As a man who spent the last 5 years studying the best ways to use a mouse for competitive gaming, I couldn’t pass a chance to try out Roccat’s new Kone XP; a multi-button pro mouse capable of utilizing all functions in games like Destiny, Lost Ark and even Elden Ring for those who dare to tackle the game with MnK. Obviously, there’s other options out there that’s been available for years – but the beauty of Kone XP is its ergonomic design for great comfort and MB positioning, alongside some technical advantages that most mouse doesn’t have, mixed in with their proprietary software and some excellent use of RGB lighting. To me, Roccat is quickly skyrocketing to top level performance we enthusiast crave for.
The Kone Series is Great
I currently have several mice that are considered top-level such as Glorious Model O/D-, Finalmouse and Kone Pro Air. For years, the Glorious Model O has been my bread and butter – maintaining high performance against gamers I find to be pro-level these days; it’s helped me a few times earning Flawless in Trials of Osiris and I couldn’t be any prouder of myself. But, for a while now, Kone Pro Air has been my main mouse given that it has all properties needed for pro gaming yet to me feels nicer to hold and lighter to move around than most mouse.
The reason I’m saying this is because Kone XP gives me that same level of performance and comfort as those mice before it, but with 15 additional buttons – it may sound like a lot but given the way it’s positioned in the mouse, it feels natural to use; the additional buttons really help with games like GTA Online, Red Dead Online, Lost Ark, Elden Ring and even Destiny 2 surprisingly. The button placement really helps reducing mistaken button presses during intense gaming moments – it happens, but not nearly as often as similar mice. I have to give credit to the design team for figuring out a way to take one step closer to functionality.
For those of you who are really into RGB lighting, you’re in for a treat with Kone XP – with over 22 options to choose from, you should be able to find your preference with the new 3D-style lighting that drives through the center portion of the mouse. It’s excellent looking and given the nature of its performance – it’s a wonderful mix.
State of the Art Parts
Kone XP features a wide birth of high performing actuators – for one, their mouse clicks have Titan switches installed just like their previous iterations, which are hugely responsive and incredibly durable; their mouse wheel has gotten an improvement as well with its translucent design to fit with its RGB lighting, and some tactile adjustments for a more responsive feature. Additionally, Roccat’s proprietary sensors called Owl-Eye is state of the art with over 19K DPI settings. I mean, if you’re a machine of a gamer, might as well have a machine of a mouse, amirite? Kone XP’s sensors has improved lift-off adjustment for those flick-moment clips everyone craves – coupled with incredible acceleration process as well if you’re faster than light. Kone XP weighs just over 100g, which is comparable to pretty much all of the high-performing mouse – which shouldn’t deter those looking for a lightweight gaming mouse.
Kone XP is an Nvidia Reflex enabled gaming mouse with 15 programmable buttons, incredibly responsive tactile Titan Switches, lightweight for the smoothest of transitions with embedded PTFE glides. All of which is design with exceptional comfort and durability. Everything you’d hope for is entirely available here for your comfort while engaging with absolute proficiency. It is top of the line for those who needs a hybrid of an MMO mouse and competitive FPS edge – the RGB may seem a bit much for a person like myself, but it’s hard to find any flaws as there’s virtually none.
REVIEW SCORE: 9/10
For more on Roccat’s Kone XP and more, follow me on Twitter and other social media here.
