ROCCAT Kova Gaming Mouse Review

Posted by: David Mitchelson (Mishima) on: 10/29/2009 10:37 PM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]

Performance
It’s only fair to test our Roccat Kova in the gaming arena. So we will observe its performance in some of the most popular FPS titles to hit the shelves. Testing mice cannot be considered as conclusive as obtaining hard results from say a CPU cooler such as temperature. But all the testing will be reported from first hand experience, such as weight, traction, accuracy, usability and comfort.

To kick things off, I started using the Roccat Kova in Quake Live. Quake Live since the beginning of the year has attracted millions of gamers world-wide to the FPS battleground. It’s based on the ever popular Quake III Arena but is designed to run through your web browser via a plugin. You can literally play it anywhere, on any machine that has a web browser. It does not suffer if you have inferior hardware and thus it does not depend on powerful graphics cards and processors. (It’s completely free to play – have a go!

I’ve been playing Quake Live for some time now using the Mionix Saiph 1800 so the Roccat Kova has some big boots to fill. My first impressions were that the Kova is extremely light. Even for a weightless gaming mouse, (similar to the Saiph 1800) it felt very lightweight indeed. This could be an issue with some, especially if you like the ability to customize your mouse. That said, the performance was nothing short of sensational. Couple it with the Roccat Sota and both will work in harmony. All the usual things that the gamer requires such as adequate glide, traction and precision are clearly there and my fragging sessions in Quake Live are very enjoyable.

The one thing that bugged me across all games though was the complex sequence in which DPI and colour customization is controlled. The Roccat Kova has a simplistic design in mind, yet to change the DPI I have to press a certain sequence of buttons to increase/decrease the settings and similarly to change the colour I have to know the correct buttons to simultaneously press. The only way of doing so is by reading the instructions manual. It seems annoying that if I were to change the gaming surface or want to change the colour I would need this manual with me at these times. I can’t help but feel that Roccat have over complicated the simple. Other than this the Roccat Kova is superb mouse and it will confidently aid your performance in game.

Changing the colours and DPI can be awkward

Call of Duty: World at War shouldn’t need any introduction. The Call of Duty series is multi-award winning and without fail each year round becomes the synonymous ‘Game of the year’. Being totally different to the fast paced Quake Live, COD:WaW’s action is more tactical and absolute precision is required. This should be good grounds for the Roccat Kova to show its true worth.

Again the Roccat Kova doesn’t disappoint. It fits into the palm of the hand nicely and reacts to all movements and actions exactly as intended. It suffered no let downs whatsoever and delivered in traction and glide. What’s nice is the ability to use it if you are left or right handed, both parties have been catered for due to the shape and button placement. Although the DPI and colour control could be considered complex, the simplistic design of the Kova will suit oldschool gamers down to a tee.

Comfort

The Roccat Kova is surprisingly comfortable, though it wouldn’t seem so from visual appearance. The edges aren’t as ergonomic as other mice may be but it sits nicely in the palm of your hand thanks to the Griptech padding and looks impressive sat on your desk. I played for hours and I can firmly say that the Kova presented no faults in this aspect at all.