ROCCAT KOVA 2016 Pure Performance Gaming Mouse Review

Final Thoughts

The KOVA offers more functionality under our hand than we are used to, especially considering the overall lack of buttons that most mouse makers go to when delivering a mouse with this much functionality. The feel is good, and with raised edges around the mouse to keep your hand where it should be, and the EasyCast buttons off to the sides in the front, it makes accessing them in a hurry very easy to do, without missing a beat during gameplay. Of course, the Easy Shift button placement is the easiest for any user to get to with ease and delivers up to 24 commands in total when in use with the default commands.

We dug the aesthetics; automobile inspired or not, it just works for the hand and the eyes. Then, of course, there is the control afforded via the KOVA being combined with the TAITO, and using software to double the DPI range, allows users to get exactly what they need from this optical sensor when 3500DPI is just not enough.

We did test the KOVA on a few mouse pads we have in the office, and to be honest, the KOVA was a whole different finicky mouse on most other pads. It was not until we used the $17 KAITO mouse pad that we felt the KOVA came into its own, delivering pinpoint accuracy with every move. Then, of course, there is still the SWARM software to consider and is a must to take full advantage of what this KOVA offers. We liked that you can pin the most used items to one menu rather than digging through five or so pages of options, and everything about the software is intuitive and simple to get going.

There is a fair bit of time needed for the learning curve, as most are not used to an EasyShift button, or the ability to map mouse to do this much with so few buttons to choose from, but it is worth every time you screw up. As long as you are learning along the way, everything is going to get better. Once the setup is in memory, and you are used to using ROCCAT products, it is hard to go back to the simpler designs out there. There is just so much functionality afforded to both right and left-hand mouse users to miss out on this design.

So what it comes down to is this. You get a very stylishly designed mouse. It feels great in the hand, it takes mouse functionality to a level that most others cannot obtain, and won't break the bank when buying it. And so what if it is an ambidextrous design. We never once found that as a reason not to like the design, or felt it was some detracting feature that slowed us down in productivity or gaming. The bottom line is that you can get both the TAITO and the KOVA for less than a lot of other mice which aren't as well equipped in our opinion, and that is saying a lot. For a $49.99 mouse, we are truly impressed, and while other mouse pads worked, we advise moving to the TAITO for another $17 to gain every advantage ROCCAT, and their KOVA is trying to offer.

Chad's Peripherals Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS X99-E WS - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• CPU: Intel Core i7 5930K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Memory: KLevv Cras DDR4 3000 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Video Card: ASUS GeForce GTX 980 Matrix Platinum - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Storage: Intel 730 480GB - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Case: SilverStone TJ11 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Power Supply: Corsair AX1200 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

Product Summary Breakdown

Performance	97%
Quality including Design and Build	98%
General Features	99%
Bundle and Packaging	95%
Value for Money	100%

Overall TweakTown Rating

98%

The Bottom Line: ROCCAT's new KOVA mouse is a beast! Tons of functionality without all the messy buttons. It followed our every move, looked and felt great the whole time, and compared to many other less equipped offerings, the pricing is perfect. What more can you want in a mouse?

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