ROCCAT has been in the gaming business for quite some time, from hardware like the Kone Pure gaming mouse to Team ROCCAT, an eSports team that plays League of Legends, StarCraft II, and Counter-Strike professionally. The Kone Pure SE mouse is an extremely lightweight that easily glides along any surface you place it one while capturing the surface at an adjustable rate, up to 5,000 DPI. Being slightly smaller than a “standard” full sized mouse, the Kone Pure SE is quite well suited to be a professional-grade traveling companion, though the non-nylon wrapped cord does pose a bit of a problem when traveling. As a sub-$70 USD gaming mouse, the Kone Pure SE makes a spectacular addition to any gamer’s library of hardware; with its incredibly low weight and small size I myself use it to travel with my gaming laptops, though it can just as easily fit in with any standard desktop compliment. The ROCCAT Kone Pure SE is a wonderful bit of hardware that for some, may even replace their old, decaying hardware.
I had to laugh a bit when I pulled the Kone Pure SE’s box out of the shipping box; it was wacked to the gills with actual bubble wrap, and to be frank, I love me some bubble wrap. Then as I began to cut the tape on the actual packaging I had to laugh again; ROCCAT used 9 pieces of tape on this tiny little box. They apparently wanted to make sure, between the robust packaging and insane amount of tape, that the mouse was shipped with the best of care. Might seem strange or inconsequential, but it is far from either; the care taken by ROCCAT to protect your new gear is quite apparent and by packaging the unit so well, they are clear in their message … your confidence can be placed in ROCCAT as they protect your investment as it is important to them.
Beyond the packaging, the Kone Pure SE is most surprising in its weight. At only 88g, the damned thing feels like a bubble of air and after using it for 30 or so hours then switching over to my Mionix Naos, I was absolutely dumbfounded and how moving the loveable Naos felt like I was trying to roll a small boulder around. One can really get used to the relative absence of discernable weight; honestly I was a bit shocked as I am tend to be more “heavier is better” in my hardware habits. Speakers, keyboards, mice, desks, etc. all tend to be on the hefty side as the solidarity feels good to me. The Kone Pure SE’s light weight and smooth coating makes it feel like a small puff of air gliding across the slick, smooth icy surface of a newly frozen mountain lake. Not only is it refreshing in its weight, but it is an attractive mouse to simply look at.
Though the awesome ROCCAT logo is backlit (and with ROCCAT Swarm, the software to run the ROCCAT library of devices, can be changed to suit your desired mood) and the silky-smooth matte coating of the mouse catches the light just right and looks excellent, I did find that it tends to show hand oils (or oils from your Cheetos, whatever floats your boat) quite well. I am far from a dirty person, nor do I regularly secrete oils in copious amounts (puberty was decades ago), yet it is easy to see the natural oils left on the mouse and it drives me absolutely bonkers. Even after having the mouse only a few days I have cleaned the thing well over a dozen times. It is beyond irritating… On the flipside, the mouse looks so nice and fits my small hands so well, that it is not necessarily a bad thing to you know … clean your hardware. I am confident that many of us have not thought about regularly cleaning their gear, so the ease with which oils are seen is a good reminder to give the mouse a good wipedown after a long gaming session.
A few things to note; the ROCCAT Kone Pure SE is a gorgeous looking mouse, even if those good looks come at the price of having to regularly clean it. The lightweight aspect of the mouse is nigh-lifechanging even if the smaller size might be a bit of a stickler for folks with larger hands; for me the size was perfect. Overall the mouse, with its adjustable high capture DPI, small form factor, low weight, and wonderful click-action, is a solid traveling gamer companion or secondary unit for those with multiple PCs. The ROCCAT Kone Pure SE is a unit of choice for those FPS and MOBA gamers out there.
Score: 8 / 10
