Roccat Kone+ review

Morning , Pointers !


This is just my second review , so I can hope you will bear with me . For those that know me , they may question why I purchased another mouse from a different company . What I mean is , I'm pretty loyal to one certain company . I've made a friend with someone who works for this company . I'm not sure why myself , but after I purchased the Roccat Kone+ , I'm not sorry I did ! For those who may not know about Roccat , perhaps an brief explanation of who Roccat is may be in order .

Roccat , based in Germany , was founded just 4 years ago , in 2007 , it's founders coming from other companies . In that short span of 4 years , Roccat has made quite an impact in the gaming peripheral world , winning a fair share of accolades and awards for their products . The first product to garner attention for Roccat , was the Kone mouse . Roccat soon released a second version of the Kone , when it was widely reported that the Kone had problems with the scroll wheel , causing the scroll wheel to break .Roccat introduced the Kone v2 , which alleviated the scroll wheel issue . Roccat has a full line of products . They have 3 mice (Kone+ , Kova , & Pyra) , 4 mouse pads (Sota , Sense , Taito , & Alumic : debuted in May '11) , 3 keyboards (Arvo , Valo , & Isku : due later this year) , 3 headphones/headsets (Vire , Kave : 5.1 surround , & Kulo : available in stereo or 7.1 surround usb version) , 3 accessories (Apuri , Restyle , & Tusko) , & 1 gaming laptop (Gamerbook) , that is only available in Germany at present . Personally speaking , all of these products in such a short amount of time is a pretty amazing feat !

The successor , or version 3 of the Kone , is the Kone+ . Roccat bills the Kone+ as a "maximum customization gaming mouse" . That moniker is accurate . There are several options to customize the Kone+ to your liking ! The Kone+ is capable of 6000 dpi (dots per inch) . Very sensitive indeed ! The Kone+ is shipped in a custom box , that is covered with information & specs on the Kone+ , with a see-thru window on the front , showing a glimpse of the mouse itself . The box comes with the Kone+ , a quick start guide , a numbered card for membership to the Roccat world section of the web site . Also included , are 4 5 gram weights ,in their own special box . To use the weights , unlock the cap on the bottom of the Kone+ ,insert the weights , & lock the cap again . Now , membership is not required to visit the Roccat web site , but is required to access some of the premium goodies . The box doesn't include a driver disc . Drivers can be downloaded from the support section of the Roccat web site . The driver is approximately 65 mb in size , & downloads in a zip format .

The Kone+ is an ergonomic shape ,with the Roccat logo embossed on the heel of the mouse . On the side ,are 2 clear strips that contain the led lights . More on that in a bit .The cord on the Kone+ is about 7 feet in length ,with a distinctive usb plug on the end , with the Roccat embossed on the plug . There will be no mistaking where the Kone+ is plugged in , just on the chance you need to find the cord on your computer . To install the drivers , extract the drivers using whatever zip file opener you use ,& extract the drivers to a folder where you will remember them , open the folder , & install the driver . The driver , after install , runs a firmware update . The update is totally painless , & only takes a minute or two . To complete the firmware update , unplug your Kone+ , then plug it in again . Simple !

Where the customization comes in to play , is the driver console . Easily one of the best I've seen ! The driver console for the Kone+ contains a total of 5 windows for adjustment , as well as 5 profile windows . Myself , I only used one profile . The main control window , allows for adjustment of mouse sensitivity , vertical & horizontal scroll speed , & dpi adjustment . The dpi has 5 settings , capable of adjustments of 100 dpi at a time . Now , here's a cool part . Whenever you happen to adjust the dpi (the buttons are located on the back of the mouse) , you will hear a voice activated prompt on your speakers or headphones letting you know what dpi you adjusted to ! I see that as a very cool thing , as you don't have to wonder about it while playing a game . After any changes are made , you click apply , then ok , & the changes are accepted . I should point out , that that setting is universal , regardless of whatever adjustment you make .

Remember where I mentioned led's ? Here's where the next window comes in to play . The Kone+ comes with 4 led's ,that is capable of individually displaying any one of the 33 colors available . There's also adjustable effects for flow effect , the speed of the effects , or no effects at all . Myself , I didn't use effects , I just adjusted the led's to blue on the top ,red on the bottom . The update/support button will allow you to link to the Roccat web site ,to check for updated drivers . The advanced control window ,allows for x/y axis adjustment (I never used it myself) , pointer speed , turning on of off of the voice activated effects , & the TDCU settings . Now , TDCU stands for Tracking Distance Control Unit . The tracking unit works , by using the Kone+ sensor to take a "picture" of the surface you use the Kone+ on , in order to adjust for best performance . The distance control is for adjusting liftoff . I'll try to explain liftoff . If you make wide movements or , or pick up your mouse during a game , you make notice a jerky type of movement . That's liftoff .Every mouse has liftoff . What the distance control of the Kone+ does , is allows you to minimize the liftoff distance . Myself , I adjust the distance to "extra low" .

