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We here are Laptop-Review bid Mikkel Secher welcome and hope he is well-received. His virgin test will be a sleek gaming mouse from Roccat.
Roccat Kova does not look like a mouse that is particularly comfortable to use due to its sharp edges. However, you are sure to be pleasantly surprised over how ergonomic it is when you grip it the first time. Opinions regarding the design are likely to be in the extremes – either you will find it hideous or really cool. There cannot be any disagreement when it comes to performance though, because it is undeniably world class!

The product was kindly lent to us by Roccat


Specifications

Category:
Gamers of all skill levels

Highlights from the manufacturer:

3200DPI PRO-OPTIC GAMING SENSOR - with enhanced optical sensor technology
HARDWARE BASED CONFIGURATION - for rapid use and simple operation
20G ACCELERATION - ensures smooth and precise movements
V-SHAPE ERGONOMIC FIT - for left and right handers
ROCCAT™ GRIPTECH SIDE AREAS - with non-slip stabilisation surface
COATED MOUSE WHEEL - with optimum grip + comfort
CUSTOMIZABLE LIGHT SYSTEM - for your favourite colour
DPI CHANGE FEEDBACK - LEDs indicate the selected dpi setting
5(+2) MOUSE BUTTONS - with core task configurations
FULL SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY - works with Mac® and Windows® OS

Manufacturer’s specifications:
3200dpi optical gaming sensor
40 inch per second maximum speed
20G acceleration
2m USB cable

Price:
About £40

Package contents




The package is easy to open up; no sealed plastic that must be brutally cut to pieces to access the product here.
The only thing the package contains – besides the mouse itself – is a small folder specifying which buttons to simultaneously press to configure the mouse. Roccat has stuck with the bare essentials, and there are no accessories to go with the Kova.


Construction & Design

The mouse itself is made of a hard, faded black plastic, the scroll-wheel is coated with rubber, and on each side of it is a little area of soft, slip-resistant rubber.
At the front of each button is a small, lit-up line, and there are also two backlit windows at the end of the mouse.




Kova is symmetrically built, meaning it can be used by both left- and right-handers. We find the optical sensor right in the middle of the bottom, and in each of the four corners are large, slippery feet. There is thus no need to use additional Teflon feet or the like, at least not on harder surfaces like an IceMat.



The wire is two meters long but pretty stiff, so it can get slightly in the way if you do not have sufficient space on your desk.
There are two ways to hold a mouse: 1) “Palm-grip” where you have the mouse in the palm of your hand, and typically move your entire forearm to control it. This grip is favoured by most FPS (First Person Shooters, i.e. games like Counter-Strike) gamers as they generally set a low sensitivity and thus need to move the mouse pretty far all the time and 2) “Claw-grip” where you hold the mouse with your fingertips and typically set a very high sensitivity because the hand rests on the mouse pad and the mouse is controlled by only moving your fingers slightly. This grip is generally used by RTS (Real Time Strategy, i.e. StarCraft and Red Alert and the like) gamers as they need to move the cursor much more and faster around the screen than FPS gamers.
The rubber areas on the sides are located exactly where you would have your thumb and pinky in a Claw-grip. The mouse does not fit quite as well if you use the Palm-grip, so you will have to conclude that the mouse with its 3200 dpi and naturally high sensitivity mostly caters to RTS gamers or others who enjoy a high sensitivity when gaming.  

Design
Roccat Kova looks like a mix between a stealth fighter and a Lamborghini Gallardo. On Roccat’s website the first headline you see when accessing the product sheet for Kova is “The performance of a sports car”, and it appears they were somewhat inspired by the Lamborghini Gallardo. More specifically, the front of the car and the rear of the mouse are almost identical in terms of design.



Some will find the design incredibly cool, and the futuristic look might go well with the rich gamers’ Alienware computers with all their lights and intricate designs. Others (and perhaps the more serious, professional gamers) will find the design to be over the top, and all the lights and bling unnecessary or irritating, because it is all about functionality and performance in the end.
Having said that, the looks are really irrelevant when it comes to this mouse, because it is simply so good that even people who find it annoying have to admit it feels absolutely great to grip and is excellent for gaming.


