The little brother to the infamous Kone EMP comes to us in the shape of the Kone Pure Owl-eye by Roccat, we see if losing the weight and the size effects the punch it once packed.
The Roccat Kone Pure is the stripped-back little brother of the ever-popular Kone EMP which Roccat says has been designed for gamer’s who want the design of the EMP but in a slimmer package. Roccat has simplified the design slightly but hasn’t skimped on build quality or tech giving the KPOE a tasty new sensor that caters to more competitive gamer’s. The new Owl-eye sensor is a modified 3360 (a 3361 optical) which is widely known as a fantastic optical sensor with 12,000 DPI capabilities. The design is simple yet striking and has been finished with semi-polished, high-quality plastic which looks great and boasts better grip. As you would expect with most modern gaming mice the KPOE has 1000hz polling rate and 1ms response time. Roccat is using Omron switches that have been given a life expectancy of 50 million clicks.
The Kone Pure Owl-eye is one of those mice that you’re either going to love or hate, above all the design will be the deciding factor in whether or not this mouse is for you. Fantastic build quality and an internal brain that is right up there make the KPOE a fantastic addition to the gaming peripheral universe. We sit down and see if it really is that much better than its predecessor.
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Pros
- Excellent Design
- Lightweight
- 7 tactile gaming buttons
- Fantastic Optical sensor
- Unique Pro-grip surface
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Cons
- Basic RGB
- Controversial shape
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Mouse Size & Weight
- Weight: 88g
- Size: Small
- Length: 11.8cm -4.64 inches
- Width: 7.0cm – 2.75 inches
- Height: 3.9cm – 1.53 inches
- Hand Orientation: Right-Handed
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Mouse Tech
- Sensor: Owl-Eye Sensor PMW3361
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What’s In The Box
I really enjoy Roccat’s product packaging, it always screams gaming. The box is lush with a dark blue and black narrative accented with strokes of white and neon. Inside the box, you will find the Roccat KPOE which sits inside 2 layers of protective plastic. The cable is neatly bundled behind secured with a plastic tie and kept in place by the user manual and welcome note. One thing I will note is whilst the packaging looks great, it can be a bit of a nightmare to open.
- Roccat Kone Pure Owl-eye
- User Manual
- Welcome Note
Design
Roccat has stated the KPOE has been designed for gamer’s who wanted the fan-favourite design of the Kone EMP but in a stripped back refined shell. At 88 grams and 91% the size of its bigger brother the KPOE certainly seems to of achieved that. The ever-growing popularity of lightweight gaming mice sees another warrior join its ranks in the shape of the KPOE, you can’t really disagree with what these brands are doing though. If you’ve never used a lightweight mouse before, you’re probably thinking the transfer is going to be a nightmare and might very well be the case. But once you’re used to the new weight the benefits greatly outweigh a couple of weeks of poor aim. The lightweight design is not only great for long-range battles helping increase accuracy and sniping, but it also aids in stability when spraying up close and personal. Not to mention the reduced stress the weightier mice put on your arm. It isn’t the lightest tool in the shed right now though with mice such as the Razer Abyssus coming in at 80g and the Logitech G Pro which comes in at 83g.
Also worth mentioning is the weight distribution of this mouse, it seems to be perfectly centered and feels like designers have done this specifically to create a better hand feel. The KPOE is just about big enough to fit all hand sizes but to optimize grip I’d recommend using this mouse if your hand ranges from 17-19cm x 8-10cm.
Buttons
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The KPOE comes equipped with 7 strategically placed mouse buttons including 2 primary buttons, 2 thumb buttons, 2 dpi buttons and a scroll wheel which can all be customized via the Roccat software Swarm. I really enjoy the feel of Roccat’s buttons and switches, they are blue Omron D2FC-F-K(50M)-RT (50 Million Click Lifespan) which are stiffer and take more force to actuate than most other Omron switches. The profile of this mouse has a right to left slant, similar to that of the Razer Basilisk, but doesn’t have the concave primary mouse buttons. This doesn’t take anything away from the grip mind as Roccat has combated this with their unique Pro-grip surface. The primary mouse buttons are one with the shell of the mouse and have a great click sound and resistance level. Both the DPI buttons are situated just under the scroll wheel and are very well positioned to boost usage. The 2 thumb buttons are separated by a 3mm gap, just enough to let you know which one is being activated, but not enough that it looks stupid. Finally, the scroll wheel has been finished with a semi-sensitive scroll step, great for both individual movements but also rapid scrolling. Overall I’m very pleased with how Roccat has designed the buttons and how they function in competitive games.
