Roccat Kone XTD 8200 DPI Gaming Mouse Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. Design and Ergonomics4. Software and Operation5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

Roccat's gaming mouse portfolio sees the newest leader to its flagship series. Can the 8200 DPI-capable Kone XTD prove that it deserves to sit at the summit of Roccat's critically acclaimed mouse catalogue?

Roccat has sent a bold message to its competitors by aiming to improve the already highly successful Kone series of mice. Upgrades in the form of an improved sensor and enhanced processor, amongst others, aim to build upon the Kone[+] mouse's success by retaining its likeable features and adding a performance boost to sweeten the deal.

Equipped with an 8200 DPI Pro-Aim Sensor R3, 72MHz Turbo Core V2 32-bit Arm based MCU and Tracking & Distance Control Unit, have Roccat's upgrades paid off? Or is the end-user left to front the cost?

Specifications:

• 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

The Kone XTD's stylish black box is littered with content relating to the mouse's key features. With DPI capability, Easy-Shift[+] functionality and the colour-customisable LED configuration outlined on the box front, consumers can make a quick and informed decision of whether the Kone XTD's specifications are suitable for their requirements.

Opening the front flap reveals another annotated image of the Roccat Kone XTD mouse and the accompanying features. A transparent plastic shell gives consumers a convenient glance at the mouse without having to commit to a purchase.

A solitary quick installation guide comprises the supplied bundle. No driver disc is provided – Roccat directs users to a software download webpage.

Roccat has managed to create one of the most attractive (in our opinion) mice on the market by combining a large physical size with an elegantly curved body shape. Appearance isn't the only aspect that has benefited from the sizeable dimensions either – the Kone XTD fits perfectly in even the largest of users' hands with both the claw and palm-rest grip.

A sideways-sloping gradient situated towards the Kone XTD's front edge creates a comfortable mount for one's index finger to lie upon. The right click button is intelligently allowed to extend slightly past its neighbour – perfect for ensuring that the longer middle finger isn't given too much of an uncomfortable overhang.

Roccat's symbolic feline creature is imprinted upon the rear edge of the company's flagship product. The XTD letters also make a boasting appearance. Unfortunately, neither of the imprints features any type of LED lighting system – perhaps this is being a little picky, but the Kone XTD is Roccat's flagship mouse, after all.

A pair of directional buttons is located above a somewhat more subtle branding feature on the mouse's left side. By default, the forwards-pointing buttons is responsible for ‘page forwards' operations, while the backwards-pointing input controls the Kone XTD's Easy-Shift[+] feature. Should you be slightly more conservative with your initial button configuration (like this editor), a simple change in the software allows the backwards button to transfer to ‘page backwards' operations.

Slanting inwards from the wide rear end, 2 channels located on either side of the Roccat Kone XTD create appropriate locations in which unused fingers and one's thumb can comfortably sit until required.

Conforming to the specifications of the past flagship – Kone[+] – mouse, the Kone XTD also makes use of a 4 direction scroll wheel known as the ‘Titan Wheel'. As with the other 7 mouse buttons, the input functions are user-definable.

Another conveniently-positioned and perfectly-reachable button is situated in front of the Titan Wheel. By default, this button operates as the ‘Windows' key – launching the start menu upon application.

Removing a circular plastic cover provides access to the Kone XTD's 4-bay weight compartment. Any combination of the 4x 5g cylindrical weights can be installed at any one time to change the mouse's movement attributes and general feel.

3 friction-reducing surfaces, one of which spans the entirety of the Kone XTD's rear, are located on the mouse's underbelly along with the 8200 DPI Pro-Aim Sensor R3.

A high quality, 1.8m braided cable feeds directly into a standard USB 2.0 port.

Roccat doesn't provide a driver disc with the Kone XTD gaming mouse. The latest drivers can be obtained here. Alternatively, you can select the Kone XTD's software page after loading the www.roccat.org/support webpage.

DPI and sensitivity settings can be accessed via the software's Main Control page. Up to 5 custom DPI values ranging from 200 to 8200 can be configured. Upon switching the DPI level in general usage, users are met by a deep American-Spanish sounding voice which indicates the current setting.

A seemingly endless list of individual button functions is accessible via the Roccat XTD's software. 10 of the mouse's 12 (including the 4 dimensional ‘Titan Wheel') buttons can be configured to operate to a user's individual preference from a large drop-down list. All 12 buttons can be assigned individual roles when operating in the Easy-Shift[+] format. The number of individual input functions increases to 22 when Roccat's Easy-Shift[+] feature is operational.

The Macro Manager adds another dimension to the freedom of input selection that Roccat's Kone XTD gaming mouse flaunts.

Advanced controls such as sensitivity, polling frequency and the Tracking Control Unit's settings can be easily edited to suit one's individual preference.

Roccat gives users the flexibility to customise their Kone XTD's LED colour and effect. A wide variety of individual colours can be applied to each of the Kone XTD's 4 LEDs – 2 located in each upwards-facing strip. Speed, effect and direction of the colour transition can also be customised to improve the mouse's already palpable aesthetic appeal.

The R.A.D., or Roccat Achievement Display, highlights usage statistics such as the mouse's number of clicks and metres moved and then rewards users with a trophy for certain milestones – an interesting if somewhat needless feature.

A direct path to the driver download and support webpages is supplied under the “Update/Support” section of the software.

Thanks to its conveniently large size, the Kone XTD allows for easy adaptation for users with big hands. Users with small hands won't have a problem with the larger-than-usual dimensions either – Roccat's design work and general sensibleness towards button positioning is evident.