Special Features

Despite the many ways you can configure Kova, there is no driver included. Everything is controlled by the hardware in the mouse by clicking combinations of the different buttons.

Sensitivity:
If you press the two rearmost ancillary buttons, the mouse toggles through the different resolutions of the optical sensor and thereby the sensitivity. It varies between 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 dpi. The diodes blink for a second when you change the resolution, with a unique colour assigned to each level. It takes about a second for the mouse to change, so there is not always time for it in the heat of a match.

Light Effect:
The two foremost ancillary buttons are used to toggle through “Breathing”, “Constant” and “No” light. At “Breathing” the diodes gently pulse, and the other settings are self-explanatory.
Change Breathing Mode:
The foremost left and rearmost right ancillary buttons are used to change “Breathing Mode”, so the colour of the diodes vary after 1, 2 or 3 pulse, or stay the same colour all the time.  

Change Colour:
The rearmost left and foremost right ancillary buttons change the colour of the diodes in the mouse. The colours available are blue, violet, light blue, light green, dark green and turquoise.



Switch hand mode:
If you are left-handed and wish to configure the mouse to be used with the left hand, the two foremost ancillary buttons must be pressed and held while it is connected to the computer.


Performance

If you look away from all the practically useless light settings and go directly to the actual performance of the mouse, it actually does very well. It is tested on a Roccat Sota, Roccat Taito and IceMat, and tracks equally well on all three. However, it is not very good on a white tabletop, and does not glide equally easily across all surfaces. Roccat’s own mouse pad Sota poses slightly more resistance than an IceMat or Roccat Taito. That problem can be easily solved by attaching some Teflon tape – which most gamers should be familiar with – to the feet of the mouse.
The only criticism regarding the mouse is that the sensor tracks the surface from a height of about 1 cm, so if you play with a low sensitivity and often lift the mouse, the cursor will move randomly around the screen every time. This is really something they should have anticipated and dealt with, which was done on for example Razer’s Diamondback 3G that only tracks up to a height of 1 mm. However, this is less of a problem if you go for a higher sensitivity, because that tends to require much less frequent lifting of the mouse.
The mouse is very precise and responsive at both low and high DPI.

Longer term use:
It is very difficult to remain objective when you need to test a mouse in games, because whether a mouse fits a given play-style varies greatly from person to person. As such it is important to test the mouse before you go out and invest in it.
The mouse was tested for a couple of weeks, both for day-to-day tasks and games. The games were primarily Red Alert 3, CS: Source, Warcraft 3, Heroes of Newerth and Unreal Tournament 2004. Other tasks outside of gaming were surfing the web and the like.
The mouse was a pleasure to use in the RTS games with high sensitivity – if you are used to another RTS mouse (made for claw-grip) – like Razer Diamondback 3G – the improvement is not substantial, but it still helps. It is difficult to exactly point out what particular aspect makes the difference; it just feels better.
The experience was not as impressive in the FPS games, though. As they are normally played with lower sensitivity, the mouse has to be moved farther on the mouse pad, and that requires you hold the mouse more tightly in a palm-grip which – as mentioned earlier – is not as comfortable as a claw-grip on this mouse.
It is perfectly fine for everyday use, but if you are not going to be using it for gaming there is little reason to lay down £40 for a mouse like this.


Conclusion

If you are a gamer looking for a new mouse, Kova is definitely worth considering! The mouse is particularly comfortable if you play at high sensitivity and move the mouse with your fingertips, but it is also decent for low-sensitivity gaming even though there are more ergonomic mice that would probably be more comfortable.
It is well made and sturdy, and the driver-less configuration makes it easy to use on several different computers without having to change the settings and install extra software every time, plus it allows you to change settings in the middle of a gaming session.
If you go for the looks and coloured diodes to go with the rest of your equipment, you are quite likely to find that one of the seven colours fit your theme.
Roccat Kova is definitely worth every penny!

    

Pros
Incredibly ergonomic for ”claw-grip” / high sensitivity
Driver-less configurations
7 colour options in the same mouse
Finely crafted
Precise

Cons:
Poor fit for ”palm-grip” / low sensitivity
Slow to change DPI
Slightly pricey

Construction:	5 / 5
Innovation:	3 / 5
Price:	3 / 5
Design:	4 / 5
Overall:	4 / 5