Introduction

Before I start introducing the product and company, allow me to draw your attention to the product review category this is under first: Couch Gaming. We here at TechPowerUp have decided that the PC is more than just a work/gamestation at a desk, confined to a room. With aesthetics being as important a criterion to a custom build as any other, there are many PCs that look just as much at home in the living room, and even here we have the choice to build a box that would fit right into a console station as well. Regardless of what route you go, having an HTPC means having to think more about your peripheral choices. It is here where companies are now trying their best to grab some market share, and we have created this category accordingly for the large-screen couch gamers. As such, an older review (Corsair LAPDOG) has been added to the category as well, and today, we take a look at a new entry from Roccat, the Sova MK.


While I was getting familiar with the product, a quote from a Roccat rep felt appropriate as a quick introduction to what Roccat is aiming for here:

PC Gaming is great until you grow tired of sitting at your desk and long for the luxury that console players have: sitting on the couch or bed. The ROCCAT Sova is a simple solution for a dilemma that has plagued PC gamers for ages. The Sova gaming board lets PC gamers move the action to the couch. Its highly ergonomic shape and perfectly placed wrist rest replaces the desk, and creates a flawlessly interconnected gaming environment.

Marketing talk aside, we see that the Roccat Sova MK is a similar product to the Corsair LAPDOG in that both aim to provide a base for a keyboard and a mousepad to the right, for the mouse of your choice. Both are also wired solutions, meaning you have to deal with a long cable eventually. What makes the Sova different is that it comes with a keyboard built-in, and it also takes up less room and has a wrist rest. Oh, there is also a membrane keyboard version of the Sova but, as the name suggests, Roccat sent us the mechanical keyboard version with the MK moniker here. So thanks again to Roccat for providing the review sample, and we begin the review with the specifications below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Given how large the product is compared to a keyboard, Roccat took extra precautions in shipping the Sova MK in that they added a cardboard box in addition to the product packaging. So expect to see your retailer's packaging, this cardboard box we see in the first image above, and the actual product box inside. This latter box has a plastic sleeve over it to keep it free of dust, and removing it, we see Roccat's black and blue color scheme employed to full freedom here. It is also a lot more colorful with a tagline and illustration of the product in use on the front, with marketing and tech specs in multiple languages adoring the back and sides.


There are multiple seals on the sides, and a double flap in the middle also adds to the excellent packaging here that ensures the contents inside are held in place. Opening the box, we see the Sova MK right away with its cable attached and in the cardboard cutout compartment above. Accessories are under the Sova MK or alongside the cable compartment in another cutout.


Inside a sealed plastic pouch is a quick-installation guide and a disposal information manual. I do recommend going through the former since it does a good job of quickly summarizing how to get everything up and running, but having the keyboard pre-installed means things are a lot easier and quicker to get up and running here vs., say, the Corsair LAPDOG. Also provided is a plastic mouse bungee attachment that clips to the Sova, and we will go through it in use on the next page.


Before we head over to a closer examination of the Sova MK, I wanted to point out that the cable for the Sova MK is removable, although I am not sure why. A small extension on the keyboard ends in a PS/2 adapter, and the longer cable is a male PS/2 to male USB connector. Roccat has this cable attached out of the box already, so leave it be.