For general usage, the Roccat XTD is an absolute joy to operate. We whizzed around the home screen, exercised the Titan Wheel, tested each individual button and at no point was comfort compromised. Every button that is likely to be used on a day-to-day basis is within the slight movement of one's index finger or thumb.

Roccat's Easy-Shift[+] feature is a convenient tool that more than doubles the number of button-only input functions. We actually struggled to find 22 different functions that we would use on a daily basis, but the possibility remains evident. Perhaps this is a case of too many is better than not enough.

The impressive general usage performance continued into gaming operations. Yet again, the Kone XTD's excellently designed shape ensured that comfort issues were non-existent. Maintaining a controllable grip was generally simple thanks to Roccat's ‘soft-touch, ultra-comfort' surface, although there were a few instances where our fingers could have unintentionally disengaged from the mouse. By no means is the grip-enhancing coating poor, it just isn't quite as good as what CM Storm treated us to in its Recon mouse.

With an extreme level of DPI configurations available, participating in Battlefield 3's air, ground and foot wars was an excellent experience. Gamers can easily switch between the diverse game approaches of operating a helicopter's machine gun to lining up long range head-shots without the requirement for anything more than a DPI adjustment.

For those of you who are intense snipers, DPI levels can be set as low as 200, allowing extreme-range and ultra-precise head-shots to be obtained more easily. Taking the opposite approach, gamers with extreme, multi-monitor resolutions or Call of Duty-style run-and-gunners can opt to set the 5 DPI configurations towards the upper-end of the 8200 DPI limit.

With 12 mouse buttons, 10 of which can be fully customised, and the possibility for even more via the Easy-Shift[+] feature, RTS gamers are spoilt for choice when it comes to configuring their short-cut macros.

Improving one of the market's best mice in the Kone[+] was never going to be an easy task for Roccat, but the enthusiast-grade Kone XTD is very much worthy of the company's flagship position.

Built around the fact that comfort sells, the Kone XTD's accommodating shape and user-friendly design make it a pleasure to use for extended periods of time. Roccat's ergonomic designers are certainly worthy of a ‘pat on the back' with this comfort-enhancing masterpiece.

The ‘soft-touch, ultra-comfort' surface does an acceptable job at maintaining appropriate levels of grip between a user's hand and the mouse itself.

General usage is another particular strength for the Kone XTD. With up to 22 customisable button functions, worthwhile productivity enhancements are quickly and easily attainable. As previously noted, 22 functions may be slightly over-the-top, but since when has that displeased an enthusiast crowd? The potential is evident and over time the saved seconds will certainly add up.

Gaming performance is excellent. The sheer number of user-definable DPI settings is impressive when taking the remarkably-high 8200 DPI maximum level into account. And Roccat isn't just using the ‘bigger numbers sell' philosophy either – 5760 pixel monitor configurations are becoming increasingly popular in the enthusiast segment, so there is a clear requirement for higher DPI mice that offer fast and efficient gaming execution.

The pair of colour-customisable LED strips adds to the Roccat Kone XTD's aesthetic appeal. Being able to customise LED colour, speed and effect is a nice touch but the fact that only the 2 strips are deemed worthy of the extra ‘bling' is disappointing. We would have liked the Roccat logo and XTD prints to have lit up and, at the very least, the scroll wheel. This isn't a major issue and certainly isn't worthy of cancelling a purchase, but it seems that indistinct corners have been sneakily cut – something that we aren't fans of with a top-of-the-line product.

Another more irritating negative comes via the software. The interface is modern, clear and user-friendly – no complaints there. User-customisable settings are provided in abundance – no problems here either. When it seems that Roccat has created an excellent piece of software to combine with an impressive mouse, slow loading times come along and rear their ugly heads. Change a setting as simple as the DPI level divider and you can expect a good 20 second wait after clicking apply. And don't expect to be able to make use of the setting change while waiting – that's not possible.

It certainly isn't a storage drive issue when the latest – V1.15 – driver is installed on a perfectly-capable Kingston SSD. Is successfully finishing an almost-good piece of software so hard? With an advanced mouse such as the Kone XTD being so heavily-reliant upon software features, the issue soon becomes frustrating. On the positive side, hopefully Roccat will quickly address this problem and rectify the mistake with future iterations of the driver.

Update 21/11/2012: We have worked with Roccat to discover a resolution to the slow software issue. Adding an exception to the mouse's software in your system's security program should resolve the issue. The exception path should look as follows: ‘C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\ROCCAT' where ‘username' is your individual username (e.g. KitGuru or John).

Priced at £74.99 from Overclockers UK, the Roccat Kone XTD firmly cements its place as one of the most expensive gaming mice on the market. If you have £75 to spend and want the best possible all-round mouse, we have no problems recommending the comfortable, well-performing, attractive Roccat Kone XTD, provided you have the patience to adapt your system to work with the software.

Pros:

• Impressive ergonomics – very comfortable.
• Good range of DPI configurations.
• 12 individual mouse buttons.
• Up to 22 button functions using the Easy-Shift[+] feature.
• 4-dimensional scroll wheel.
• 4x 5g additional weights.
• Roccat Talk compatible (requires other Roccat devices).

Cons:

• Limited left hand potential.
• Sluggish software unless you make use of a work-around (as detailed above).
• Expensive.

KitGuru says: An excellent mouse for hardcore gamers of any genre, Roccat's Kone XTD is more than worthy of the company's flagship gaming mouse status and its £75 price tag.

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