ROCCAT Kone Pure Owl-Eye Optical RGB Gaming Mouse Review

TweakTown's Rating: 95%

The Bottom Line

ROCCAT's Kone Pure Owl-Eye RGB Gaming Mouse may be too small and light for some, but for those that can handle it, be prepared to experience awesomeness! It is feature rich, it is a nice upgrade from the original, and the price isn't out of bounds. It's a simple mouse with amazing software.

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

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With fourteen mice to offer ROCCAT shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Many of the mice we have seen from them in the past have passed through our labs with flying colors, in fact, we have never run across any review that puts them down for that matter. This is a rare occurrence, as peripherals are a hands-on product, where each model may not please everyone, but somehow ROCCAT can pull this off, and deliver gaming peripherals that are not just top of the line but are those that make users gravitate towards them.

The reason for this is that there are a few things we have come to expect from ROCCAT. First off, there are the top-tier components used on the inside, and ROCCAT is not afraid to surpass what others in the market build into their mice. Then, and likely most important, there is the shape and build quality of their mice. All of them take ergonomics into account, and not one of them will fall apart or offer a lackluster feel in your hand. The EasyShift+ System is also something that sets ROCCAT apart from all others, so that with the press of a button, you can then double the ability of the product, adding in whatever sort of actions or commands you see fit. We also have grown fond of the ROCCAT SWARM software, which has always operated properly, is intuitive, and offers the utmost in customization for their goods.

By now it is highly likely that you have seen the Kone [+], Kone EMP, the Kone XTD, or may have seen the Kone Pure. Today we bring you one of the latest in the series, where the Kone Pure has had a refresh. Unlike the original, which sported a laser sensor, this time the mouse features ROCCAT's new Owl-Eye optical sensor. Not only is there a new sensor to be had, but the switches have been upgraded, with no remains of pad style switches, and the main pair now offers a much longer lifespan, and also the MCU has been changed as well. With a whole new interior to the Kone Pure, the Kone Pure Owl-Eye us a whole new bird. Stick with us as we have a look at the similarities and well as the major differences, so we may deliver our verdict on this latest submission from ROCCAT.

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Contained in the chart we found on the product page, ROCCAT is sure to divulge everything there is to know about the Kone Pure Owl-Eye mouse. With the name it has, it only makes sense for it to sport the ROCCAT Owl-Eye sensor, and while optical, delivers 12,000 DPI. In the software, you can adjust the polling rate, which tops out at 1000Hz, as well as make adjustments to the response time, which is set to 1ms by default. Using the top of the line Omron switches, the main buttons are good for fifty million clicks, while the rest of the switches are either TTC or ALPS which is used for the scroll wheel. This sensor can register movement at fifty times the force of gravity, and at speeds of up to 240 inches per second. There is no acceleration built in, and there is no angle snapping built in either. There is an adjustable lift off distance setting, and all of this is controlled via a 50MHz ARM MCU with 512kB of onboard memory, and the Kone Pure Owl-Eye connects to the PC via 1.8 meters of braided USB cable.

The Kone Pure Owl-Eye, on first glance, looks identical to the Kone Pure, as it should. Both are made from black plastic, they have the same features and general shape, but there are minor discrepancies. The 70mm width is the same as before, but the height has increased 4mm to an overall height of 39mm this time. The length of the new Kone Pure has been lengthened 3mm to a new 118mm overall length, and the weight has dropped to only 88 grams this time around. The Kone Pure Owl-Eye will work with Windows 7, 8 or 10, but you will need an internet connection to obtain the drivers and an open USB 2.0 port to make it function.

As we attempt to hunt down the Kone Pure Owl-Eye RGB Gaming mouse to get an idea on pricing, we see that it is widely available in many outlets. The two that concern most buyers is the listings on Amazon, where this mouse is priced at $69.99, or at Newegg, where you can save seven percent, and pay only $65. Of course, Prime and Premier Memberships have the advantage of free shipping too. Compared to many other mice we get sent to us on a regular basis, this is right in the middle of the pricing scale. It is not super cheap, but then again it is nowhere near the $100 or more we have seen some mice require for use. Out of the gate, ROCCAT is a step ahead of the pack, but let's see what else they have in store before we go jumping to conclusions.

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

Packaging, Accessories, and Documentation

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At the top of the front of the box, we see the ROCCAT Kone Pure name, and to the right is a mention of core performance, and it is an RGB gaming mouse. The large image of the mouse in the center appears to be in some sort of an arena, while at the lower left of it, there is a mention of the Owl-Eye sensor and its capabilities.

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The angled section of the right side of the box has the ROCCAT name and logo delivered in shiny letters, where the bulk of the panel has a matte finish. Along the edge, we see the name and type of product it is on the left, and to the right is the web address for ROCCAT.

