Roccat Kone XP Air review – great gaming mouse specs, rad RGB

The Roccat Kone XP Air gaming mouse is finest described as a peripheral peacock. Don’t get me unsuitable, the dependable rodent has spectacular specs inside its smooth, ergonomic shell, however its distinctive tackle RGB is what helps it stand out amongst opponents like Logitech and Razer. In the event you’re in search of a palm-sized mild present, the XP Air is perhaps the proper clicker for you, even when it does include a premium price ticket hooked up.

Flashy RGB will undoubtedly assist the Roccat Kone XP Air seize your consideration, particularly for those who’re in search of one thing that’s not simply normal multicoloured strips. But, sturdy remapping talents may additionally assist the clicky companion rank among the many finest gaming mouse choices obtainable right now, because it boasts a whopping 29 programmable buttons. Mapping talents aren’t essentially the Kone XP Air’s greatest promoting level, but it surely’s actually a boon that helps soften its lofty MSRP.

As you might have guessed by the title, the Kone XP Air is a wi-fi gaming mouse, that means it’s inclined to all of the often cord-cutting caveats. Fortunately, Roccat’s on the ball in the case of wi-fi woes, and extra options like an RGB fast charging dock assist shield the peripheral’s $169.99 USD / £149.99 GBP asking value from scrutiny.

Earlier than we delve into aesthetics and efficiency, let’s go over what you really get contained in the Roccat Kone XP Air field. Offering it hasn’t reworked into an actual rodent and chewed its method out the packaging, it’s best to discover the mouse, an identical charging throne, a “Phantomflex” USB-C charging cable, and a dinky wi-fi dongle.

The Kone XP Air additionally wields Bluetooth connectivity, and we’ll get to why that’s helpful quickly. Nevertheless, I’m a bit disenchanted on the reality the bundle solely comes with one USB-C cable, particularly because you’ll want it to hook up with the fast cost dock.

Certain, the shortage of an additional cable isn’t a dealbreaker, particularly for those who largely dwell at your gaming desk. However, it means for those who fancy remodeling the mouse right into a wi-fi clicker, you’ll should disconnect the wire from the dock, and that feels a bit like an unlucky faff.

Roccat Kone XP Air design

In fact, moaning about wired connectivity on a wi-fi gaming mouse is a little bit of an Alanis Morissette transfer, as my cable gripes are laced with irony. The Kone XP Air’s cordless configuration really helped me neglect that tethers are a factor, because the dock’s entrance port means you’ll be able to join it and the dongle to your gaming PC utilizing a single USB.

Roccat’s streamlined strategy to connectivity makes all of the distinction, particularly because it provides a level of setup versatility, and it actually contributes to my longstanding conquest to correctly handle cables. Belief me, for those who’ve received your personal, private spaghetti monster harassing your ft when you play, you’ll get why this issues.

To the contact, the Roccat Kone XP Air feels light-weight, but it surely’s removed from being the lightest gaming mouse available on the market. Weighing in at 99g, it’s really a little bit of a chonker in comparison with the feathery SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wi-fi. That’s to not say some heft is a foul factor if – like me – you’re used to metal-clad classics just like the Corsair Vengence M65, as you received’t by accident launch it out of your desk whereas enjoying Cyberpunk 2077 for the primary time.

It’s price noting that whereas the Kone XP Air isn’t the lightest mouse, it’ll nonetheless glide throughout a gaming mouse pad like an arcade hockey puck. Warmth-treated PTFE pads on the underside assist each hand twitch and swipe really feel clean, and it helps mast the very fact it virtually weighs 100g.

Slidey pads aren’t the Kone XP Air’s solely ergonomic boon, as its contoured form tackles pure consolation. Its thumb ledge bears resemblance to the flared base of the Logitech G502 Lightspeed, however Roccat’s clicker is distinct sufficient to keep away from design déjà vu, Because the lip homes the mouse’s nifty easyshift button, it’s far simpler to succeed in for smaller palms.

Talking of which, the Kone XP Air is provided with 29 programmable buttons. What’s that? You may solely see 15 on the mouse? Properly, that’s the place the easyshift toggle is available in. A click on of the default thumb button offers every press with a secondary mapped perform, which successfully doubles the variety of actions you’ll be able to carry out with one hand.

