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
Conclusion: Fantastic Mice, But Expensive
ROCCAT's Kone mice were incredibly pleasant surprises. Usually doing these peripheral reviews is just interesting for me because I get to see what other vendors are producing before going back to my Logitech G500, but having had time to play with the Kone XTD has left me questioning whether or not I want to make the jump. I mean hey, the Kone XTD's lighting could match the K90. That means something, right?
As far as the mice themselves go, they're mostly bulletproof. The texture used for the grips is soft without causing your hands to get too clammy over time, the lighting is attractive, the grips themselves are very comfortable, the software has a tremendous amount of functionality, and as a whole they're both exceptionally full-featured. While I feel like the Kone Pure is just a little bit too low, and I do wish they'd managed to find some other way to incorporate the "Easy-Shift" functionality, these are small gripes in the scheme of things.
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The Kone XTD is definitely the mouse of choice out of the lot, but boy will you pay dearly for it. The XTD is a punishing $89.99 on NewEgg, putting it in the price range of a lot of esoteric (and ergonomic) mouse designs. That makes it kind of a hard sell, when other mice (including some popular Razer kit) are available for less, but it might still be worth the investment. This mouse does a hell of a lot, and it feels good in the hand. A good mouse is, like a good keyboard or a good monitor, often worth investing in.
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At a less astronomical but still pricey $69.99, the Pure is at least a more affordable alternative. It's true that you lose the adjustable weight, extra button, and mouse wheel tilt, but all the functionality is still there in the software. Given the choice between the two I think I'd fork out the extra Jackson for the XTD, but your mileage may vary. The Pure's slightly lower profile may even be more suitable for some users.
Of all the mice I've reviewed so far, I have to say the ROCCAT Kone XTD and Pure are among my favorites. Reviews on NewEgg will tell you that settings sometimes take a long time to apply (approximately 20 seconds), and that's true...within the software. It's a minor nuisance and I hope they fix it, but no product is absolutely perfect. The XTD and Pure do just about everything else right, and while the software itself is tremendously busy and can seem difficult to use, it's definitely powerful and wonderfully complete.
As with any peripherals, your mileage may vary, but I definitely think the ROCCAT Kone XTD and Pure are worth considering. ROCCAT has produced two exceptional peripherals here, worthy of a Bronze Editor's Choice, and I look forward to getting more of their hardware in for testing.
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augiem - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
This review feels like its more of a general user opinion of the mouse rather than a review. I didn't read anything about the mouse buttons. Are they responsive? How's the tactile feedback? Do you accidentally press them when resting on them? Do they have a loud and annoying click like most of the mice out there. I want to know this stuff for front and side buttons. How about the mouse wheel? How stiff is it? Does it have very strong notching that fights you, is it too loose and not accurate enough, does it feel tightly set into the body without any extra play or jiggle side to side, does the click-in require excessive force which could tire out your middle figer during a long Maya session? How about glide feet? Does it glide easily on a hard mouse pad, cloth mouse pad, desktop surface? Does it have tracking issues on any surface type tested? Are they replaceable? How much? Any special treatment of the mouse cable? How do different users with different grips feel about it? Claw grip, palm grip, etc.Overall, I expected a lot more information from a mouse review than how it feels comfortable and "perfect".
augiem - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I'd also like to see some stress testing if possible. Longevity and durability are something that's very hard to judge when it comes to all new products. I had a MS Intellimouse Optical that I used for like 12 years before it started having trouble. That was a good buy indeed!jigglywiggly - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
to jpthe mx518 mouse blows
my LG in quake live was noticibly worse
the 125hz polling rate, and the grip are yuck
feet are bad too, and I had the original 5 feet.
much better mice now
DaveSimmons - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I probably just missed it in the article, but can this be changed">> "Users are liable to be confused by the back button being used for "Easy-Shift" instead, but that's a minor grievance."
The thumb-button is the one I most want to use in games, besides the left and right. I want it to be a button, not a shift applied to other buttons.
shaolin95 - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
I held to my MX518 for a long time and the replacements I tried never stayed home for long.Then I got the Kone XTD and I was blown away!
I totally love the mouse.
About the settings...you need to upgrade it and the changes are instant. I did it and I can tell it works so it was a firmware upgrade needed, nothing else.
I even got the Alumic pad for it and love the features where it "calibrates" to your gaming surface. Not sure how much that really does but it feels good :D
birru - Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - link
For the people who have issues with this article, you guys do realize this is a capsule review, right? It's not going to get very or granular or technical. Is your opinion that AnandTech should stick to more thorough reviews and skip the lower calorie capsule reviews entirely?Personally, I find the review handy enough, but then I'm not going to nerd out over every technical detail of a mouse. I trust that if the polling rate was truly atrocious to the point of being subjectively noticeable Dustin would have mentioned it. That said, I am surprised that he didn't even reprint the manufacturer's specs, as that covers a lot of these details. That would hardly have taken much extra effort.
BrightCandle - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
The review has no contents, its not a review its a user opinion piece on irrelevant details.There is no value in these reviews, it tells me nothing about the mouse, I can't buy on the basis of this review and others like it. Arguably that is the point of a review, to inform the user on good v bad v best products and to inform purchase. This review fails to do that other than telling me the price, but not what I get for it. Its worthless. I would rather not have seen it at all.
sheh - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Why are mice so expensive? You'd think 2ndary players would fight on price, but they don't really do that. A mouse has just a bit of electronics, and whether the plastic mold is this or that shouldn't matter much. There are a few extras that cost most to produce, but $40-50 for a good mouse seems overpriced. Half the price makes more sense to me.Below are some random Chinese mice on eBay for $4-9. Anyone thinks Logitechs cost 10 times more to produce?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/360604948297
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281040167343
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400402499608
And, why aren't wide scroll wheels common?
http://www.game-debate.com/mouse/mo_pic.php?mo_id=...
I have a plain A4Tech mouse with a wide wheel, and it makes it so much more useful as a button. It's also more comfortable to rest the finger on in general.
HisDivineOrder - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
...because I paid $55 for my Razer Naga. Not the silly green or red ones, not the Hex crap, either.The regular, blue, original classic. The great one.
So close to $100, I'd want my mouse to be a lot more supreme than this...
theangryintern - Thursday, February 28, 2013 - link
Since they are both the same price, which one would be better? The ROCCAT XTD or the Mionix 8200?