Mouse preferences are all about personal taste. Everyone seems to be looking for something different and some of us may not know what we want (or what we’re missing) until it’s in the palm of our hands.
I’m still near the start of my PC gaming life and figuring out my tastes as a result, but shifting from the default mouse that came with my CyberpowerPC to Roccat’s Kone Aimo felt damn luxurious. But once the honeymoon phase of the initial upgrade wore off, I was able to look at the mouse more critically and walk away with both praises and points of criticism.
My goal here is to be as detailed as possible so, no matter what your tastes are, you’ll leave this review with a sense of whether or not this mouse should be added to your battlestation.
Looks
Upon unboxing this mouse, in classic Roccat fashion, we’re met with the Roccat logo (displayed in a clean cut silver color). Much like the Roccat Khan Pro and other Roccat products, the Kone Aimo has a braided wire, always a welcome differentiation. The braided wire looks better and helps avoid any unwanted tangles or kinks. But not all aesthetic choices have practical functions; this brings us to the lights.
Yes, this mouse lights up and if you’re like me you love that for absolutely no reason. There’s no shame in fitting some gamer stereotypes every now and then, and Roccat knows this all too well. In fact, the AIMO intelligent lighting system is one of the first features Roccat points out both online and on the package itself:
Powered by AIMO, the living light system that reacts intuitively and organically to usage, it presents a state-of-the-art illumination scenarios that are easily configured, reactive and above all fluid, for a completely next-gen experience.
But in all honesty, they’re just lights: four light strips and a glowing mouse wheel to be specific. They look cool, if that’s your thing, and while the color does change according “to usage” it’s unclear exactly what it’s reacting to.
Feel
Roccat does an excellent job making products that instantly feel great to get your hands on. The matte finish feels smooth and inviting but it’s worth noting that there aren’t any additional grips or varied textures on the Kone Aimo. It handles just fine without extra grips, but I can see some players feeling like they’re less in control even though the performance is the same. Personally, I enjoy having one cohesive texture rather than grips just for the sake of having grips.
The Kone Aimo is huge. Recommended for people with medium to large sized hands, I have to admit this mouse is a little too large for me. But even with my child sized hands I can control it just fine, but I do have concerns that prolonged play with an oversized mouse could create wrist discomfort. It’s just something to be mindful of prior to making the purchase. If most mice feel a bit too small for you, though, you’ll be right at home wielding this large amount of real estate.
Functionality
In addition to precision, the Roccat Kone Aimo has a really smooth glide thanks to the five pads on the bottom of the mouse. The T3 button is located on the left bottom side which feels very convenient and intuitively placed (as opposed to other mice which opt to locate that button closer to the left mouse button).
This placement choice creates a tri-button thumb zone, with T1 and T2 placed directly above T3. Whether or not this is a pro or con will depend on your own personal playstyle, but personally I found it comfortable.
One of the most notable features of the Roccat Kone Aimo is the Owl-Eye optical sensor with the DPI adjustable in 100-dpi steps from 100 to 1200, the measurement of the mouse’s sensitivity.
For me, the mouse wheel was among of the most impressive components of the Kone Aimo. Like the mouse in general, the 4D Titan Wheel is big, making it easy to control and resulting in smooth movement in small increments.
Easy Shift[+]™ is the world famous button duplicator technology that lets you assign a secondary function to the mouse’s buttons. It’s easy to program and has options for simple commands and complex macros, expanding your arsenal to let you react both rapidly and efficiently in the heat of battle.
When it comes to the Kone Aimo, customization is king. The Roccat Swarm software allows users to map buttons and make various adjustments to the mouse as well as a few other pieces of Roccat hardware. Currently, only a few products are included within Roccat Swarm, but it’s clear that the company is incentivizing users who choose to be all-in on Roccat’s ecosystem of peripherals.
The Roccat Kone Aimo sits at the $80 price point, so the question remains: should this mouse be part of your gaming setup? For me, the answer is yes: particularly if you’re new to the PC gaming scene and are looking to make some small upgrades to a basic setup. This mouse controls smoothly, is well-designed, looks great, and is fairly priced but if you’re really particular about the weight of your mouse, you may want to opt for something lighter or a mouse that allows you to adjust the weight.
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