The button adjustment window , allows for perhaps the most interesting feature of the Kone+ . The Kone+ has a feature called Easy Shift . Easy Shift allows the user , by holding down the easy shift button (the back button by default) , to use each of the mouse buttons for a different function . In essence , Easy Shift allows each button to perform more than one task ! This could come in handy ! for example , if you're playing a game , & you need to throw a grenade . Instead of hitting a button on the keyboard , you can hold down the easy shift button ,& use one of the other buttons on the mouse ! Easy shift is not a requirement , & can be turned off in the button assignment window . That's what I did . I didn't use easy shift . This is not a bad thing , as I see easy shift as a possible gold mine for those that play fps , rpg , & mmo games .

I use a palm grip on my mouse . I want my mouse to be an extension of my hand .The Kone+ did exactly that ! The Kone+ is soft to the touch . I needed a couple of days to get used to my Kone+ , mostly because I was used to my Razer Mamba . After that break in period , it was all gravy ! I noticed no issues with the scroll wheel . It offered an easy grip , with a nice click , & didn't require a lot of force to press the wheel down if needed . The Kone+ measures about 5 inches in length . I had no problems , as my Kone+ is about the same size as my Razer Mamba . I have larger hands . I don't have gorilla sized hands , but nor are my hands on the small side . For those with smaller hands , I would say you may or may not have a problem with the size of the Kone+ . I used an OCZ Behemoth mouse pad with my Kone+ ,& noticed no tracking issues at all !

To sum it up , the Kone+ is one of the best mice I've ever used ! I would have no qualms recommending the Kone+ to anyone ! The Kone+ is a bit pricey ( $110 US) , but I believe the price worth it ! For the Pointers in the US , the Kone+ is available from Medusa-USA (where I ordered from) , & Performance PC's . For the Pointers in the UK , Eurpoe , & the rest of the world , ordering info is available on the "where to buy" section on the Roccat web site . Below ,I will link to the Roccat web site , as well as web sites for a youtube video , & a couple of web sites for other reviews , one of which has a youtube video in it . I'm not disappointed I purchased the Kone+ , I don't think anyone else will either ,& I look forward to what Roccat may introduce next !


Roccat site : http://www.roccat.org/home/

Youtube review : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olx8BasVdTw

Other review : http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/roccat_kone_review.html

Other review : http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1044/pg1/roccat-kone-plus-gaming-mouse-review-introduction.html

Medusa-USA : http://www.medusa-usa.com/

Performance PC's : http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php

That was an interesting review Faust. Thanks for the information.

hatshepsut

Not a problem , Hats !!!

Finally got a chance to read this (and yes, that would be when granddaughter is alseep!). I have never heard of Roccat before, so this was all new information to me. VERY interesting review! I went to the website and was equally intrigued by the keyboards. I'm curious to know where you purchased your Rocatt Kone+ from??

Thanks Drac !

I purchased my Kone+ from Medusa-USA , which is actually UK based . Both Medusa-USA & Performance PC's sell the Kone+ for the same basic amount (Performance PC's : $104.99 vs Medusa-USA : $110.57) . Performance PC's is based in Florida . When I ordered from Medusa , I opted for 2 day shipping from Fedex , which cost me $15 . Performance charges $11.35 for sipping via Priority mail . What I quoted Drac , was shipping to our city . I'm fairly sure though , that shipping charges would be the same anywhere in the US .

I'm intrigued by Roccat's keyboards myself , especially the upcoming Isku . What interests me the most , is the feature called Roccat Talk , which will essentially allow my Kone+ & the Isku to "talk" to each other .There's a trailer on the Isku page that sort of explains that .

Why is a Review in this Forum?

Because Gelert put it there . When enough reviews are posted , the reviews will get their own section .

Isn't that what this Forum is for?

The Very Good, the Okay and the Ugly
Rate some of your favourite Adventure games, or post mini- or mega- reviews and comments of ones you've loved or loathed.
Moderator: Gelert

Again , Gelert put the review here , not me .

Thats strange...if a visitor was looking for reviews on games I am not sure they would think to look into the Technical Hitches Forum but what do I know?

GreyFuss wrote:

Thats strange...if a visitor was looking for reviews on games I am not sure they would think to look into the Technical Hitches Forum but what do I know?

A bit testy , are we ? If I can move it , I will .



Well now ! This has been moved . Now we can read this review in this forum instead .

Certainly not testy...

I guess I shouldn't say anything when I see something that might not be seen or may be confused by a member or newbee......now Thats being testy!

Keep it up GF !!

Yes GreyFuss the Good the Bad and the Ugly is for rating and reviewing games. Faust's review is for computer equipment. The idea behind moving it to this forum was that people seeking information or reviews on computers and computer equipment would look in this forum first rather than looking in game reviews.

hatshepsut

It was my idea to move the review to this forum. It made sense that someone looking for information and reviews on computers and equioment would look in Techinical help forum.

hatshepsut

I thought Roccat Kone was a game

Nope sorry not a game but some very nice computer equipment.

hatshepsut

What is this computer parts review doing in this Forum?

Doh....what are you going to do with that bat?

I was just going to say that Faust's review isn't for a game, so what is the problem with it being here for the time being? I think this is the right place for it, not in with game reviews.

We can even have a computer bits forum if you like. Or reviews like that can stay here. Me not mind one teeny bit either way. :-)

Not that I go either way if you understand.

Gelert wrote:

We can even have a computer bits forum if you like. Or reviews like that can stay here. Me not mind one teeny bit either way. :-)

Not that I go either way if you understand.