Admittedly, I’m not a finest MMORPG devotee, however I’m fairly certain having 29 mapped mouse buttons would kick ass in Ultimate Fantasy XIV. Even nonetheless, for those who want the odor of gunpowder within the morning, you’ll be able to remap the easyshift key itself and make it a lethal thumb grenade launcher. That’ll cut back the variety of obtainable features again to fifteen, however the sensation of wielding explosive chaos with a muscle twitch is arguably price it.

Alright, let’s chat concerning the Kone XP Air’s dazzling lights, as its RGB ribs appear like futuristic biotech. That includes 5 customisable zones and an array of various patterns, mild present lovers are going to have a ball enjoying round with this mouse. There are sure to be gamers on the market that straight up hate Roccat’s artsy 3D illumination, however for those who’re in search of a showstopper to take to LAN, that is it.

That’s to not say Roccat’s lighting is aggressive, because it’s comparatively subtle due to the machine’s frosted, semi-translucent shell. Imagine it or not, it’s really pretty understated in comparison with the wired Kone XP, even when it does appear like Godzilla charging up an atomic warmth beam. Personally, I believe its LEDs are in want of a brightness bump, because it’s laborious to understand ribbed, RGB shinanigans when sitting close to a window throughout the day.

Roccat Kone XP Air software program

Roccat’s accompanying software program offers entry to an entire bunch of efficiency and aesthetic settings, but it surely’s, sadly, a bit of tough across the edges. Design-wise, the software package’s structure is a bit of overwhelming, and finding particular settings doesn’t all the time really feel intuitive.

That stated, as soon as you recognize the place the whole lot is, you’ll have a better time tweaking issues. My actual concern with Swarm is its sync temperament, as making use of settings will sometimes do nothing in any respect. It isn’t a constant hiccup, but it surely did occur a number of instances throughout testing, and it’s irritating sufficient to say.

ROCCAT KONE XP AIR PERFORMANCE

Utilizing a mouse with an honest DPI and speedy 1,000Hz polling charge can assist your FPS sport talents flourish, and the Kone XP Air is not any exception. Out of the field, the mouse feels exact and pure, however you’ll be able to actually dial issues in to please your palm utilizing the Roccat Swarm customisation suite.

The Kone XP Air’s specs are matched with pleasingly clicky optical switches, and Roccat says they’ll apparently face up to 100 million clicks. That’s a whole lot of photographs fired, spells solid, or no matter else you stand up to in your gaming PC, so it’ll probably final properly into the long run. It would take some time earlier than figuring out whether or not they’ll actually reside as much as these claims, however the switches actually really feel correct and sturdy.

Naturally, fairly lights and gaming PC efficiency require energy, and the Kone XP Air has an RGB fast cost dock by its facet. Cradles aren’t all the time a fantastic further, particularly for those who’ve not received time to let your gaming mouse relax, however Roccat’s little mount can present 5 hours of cost in simply ten minutes.

Strive as I’d, I discovered it laborious to engineer a pure ‘out of battery’ situation whereas testing the Kone XP Air. That is largely due to the dock’s speedy charging talents and the battery’s chonky capability, with the latter making up for my ADHD-adjacent tendencies.

Put it this fashion, I actively keep away from battery-powered peripherals as a result of I not often bear in mind to cost them, however this setup means if I can handle to dock the Kone XP Air, even simply as soon as a day, I’ll nonetheless have sufficient juice to get by. The actual fact its base flutters with pleasing RGB helps remind you it’s there too, and the mouse slides onto the cradle’s twin pins with minimal effort.

It’s simple to neglect the Roccat Kone XP Air options Bluetooth connectivity, however its inclusion means you’ll be able to swap between secondary gadgets just like the Steam Deck and a gaming PC geared up with the two.4Ghz dongle. Once more, having to disconnect and reconnect USB cables is a pet peeve of mine, so with the ability to use the mouse on Valve handheld by flicking a swap is remarkably helpful.

The gaming mouse scene is a crowded cage with quite a few dependable rodents dwelling inside, and the Roccat Kone XP Air earns its hold. In the event you aren’t actually fussed about RGB, you may in all probability choose up one thing just like the Razer Viper Final Hyperspeed for much less, however you’ll additionally miss out on speedy charging and a marvellous button mapping setup.

Merely put, for those who’re in search of an adjunct with a novel RGB twist, try the Kone XP Air. In the event you’d slightly put money into a wi-fi gaming mouse with a high-spec kick, Roccat’s clicker may additionally test a number of containers, however upcoming opponents just like the Razer DeathAdder V3 Professional will finally present extra of a efficiency punch.