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Around back, the top section is used to show the mouse, its RGB capability, all the while pointing out five features and its reduced weight. In the black section of the panel, nine features are listed and explained, while the bottom offers them again, but in various languages beyond the English above.

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The last of the panels is bright from top to bottom and offers information on the ergonomic design, the ROCCAT Owl-Eye sensor, and the ROCCAT SWARM software.

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Inside of the box, we removed the mouse and inner packaging to show you what we found. As usual, we get an oversized plastic inner packaging. This protects the mouse from being crushed, and designed in two layers; the clear layer holds the mouse in place, so it cannot flop around and damage the finishes.

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Under the plastic inner packaging, you will find a clear plastic sealed envelope containing the literature. There you will find the quick-installation guide, which not only shows how to connect the mouse and where to get the software but also shows the mouse, points out features and shows what buttons do what. There is also an insert explaining that particular care should be taken with disposal as not to pollute landfills, and we also got a sheet of three stickers.

ROCCAT Kone Pure Owl-Eye Optical RGB Gaming Mouse

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At first glance, the ROCCAT Kone Pure Owl-Eye looks much like its laser sensor based brother, but there are minor changes. The pair of buttons are the same, the thumb dent is the same, and so is the name painted near the bottom in gray. What has changed, is that from this view, the Pure name is also near the top, and the top is black this time, rather than metallic gray.

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From the back, the shape is similar with a slight lean to the right side, and a large logo on the heel of this mouse. This logo is backlit, and like the original is the only zone of LED light, but is capable of displaying 16.8 million colors.

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Even the right side of the mouse kept with tradition as we see the body line where the indent for the pinky and ring fingers rest. The finish on the top portion of the mouse is matte, but it is not rubberized or using some form of a soft-touch coating.

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The ergonomic lean of the Kone Pure Owl-Eye is very pronounced when looking at the nose of the mouse. While the front edge is blunted, both of the main pairs of buttons are sloped to the right side of the mouse, making this a right hand only design for sure.

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On the top of the mouse, in a shiny section of plastic surrounding them, we find the scroll wheel and a pair of buttons. The scroll wheel has a rubber center wheel to ensure smooth movement and is heavily segmented in its motion. As for the pair of buttons, there are given to us with a plus and minus on them and is how one changed the DPI level used.

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The cable that starts from the center of the Kone Pure Owl-Eye front edge is near six feet in length. There is a black braided sleeve covering the rubber wire inside, and it terminates in a USB 2.0 connector with the ROCCAT logo on it.

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Under this mouse, we see that it uses two wide PTFE feet to glide upon. The product sticker is oriented front to back and surrounds the eye of the new sensor.

Inside the Kone Pure Owl-Eye

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Four screws keep this mouse together, and once removed, we can detach the cable and set both halves on the table. We see a small PCB in the top for the side and top button switches, and there is the main PCB in the lower half which contains everything else.

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The DPI selector switches are blue TTC switches and are soft in the force needed to use them, and the report form use is quieter than expected. The pair of red TTC switches back the side buttons, they are stiffer in actuation force, and the click is easily heard from them.

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What reads the movement of the scroll wheel is the ALPS W switch which is made of natural metal for the housing. Under the left click button, we find an Omron switch, but not your average one. This is a blue Omron with the part number D2FC-F-K(50M)-RT. This offers fifty million clicks, and while the report is similar to other Omron switches, they seem to require a bit more force than the typical offerings.

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The basis behind the ROCCAT Owl-Eye sensor is this PixArt optical sensor. What we find inside of the Kone Pure Owl-Eye is the PMW3361DM-T2QU, which is similar to what is used in other 12,000 DPI optical mice.

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Rather than using the ST Microelectronics MCU, we found in the original, this time ROCCAT chose NXP as the source. We find here the LPC11U36F, which is an ARM Cortex-M0 processor, which is 32-bit, runs with a clock of 50MHz and offers 512KB of onboard memory.

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To register the press of the scroll wheel, we find a red TTC switch resting on a pedestal. In front of that, we find a matching blue Omron switch for the right click button.

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Once plugged in, we finally get to see the ROCCAT Kone Pure Owl-Eye in all its glory. A pleasing shape, a clean looking matte finish, and a large backlit log on the heel which can be set to any color imagined, or run various patterns of lighting as well.

SWARM Software

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Once you have downloaded and installed the software, once started, this is what you will see. There are tabs across the top, and we are in the pinned menu at the moment, where we can adjust the DPI settings, pointer speed, illumination, and remap the mouse. At the bottom, we also see a couple more tabs, and the five profiles to be used to customize this mouse.

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In the setting tab, we can do many things. These include adjusting the sensitivity, vertical scroll speed, horizontal tilt speed, and the rate of double-click to open anything. On the right, we can change the settings for each of the five DPI levels, and disable some if five is too many to use. Then there is also the Windows pointer speed, as well as boxes to enable acceleration or to display pointer trails.

