Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
After installing and properly configuring the ROCCAT Kone XP Air to my liking using the software, I put the mouse through our series of standard tracking performance tests. This includes normal office usage in the Windows environment as well as gaming within first person shooter games. Graphics work is done in addition to regular office usage with Adobe Photoshop. Mousepads used include the Func F-Series 10 L and XTracPads Ripper XXL. Please note these are subjective tests, but we attempt to make it as objective as possible with our cross-reference testing methods.
Personally, when I use my mouse, I prefer to establish a palm grip rather than a claw grip. What this means is that I prefer to cover the whole mouse with the palms of my hands, therefore a comfortable ergonomic fit is a priority preference. The ROCCAT Kone XP Air, being designed mainly for users like me in mind, was perfect for the occasion. For those who like claw grips or a semi-claw-palm-hybrid grip, the Kone XP Air will also accommodate you if you have larger hands. Furthermore, its lightweight design -- especially for a wireless mouse -- was reasonably good for first person shooter games; making swift, quick actions attainable. It is not a featherweight mouse at 99g though, and is noticeably heavier compared to the Kone Pro Air at 75g. This, in conjunction with its wide sensitivity PixArt PAW3370 sensor -- 50 DPI to 19,000 DPI in 50 DPI increments -- caters very well to all the different scenarios and game play strategies FPS gamers will encounter in the real world. The fact is, dipping as low as 50 DPI is definitely not something you will see every day, nor is the epic 19,000 DPI maxima. I am not entirely sure why anyone would need something that nauseatingly sensitive, but hey, it is there for those who want it.
During usage, I have never accidentally pressed any buttons I did not intend to click. However, as I have mentioned on the previous page, you may click a few of them by accident when you initially reach for the mouse. For me, it was mainly the Easy-Shift[+] button, but accidentally actuating that is inconsequential by default assignment. There are quite a number of buttons on the ROCCAT Kone XP Air, so this is good news, as this means the buttons are generally well-placed and uncluttered by design. Any feature I need was always well within reach of my thumb or index finger, so props to ROCCAT coming up with great placements. The ROCCAT Kone XP Air generally gripped well in my average-sized hand thanks to the textured sides. The size and shape of this mouse made it enjoyable as my daily driver on my work computer in the last little while.
The primary purpose of ROCCAT's Kone XP Air is intended for the performance enthusiast crowd. It is intended for gaming, but this does not exclude graphic professionals and office users demanding the edge in tracking precision. Like many modern gaming-oriented products, I found the ROCCAT Kone XP Air to be excellent for everyday office work in addition to performance demanding applications. It is reasonably lightweight, even if it is not featherweight, which makes regular Windows navigation a breeze. The PixArt PAW3370 is a high-end sensor from PixArt and one of the best in the market today, and you can definitely see why with this mouse. The lift-off distance was very low on the ROCCAT Kone XP Air. The sense of control and the smoothness of its glide over all tested tracking surfaces was excellent, and the pointer tracked accurately and precisely in accordance with my inputs. The PTFE feet helped smooth the glide too. I noticed no tracking problems with the ROCCAT Kone XP Air on all surfaces I have tested it on.
The ROCCAT Kone XP Air is an incredibly precise and quick responding mouse at up to 1000Hz polling rate with the PAW3370 optical sensor, just as we would expect from a performance gaming product. Its lightweight build for a wireless mouse and great grip only enhances the capability of the electronics. No input lag was noticed; response time was consistently excellent from the lowest sensitivity setting all the way to 19,000 DPI. Although sensitivity range is not a direct indicator of performance similar to how resolution is not a direct indicator of digital camera performance, its incredible precision was still basically sustained across the entire sensitivity range. I noticed what could be very minor jitter at high sensitivity settings, but I could not tell if it was just my hand or if it was really the mouse itself. No smoothing was noticed, which is good.
The rated battery life of the ROCCAT Kone XP Air is 100+ hours. Depending on how you count idle time and usage time as well as the configuration of your LEDs, your mileage will vary. From my experience, the battery life is simply amazing for a high-performance product and the quick charge function works well. I have gone for a week, and it still shows 30% on the battery indicator, which is amazing compared to legacy models using sensors originally designed for wired applications that lasts maybe two days at most. It is unlikely you will unexpectedly run out of juice with the Kone XP Air, and if you ever do, using it in wired mode for 10 minutes will get you back on the road for another 5 hours.
The ROCCAT Kone XP Air is highly customizable for users desiring wide tracking resolution, maximum responsiveness, lag-free performance, multi-zone RGB lighting with cool 3D effects, razor sharp handling characteristics, and amazing battery life. This is everything you can expect from a gaming product.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
