Audio cues for profile and DPI switching
The LookThe original Kone looked fantastic and stylish with the illuminated ROCCAT logo near the base and two illuminated vertical bars that run either side of the mouse face, but there’s been a couple of aesthetic changes with this new model. The matt black finish of the mouse remains the same, but the glossy look of the buttons from the Kone now also sport a matt finish. The illuminated ROCCAT logo on the base of the mouse has gone in favour of a large silver ROCCAT logo, which resembles a panther’s head protruding from a crescent moon. It lays across the bottom half of the mouse and crosses over the illuminated bar on the right hand side. The silver colour looks very nice against the black finish and the growling panther’s head is quite an aggressive logo that probably represents the type of hardcore gamer that the Kone+ will appeal to. The two illuminated vertical bars, powered by 4 LEDs, that run either side of the mouse face make a return and they’re totally customisable within the software.
The ergonomic design is identical to the Kone and it feels incredible comfortable to grasp with the groove protruding from the left hand side of the mouse, making a perfect rest for your thumb. Just above the thumb rest are two programmable buttons which can reached swiftly and easily, but the majority of the action takes place on the face of the mouse. Responding to community feedback, the vertical central panel and buttons sit deeper into the body of the mouse and the 4D scroll wheel is now wider and feels more robust and durable than that of the Kone. The wheel has a nice action to it and it feels intuitive to move it in different directions and set commands to it. We programmed a right click of the wheel to switch profiles that we’d set depending on the situation we were in Battlefield Bad Company 2 and the left click to activate a countdown timer that we’d preset to let us know when weapons respawn.
Below the scroll there are two buttons that allow you to change the dpi settings. The Kone+ goes up to a very impressive 6000dpi but you can program up to five settings and then switch between them using these buttons. You also get an audio cue via your speakers when you change dpi – a sinister sounding voice says “dpi up” or dpi down.” This audible cue also kicks in when you adjust volume level, sensitivity or switch profile. Of course, you can turn this off in the software if you wish, but it’s a great little feature that means you don’t have to take your eye off the screen for one second. The final main feature on the front of the mouse is the programmable button just above the mouse wheel, which is slightly larger than that on the original mouse, making it much easier to hit.
On the back of the mouse, alongside reminders that you’re dealing with a 6000dpi sensor (original Kone had a 3200dpi sensor) and confirmation of the TDC (Tracking And Distance) feature, there are three frictionless Teflon mouse feet which ensure the mouse glides smoothly across your pad, and a small circular panel that you can twist off revealing a small housing area for your weights. There are only 4 x 5g weights, so it’s not as flexible as some other mice on the market, but having up to 20g should be suffice for most gamers.
So, in summary - there's 12 buttons at your fingertips and they're all within comfortable grasp. The Kone+ looks great, and with the option to customise the colours extensively you can really tailor it to your own style.
