Capsule Review: ROCCAT's Kone XTD and Kone Pure Gaming Mice
by Dustin Sklavos on February 27, 2013 1:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
- Gaming
- Mouse
- ROCCAT
ROCCAT's Kone XTD and Kone Pure in Practice
The software for ROCCAT's Kone mice is almost frighteningly complete and even daunting to use, but how do the mice handle once configuration is done and you're ready to go? Do you even have to configure them to get mileage out of them in the first place?
As it turns out, not really. I found that the default settings for the mice were surprisingly good. The default sensitivity setting of 800 dpi is definitely sluggish, but the next step up at 1600 dpi is just about perfect. I'll never be a twitch gamer but it's nice to know there's an almost comedic amount of headroom beyond 1600 dpi. Users are liable to be confused by the back button being used for "Easy-Shift" instead, but that's a minor grievance.
In Productivity
As day to day mice, the Kone XTD and Kone Pure are both very comfortable and easy to use. While peripherals are undoubtedly very subjective, I found that the grips of both mice fit my hands securely, and that the buttons actuated with the right amount of force and in the right places. Contrast this with Thermaltake's Level 10 M, which for all its adjustability still demanded a larger paw and a different grip. I've heard other people absolutely enamored by the Level 10 M, by the way, so if you enjoyed the grip of that mouse the Kone may feel a bit small or may not suit your mousing style.
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The slightly smaller body of the Kone Pure did prove to be a little problematic, though. While the overall grip feels slightly better due to the lack of glossy stripes, the the Pure is lower to the mouse pad, and I found my pinky routinely brushing the pad. I have fairly small hands to begin with, so I wonder if the Pure might not be just a touch too small for some users. The XTD, on the other hand, fit perfectly.
In Gaming
There isn't much to say as far as gaming is concerned. I fired up F3AR (which I still consider to be grossly underrated) for a test drive and found the default 1600 dpi sensitivity to be ever so slightly too high, but still well within the realm of playability and easy enough to adjust to. The reality is that with the way different games handle any mouse you're probably going to have to make some adjustments, though the spectrum isn't quite as wide as it used to be.
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Azethoth - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
I think the most important thing is to match your hand size to the mouse. I have large hands and most of the hotly recommended mice are for tiny child hands. I cramp up using them. For me the Cyborg RATT MMO 7 is just the thing. It adjusts to hand size. It is not cheap though. There are plainer versions of the mouse that are FPS oriented.Goodtwist - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
My first generation Kone would be perfect if it wasn't for the silicon/gummy surface. Makes your palms sweat like crazy.Wall Street - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I wonder how many of these reviews Dustin can do before he discovers the world of polling rates, angle snapping, error speed and liftoff distance.kagey - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I'm still waiting for a good mouse to surface and these may be it.As Dustin is still using a G500 I am still using a G7 cause I like the quick swap batteries that are rechargable right in front you and being able to swap them out. It's got a few configurable buttons, nice feel and it's comfortable. Kinda like my wave keyboards.
BrightCandle - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
For a lot of reviews Anandtech has a good reputation, rightly earned by using the best known testing techniques you can find. But when it comes to mice you haven't even tested the first thing or laid out the basic specs. I don't know why you even bothered. For mice reviews we need to know:- What sensor it is based on
- How centrally placed the optical port is
- Tested for jitter, acceleration, deacceleration, lift off distance, snapping and angle correction
- Maximum tracking speed and how it behaves after that
- How the sensor handles different types and colours of mouse mats
- Its weight
- The cord weight and type
Your review doesn't contain a single technical component of what makes a mouse a mouse. With there being so few actual mice that do well in these tests it seems kind of vital to actually do these tests, because for gamers they matter. More to the point gamers might not know they matter and you ought to be breaking through and testing mice properly and showing gamers why they should care.
This review was pointless like all your other mice reviews, get it to together or stop wasting your time.
five_seven - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
u mad bro?WeaselITB - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
No, I agree with BrightCandle and Wall Street (above).Imagine if there was a monitor review that went up saying "Well, it can move up and down, the base is pretty, I like the feel of the buttons, and the colors are nice and color-y. There's an on-screen display, but it takes 10 seconds between button pushes to adjust the brightness, but that's a small gripe." Comments would be setting that reviewer on fire for not testing color accuracy, uniformity, etc. You know ... the things that actually matter when differentiating between monitors?
This review, as BrightCandle said, doesn't cover ANY technical details about what makes this mouse different/better/worse than another mouse. The default 800dpi is all well and awesome, and the ability to adjust it is great (with a delay of up to 20 seconds in between settings, apparently), but if the polling rate is 10Hz I don't care what dpi setting you use, the mouse performance is going to suck. This review doesn't even get that far.
Dustin, no offense to you personally, man, but these reviews are not up to the usual Anandtech quality standards. $90 is an awful lot of money to drop on a mouse when the best a review can come up with is a completely subjective "It's a good mouse."
-Weasel
Mumrik - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
The design doesn't exactly look foreign...http://imgur.com/rZ8Tgzd
meshugge - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
Any chance for a review of the available mice for us left-handers?Spydermag68 - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I am still using my Logitech left handed mouse that I bought 10 years ago. This is the last left hand mouse I have seen. I wish manufactures would make more left handed mice.