Design, Shape & Texture
The design is a very interesting area of the KPOE because ultimately it will decide whether consumers will be a fan of this mouse or totally against it. The Kone EMP split the market due to its controversial design and the KPOE has stuck to that rough blueprint. Small and compact, the KPOE’s design isn’t for everyone, however, with the ever-growing popularity of small mice, it will surely be desirable by many out there. Comparatively the KPOE is very similar in size and dimension to the likes of the Razer Abyssus, Logitech’s G Pro and Corsair Sabre. You could even go as far as saying its a combination of all 3. At its peak, it sits at 3.9cm’s and has a very gentle arch to it’s back making for a nice ergonomic fit in the hand. It is just under 12cm’s long and 5.8cm wide meaning it fits into the 2/1 ratio which is considered the blueprint for most top-level gaming mice these days. Roccat has described the plastic they’ve used as unique pro-grip and it boasts reduced sweat levels and advanced grip. However, after using the mouse over the weekend, I didn’t really notice any difference in sweat levels. Roccat has designed the mouse with an indented thumb panel on the left-hand side not only making the KPOE a right hand only model but has helped create a feeling of total control when using this mouse.
Cable
The cable is like most new mice which are made of a strong braid with a length of 1.8m and are finished by the standard USB connection. The braid feels great but is a little bit resistant if you aren’t using a bungee and this is down to its fairly stiff nature. We noticed when it hung over the desk it would hold that right-angled shape with quite a bit of resistance which became problematic. However, like with all mice we test, a bungee was used and life was good again. I can’t really stress enough the importance of a mouse bungee if you want to take competitive gaming to the next level. It might sound mundane but it’s really not. All being said, the quality of the braid is not in question and feels strong and solid. There is no wireless counterpart for this mouse but if you are looking for something similar in size, weight and price I would recommend checking out the Logitech G305.
Mouse Performance
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Let’s start with the sensor, Roccat has used a modified 3360 and have created the 3361 optical, or better known as the Owl-eye optical sensor. Creators actually came out and said they took inspiration from the owl as it has a “stunning ability to rapidly analyse it’s surroundings with lethal efficiency” very cheesy but I see what they’re getting at. The sensor itself is actually extremely good, it has a 250 IPS tracking speed and 50g of acceleration and tracks perfectly pixel/pixel. The confidence you get from knowing your sensor is top-level really does transfer into your aim and I found sniping and long-range battles became much easier. However, some credit for this has to go to the mouse’s great design and shape. As mentioned earlier the mouse fits nicely into my hand giving me the feeling of total control and I noticed that spraying (in CSGO) became much more refined and controlled. The 7 programmable buttons have been perfectly positioned, especially for my hands, and make using them very efficient and practical. They have a great tactile feel and unlike some mice on the shelves today you actually know when you’ve pressed them. The scroll wheel, however, is a little harder to press than I would like, luckily I’m only playing FPS at the moment and rarely need to use that for binds. The KPOE has a Lift off distance of about 1 CD which is considered quite good and suits my gaming style great, I use low sensitivity and DPI so long aggressive swiping and lifting are a regular occurrence meaning a low sensitive LOD is perfect. It’s worth mentioning the 2 mouse feet that are located at the front and the back of the base provides excellent smoothness. However, if they are not up to your standard you can always buy aftermarket glides which are available via a number of retailers. Furthermore, the KPOE has been equipped with a 512kb onboard memory which can be used to save profiles and macros for on-the-fly usage.
Mouse Software
A nice perk to this mouse is the fact it can be used with or without the Roccat software Swarm. However using the software allows consumers to fully customize the mouse, everything from saving profiles and binds to light customization. One of the best features Swarm has to offer, like other brand software, is the LOD optimization tool which allows you to set how sensitive you want it to be. Even though this tool isn’t unique to Swarm it certainly feels the most polished. Another neat perk to the Swarm software is the Roccat Easyshift tool which allows you to set a button which when pressed alters the entire profile of the mouse, meaning you could have a total of 17 functioning buttons on one profile. This being said the software runs great and up to now we haven’t experienced any bugs or crashes which is always refreshing. If the software isn’t your thing however you’ll be glad to know the 512kb onboard memory will save your profile meaning you no longer have to run the software in the background. All drivers can be downloaded via the app but essentially the KPOE functions just as well as a plug and play mouse.
Our Verdict
At first glance, the Roccat Kone Pure Owl-eye could be interpreted as a cheap remake of a once-popular gaming mouse. However, after scratching the surface of what the KPOE had to offer you soon realise that the guys have really worked on creating a fully rounded product. Build quality was obviously one of their main agenda’s and every part of the mouse feels like it’s been designed with quality and longevity in mind. The hardware Roccat decided to use clearly shows their intent, equipping it with one of the best optical sensors available, meaning this mouse caters to both gaming hobbyists and competitive tournament gamer’s alike. Ultimately for me, Roccat has done a great job with the Kone Pure, its ergonomic design is one that will ultimately split the market but you can not deny the guys have equipped this mouse with everything you need to be at the peak of your game.
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