to bind macros. The Kone Pure has no tilt functionality on the mouse wheel, and no button above the wheel, reducing the keybind options MMO/MOBA players crave. With that exception, the mouse is very good; like the XTD it includes Easy-Shift[+] to effectively double the number of potential button assignments on all buttons bar one; with six different buttons doubling to twelve assignments, most should be usable for most games. As with the XTD, Easy-Shift[+] activation changes the mouse lighting to a light-blue colour.

All-in-all, the Kone Pure is an excellent all-rounder. It’s not hyper-specialised to MMO, MOBA or FPS gaming, but is versatile enough to satisfy gamers who enjoy a combination of all three. Furthermore the excellent build quality make it just as suited to use in an office, with only a small productivity loss compared to deluxe models.

Conclusion



Sometimes, conclusions are awkward. This is one of those times.

By most reasonable metrics the ROCCAT Kone Pure should be a lesser mouse than the Kone XTD. It has fewer features and lesser customisation, but only shaves off £10 from the price of a XTD. So why is it that we find ourselves preferring it?

Partially it’s down the to build quality. There was nothing strictly wrong with the XTD – it’s a solid mouse with zero glaring flaws, just a few inconsistencies. The Kone Pure just feels a cut above, with more pleasant actuation on the main buttons, a less heavy mouse wheel and slightly more easy to distinguish thumb buttons. Internally it doesn’t skimp on any factor which is strong on the XTD; the heart of the mouse is the same 72MHz ARM MCU processor with 576Kb RAM coupled to high-end 8200DPI Pro-Aim Laser Sensor R3. It’s the XTD, only leaner and meaner.

The Omron switches once again stand out as great additions to the overall packages. We’ve discussed them at great length in other reviews, and once again they don’t disappoint in terms of an even reaction to pressure and no rocking in the housing.

FPS gamers in particular should appreciate the Pure. With a good range of DPI settings available, five independent profiles and lightweight construction it seems ideal for such games. The only downside is the lack of sniper-button on the thumb-rest, which is partially offset by one of the two conventional thumb buttons being bind-able to Easy-Aim.



There are a great many high-quality mice in the £60-65 price bracket, from diverse manufacturers such as Steelseries, Razer, ROCCAT, Thermaltake and Logitech. The choice of a mouse is a very personal one, and so if possible having a hands on is extremely valuable. Those seeking a mouse heavily specialised to MMOs or MOBAs may not find the Kone Pure ideal; however an extensive FPS gamer with diverse work and play requirements will find the Kone Pure to be a great all-rounder for that price.

The ROCCAT Kone Pure is a lightweight and responsive mouse with excellent tracking characteristics. We’re also used to excellent software from the ROCCAT and the Kone Pure’s does not disappoint. Well suited to FPS titles, and better than most in MMOs thanks to Easy-Shift[+] and button assignment of macros, the Kone Pure is also at home in the Home/Office environment than its bigger brother. With the only lack being the most extensive customisation options of the Kone XTD, the ROCCAT Kone Pure attains a worthy Gold Award.

Pros
+ Streamlined design
+ Great software
+ 5 Profiles
+ 8200 DPI sensor
+ Omron Switch Technology
+ Customisable Lighting

Cons
– Price
– Fewer customisation options than similarly priced mice

Tips
= To unlock full potential, combine with ROCCAT Isku keyboard




Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net.

Tags:

ROCCAT

Share Article

vortez