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Button assignment is straightforward and is where you go to remap the mouse or add Macros, hotkeys, timers, various mouse, multimedia, and other functions, as well as setting one as the EasyShift+ button, which is disabled by default. Keep in mind, once the EasyShift+ button is programmed to the left column, the entire right column can offer a second layer to all the rest of the buttons.

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In the advanced settings, we can change the polling rate, enable sounds, set the LOD to high or low, reset the entire software suite to defaults, or address the illumination of the ROCCAT logo.

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The profile manager is self-explanatory, as this is where you go to set onboard profiles. Each of the five profiles can have an image added; it can be renamed, set to launch a with a particular program, or deleted. The arrow on the right allows you to duplicate a profile, replace it, move it to PC storage, or be set as a desktop profile.

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The Macro manager is where you go to set commands for MMO games, or to make life easier for those working with various kinds of software. You first click on the folder to add a Macro, name it, then once that is done, click on the start recording button, do your thing, and stop it when it's done. You can add fixed delays or record the commands as they are input, you can repeat the Macro in loops, and you can also import previous Macros you have made, as well as exporting them for future use.

Gaming and General Impressions

PUBG & DOOM

It took us a bit of time to get used to the mouse, but not because of accuracy or responsiveness; it delivers that in spades. It was the smaller size and lack of weight that tripped us up the most. The buttons are easy to reach, are well placed, and each click is easily heard. However, the mouse did want not to stay settled in our relaxed grip of it, as our hands allowed for a bit of a gap that the mouse could sit still in when it came to moving it. After a few days, our grip got tighter, and this issue was remedied. When it comes to scoping out the enemy at long range or spraying them in the face up close, we feel the Kone Pure Owl-Eye is a great tool to kill the competition in PUBG.

When it came to DOOM, the sensitivity could be raised to the 5000 to 6000 DPI levels and not feel overpowered. While PUBG takes a lower DPI to be a skilled marksman, with demons coming from all directions, above, below, and from all sides, we were able to spin around on a whim and did not find ourselves overcompensating. We turned, we fired, we killed, we moved on.

Windows and Productivity

For us, the mouse shines when it came to being productive at our desk. When it came to editing images, 3000 to 4000 DPI was the sweet spot. This also rang true for desktop use and tooling around on the internet. Every time we moved the Kone Pure Owl-Eye mouse, the cursor is exactly where we expected it to be.

When it came to eliminating dust and scratches from our photos, this mouse killed it and saved us tons of time, where other mice have shown to be sloppy in this respect, this ROCCAT mouse is seeming designed to be perfect in any scenario. We did try 12,000 Dpi for a bit on our 4K screen, and outside of the desktop application, it is almost uncontrollable. Of course, with more usage at that range, we would get used to it, but to be successful at work or play, it was out of our comfort zone.

Final Thoughts

The ROCCAT Kone Pure Owl-Eye RGB Gaming mouse is better than the original. Not only does it deliver a larger range of usable DPI, we feel it is more accurate comparing them at the same DPI levels. ROCCAT also upped the game by changing out the internal components too, and not just the move to an optical sensor over a laser sensor. Gone are the pad style switches the original offered, and are replaced with an assortment of TTC switches. The main switches, while still made by Omron, they get an upgrade too, not only to the lifespan but with a slightly stiffer actuation force than the standard white Omron switches. The MCU is also updated, with a faster processor, but is still 32-bit. We also like the change from metallic gray on the top to an all-black design this time, and the carryover of the RGB LED logo is something many will appreciate.

The mouse is small, and that could be an issue for those with larger hands. Also, the weight may be of some concern, as there is not an additional weighting system to play with, like the original had. What you are left with is a feather-light mouse that slides around like an egg in a well-buttered skillet. Minimal effort is needed to move the Kone Pure Owl-Eye around, which is pleasing after testing a few heavy mice, like the LEADR for example. Accuracy is on point, as long as you do not surpass your capabilities with the DPI setting. The indentations on the sides are a plus when it comes to moving this mouse, and with the LOD set to low, there is very little sensor movement when this is done. All of this combined with the software gives you a mouse that is battle-ready out of the box and only gets better the more you play around with it and customize it to your every whim.

At $65 we do not feel ROCCAT is asking too much of their customers. For anyone with smaller hands or those with medium hands who prefer claw or fingertip grip styles, the Kone Pure Owl-Eye mouse is right up your alley. With medium sized hands and a relaxed grip on the mouse, we did feel a bit like a giant, but with time it was overcome, and we were left with a mouse we are sad to see replaced with the next product in line for testing. Due to its size and light weight, it is also great for traveling, and with the 512KB of onboard memory, anything you set at home will stay with the mouse on the go, even without the software installed. For us, the Kone Pure Owl-Eye RGB Gaming Mouse is the way you reintroduce a device to the masses. Improvements all around, yet still stays true to everything we expect to see when it comes to peripherals made by ROCCAT.

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