Roccat Kone EMP Gaming Mouse

[Ino.]

The Roccat Kone EMP is the successor to the Kone XTD, Roccat's ergo mouse for people who palm grip or have large hands. It's a high quality product with stunning performance, best-in-class sensor and well-rounded software for a reasonable price of $70.

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[Chaitanya]

Roccat mice are quite expensive and availability(in India) is iffy at best. Else quite interesting products.

 

[mcborge]

I have the kone xtd and i will be looking at one of these if and when i need to replace it... Its lasted longer than any mouse i have owned so far.

 

[bug]

Probably the best review for a mouse I've ever read.

 

[las]

Good review, but personally I'm waiting for their Pure 2017 instead. The shape and weight is better for me, sensor is the same. I especially like Roccat's scrollwheels, some of the best in the business.

 

[Octopuss]

Not directly related to the review, but...
I hate the fact that the Swarm software is not meant for older products. Like what the hell? Release new UNIFIED driver/control software, and lock 99% of customers out of it. I have Kone XTD Optical mouse and the software for it sucks donkey ass. The damn thing is not even too old, but Roccat basically makes a product EoL the moment it's released

 

[Ino.]

Probably the best review for a mouse I've ever read.

Thanks, trying my best.

Good review, but personally I'm waiting for their Pure 2017 instead. The shape and weight is better for me, sensor is the same. I especially like Roccat's scrollwheels, some of the best in the business.

Hopefully I'll be able to review the Pure 2017 too, looking forward to it too.

 

[hat]

Hmm... thumbs down for braided cable? What's wrong with braided cable?

 

[Roph]

Roccat is a well established German mouse manufacturer known for the high quality of its products.

Nice joke

 

[Ino.]

Hmm... thumbs down for braided cable? What's wrong with braided cable?

They are stiff and not really more durable than a good rubber cable. In my experience the best (stock) mouse cables are Zowies.

 

[bug]

They are stiff and not really more durable than a good rubber cable. In my experience the best (stock) mouse cables are Zowies.

I think they're intentionally made stiff, to make them immune to entanglement. Either way, you're going to find pros and cons to any type of cable, so personally, I'd consider it personal taste.
Fwiw, the braided cable on my mouse has bent a little close to the mouse and it wouldn't straighten back. A mild annoyance, but a constant one

 

[hat]

They are stiff and not really more durable than a good rubber cable. In my experience the best (stock) mouse cables are Zowies.

I've never had an issue with either, but the braided cables seem to me to give more of a premium quality feel... first time I remember personally having one was when I got my Razer Piranha headset, which I unfortunately destroyed due to carelessness. Still mad about that...

 

[Ino.]

I've never had an issue with either, but the braided cables seem to me to give more of a premium quality feel... first time I remember personally having one was when I got my Razer Piranha headset, which I unfortunately destroyed due to carelessness. Still mad about that...

I don't have a big issue with the Roccat one used here, it's flexible enough, but any stiffer a cable and you can feel it drag on the mouse easily. It's like extra resistance that you have to work against and it influences muscle memory. It's definitely something that premium products use because they feel like quality, and on something like a headset (or any peripheral that you don't move) it's certainly nice.

 

[Hiryougan]

Nice joke

Well, i guess it's not really any benchmark, but they definitely are more durable than Razers for example

 

[VulkanBros]

Give me back the Logitech G5 - best mouse ever. Period. (At least 1.5 million people will nod in recognition)

 

[Frick]

Give me back the Logitech G5 - best mouse ever. Period. (At least 1.5 million people will nod in recognition)

Intellimouse Explorer 3.0

Anyway holy shiet great review. I do wonder about the longevity of the surface of the mouse though.

 

[bug]

Give me back the Logitech G5 - best mouse ever. Period. (At least 1.5 million people will nod in recognition)

Hehe, I've used that till it's skin started to peel off. Still going strong though.

 

[Cr4zy]

Are the feet still on top of the screws like all previous Kones? The only thing I dislike about their design.

 

[Ino.]

Intellimouse Explorer 3.0

Anyway holy shiet great review. I do wonder about the longevity of the surface of the mouse though.

Thanks!
Also the surface doesn't seem to be coated, even the inside of the mouse has the same feel to it, so it seems to be the material that is that great. Of course only time will tell, but I expect it to be a durable mouse surface.

Are the feet still on top of the screws like all previous Kones? The only thing I dislike about their design.

Yes, like most manufacturers do. There are two screws under to top foot and two under the bottom, in the edges. I was able to peel the ends upwards and after re-assembly just pushing them back down.

 

[Octopuss]

Nice joke

You are a joke.
Got any proof of the opposite?

 

[micropage7]

personally i like braided cable
but sometimes its kinda too stiff so you like moving a mouse with 220v electric cable

 

[Vayra86]

May I applaud you on a very solid mouse review? This is quality and it was a good read too.

There is only one oddity here and that is combining palm grip mice with 'throwing them around'. In general you see low sens gamers use claw grippers, because they are by nature a whole lot lighter as well as they are smaller. That is your 10-25g difference right there.

You're right about the braided cable and weight not supporting 'throwing around' but this whole mouse design doesn't really *want* to support that. The size of a palm gripper and the 'total contact' it makes with your hand also support high sens/DPI gaming with smaller physical movements because it supports high accuracy well.. With your personal preferences you'd never pick this mouse, at least I wouldn't.

Braided cables btw have zero advantages apart from 'the premium feel', I'm not a fan of them, it's silly just like an aluminium case on a phone. A smooth cable is far more useful in almost every situation. 'Plastic' may not feel luxurious, but there's a reason we invented it, and it still is one of the best materials to use for many things.

 

[Ino.]

May I applaud you on a very solid mouse review? This is quality and it was a good read too.

There is only one oddity here and that is combining palm grip mice with 'throwing them around'. In general you see low sens gamers use claw grippers, because they are by nature a whole lot lighter as well as they are smaller. That is your 10-25g difference right there.

You're right about the braided cable and weight not supporting 'throwing around' but this whole mouse design doesn't really *want* to support that. The size of a palm gripper and the 'total contact' it makes with your hand also support high sens/DPI gaming with smaller physical movements because it supports high accuracy well.. With your personal preferences you'd never pick this mouse, at least I wouldn't.

Braided cables btw have zero advantages apart from 'the premium feel', I'm not a fan of them, it's silly just like an aluminium case on a phone. A smooth cable is far more useful in almost every situation. 'Plastic' may not feel luxurious, but there's a reason we invented it, and it still is one of the best materials to use for many things.

I know quite a few people who like to use palm grip with low sens, that's why they want something that is big but also light, which is tough to get. Good example would be the Logitech G403, it's a bit smaller, but if you take out the weight door and the magnets (both not needed for light weight) you can get it down to 83 g which is a featherweight for the size. And I feel like the EMP could be at least 15g lighter in the top shell if they put as much effort into low weight. But I don't think they want to do that because the average buyer thinks that low weight means low quality.

 

[MilExo]

Does anyone know how the coating of the EMP compares with that of the XTD (which I found excellent) or the Tyon Black (which is very slippery for me)? When I contacted Roccat they said the coating will be the same as the Tyon White which I have no experience with.