HARDWARE REVIEW

Roccat Kone Pure Champion Grade Gaming Mouse Review

by Luke Walsh, December 16th, 2018

The Roccat Kone Pure is an entry-level version of their successful Kone XTE but the Kone Pure is not to be talked about lightly as it still functions as a highly customisable mouse ideal for eSports thanks to its precision and weight.

In terms of design, the Roccat Kone Pure is a nice looking mouse, we were sent the white version in this review and was surprised by how nice it looked combined with the black bottom half. It has a glossy coating which some will like as it provides a very smooth finish that does not get sticky if you suffer a little from hot palms.

It does mean that overall there is not a lot of secondary grips you find with other mice thanks to rubber or textured housing and sides. It would be a matter of preference and even when using it for gaming for MMOs and FPS games, not once did the mouse ever “slip”.

First, of in terms of size and weight, it is smaller than your standard mouse measuring 6.8cm x 11.5cm x 4xm and would be useful for those with smaller hands. It also only weights 88g which for eSports means very little drag but that is only if you are a gamer who likes a mouse which is more flighty.

There are two buttons on the left side of the mouse which I normally use in games for reloading and a melee attack in FPS games. On the top of the mouse, you have your usual left and right click plus a scroll wheel that also clicks as an extra button. This is useful in games for any heals you have such as an MMO.

Each button has a decent click depth with the switches being made by Omron. They are easy to press but provide enough tactile feedback to not warrant any accidental presses. The scroll wheel is one of the best though, it is sturdy and made from good material. Light to use but provides a response for each step you move the wheel up and down.

For comfort thanks to the shape it was really nice to use for long periods of time and did not cause any strain on my palm, fingers or thumb after extended sessions of Overwatch which can last a couple hours at a time. Your thumb will rest nicely in the groveanbut there could have been more support for your other fingers on the other side like your little finger as there is nothing for you to rest on like a rubberised grip or base.

The shape of the mouse will support those with a palm grip but for gamers who like to claw grip the smaller mouse and lack of grooves on the right-hand side might make it a little less comfortable when compared to something like the Razer Trinity. I think it was probably just a little bit on the small side and would have been better if it was a slight bit bigger but not too much of an issue overall.

When it comes to performance the Roccat Kone Pure is pretty much unphased by anything that you throw at it thanks to the Owl-Eye optical sensor. It’s a 12,000 DPI sensor but as normal you will probably never ever use it at the max setting. In games, you are more likely to use something between 800 – 2000 depending on the game and how you like to play. Switching the DPS is easy using the dedicated buttons below the scroll wheel and you can even have a spoken DPI gauge if you install their own software which most companies usually offer to change the lighting, macros and buttons etc.

Using the mouse in Overwatch I was entry-level at the accuracy and the difference a lighter mouse would make to my playstyle for the better. The moment I switched from my current long-term mouse my K/D ratio in game doubled and was not a one-off. The lack of weight made throwing the mouse around easily but with a level of control.

It also made me realise that having no weights in the mouse made the long-term use more comfortable as you are using less strength really, so strain is less likely to happen and gaming sessions can go on for longer. This was practically useful when playing Neverwinter where you are doing a lot of the same mouse movements for a long time.

In the end, the Roccat Kone Pure was a delightful surprise to use as I was not expecting much at the start. It has a lot of good things going for it in terms of the performance of the optical sensor, the wright making it great for FPS games and the design is sleek but not too over the top.

It won’t be a mouse for everyone though as it is a little on the smaller side and gamers with bigger hands will most likely find it quite uncomfortable after a while. It also does not suit all grip types because of that reason too.

For those that do want a smaller, lighter mouse and might want to start their play at a more serious level this would be a great mouse, to begin with, and hone your skills in games like Overwatch or Battlefield. The build quality is great, the switches underneath are nice and tactile and you’ll be impressed from the moment you use it. an all the mice I’ve reviewed over 2018, this has to be one of my favourite wired mice.