Roccat Kone Pure Owl-Eye (2017): versatility and precision

Ergonomics

Smaller than its big sister EMP, the Pure Owl-Eye nevertheless gains a few millimeters in length and height compared to the previous Pure Optical. No big change, however, the template remains very close with 118 x 69 x 39 mm, against 115 x 70 x 35 mm.

The newcomer lightens all the same by 5 grams to reach 88 g, which is always good to take for lovers of responsiveness who often prefer light mice. It is in any case much lighter than the 116 g of the Kone EMP. However, no system is provided for weighing down the mouse.

If the mouse is intended for right-handers, it is nevertheless suitable for most hand sizes thanks to its relative compactness. Those who find the Kone EMP too imposing therefore have a good alternative here, allowing all the grips.

It is in any case easy to manipulate the mouse, which offers a satisfactory glide thanks to its two large PTFE pads. The movements are fluid and not very noisy, even on hard surfaces.

There are some changes in the materials, the Kone Pure using the same soft and smooth black plastic over its entire surface. Pleasant in hand, it can however be a bit slippery and we would have appreciated elastomeric inserts on the edges to improve grip and therefore the grip. Fortunately, said slices are well dug to accommodate the fingers and thus provide a grip that is both comfortable and safe. There is, however, another defect in this matt black plastic: its propensity to cover itself with fingerprints after a certain time of use, giving the impression of oily spots that we do not observe on other mice made of different plastic materials.

Apart from this questionable choice of material, the Kone Pure Owl-Eye looks great and benefits from neat finishes. The manufacturer's logo also lights up at the base of the mouse, thanks to an RGB LED allowing multiple color variations. Several light effects are available in the mouse configuration software.

The Kone Pure Owl-Eye always offers 7 buttons. In addition to the two main - based on Omron switches guaranteed for 50 million activations - and that of the wheel, there are two buttons on the left edge - associated by default with the functions "previous page" and "next page" in office automation . These are intended to be used with the thumb and well separated from each other to avoid handling errors. Although they are positioned above the recess reserved for the thumb, as on the Kone EMP, they are more accessible than those of the latter, since the Pure 2017 is more compact; the movement of the thumb is therefore shorter to reach them. However, it would no doubt have been possible to make them easier to handle without moving the thumb.

Two other buttons are located above the wheel and can be reached with the index or middle finger, with a little gymnastics of the finger however, since they are quite high on the mouse. They are used by default to change the sensitivity of the sensor on the fly.

For its part, the wheel offers a pleasant scrolling, quite soft. Its notches are nevertheless well marked, which is important for the game. No horizontal scrolling on the other hand on this model, this function is reserved for the Kone EMP.

For those who lack buttons, Roccat offers a function called Easy-Shift [+], allowing you to assign a secondary function to each button of the mouse. By default, the rearmost slice button activates this function: when it is pressed, the secondary function of the other buttons is activated. Practical in game, but also in office automation: one can for example control the sound volume with the wheel.

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Precision

Developed by Pixart on the basis of the famous PMW3360, the Owl-Eye sensor which equips this Kone Pure 2017 offers both precision and reactivity. We could not fault it, it responds to all requests and even accommodates a wide variety of surfaces. Only glass and overly reflective surfaces are problematic. In any case, we recommend the use of a good mouse pad, which will provide the best user experience while at the same time reducing pad wear.

The reproduction of movements is in any case impeccable thanks to a 1: 1 optical ratio ensuring good fidelity. Everything is done with precision and fluidity.

In terms of sensitivity, the 12,000 dpi is of course very sufficient. Recall that pros players are mostly satisfied with a sensitivity between 400 and 1000 dpi. Too much sensitivity penalizes precision, since at 12,000 dpi, for example, a movement of less than a centimeter is enough to cover the entire width of an Ultra HD screen (3,840 x 2,160 px). The manufacturer also indicates that the precision is maximum between 400 and 3000 dpi. But at least the Kone Pure Owl-Eye is ready for 8K screens and more - if you haven't changed your mouse by then ...

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Conclusion

Pleasant to handle, responsive and precise thanks to its Owl-Eye optical sensor, the Roccat Kone Pure Owl-Eye is a success. A little more research into the materials used would no doubt have enabled him to claim a fifth star.

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