Roccat Kova Plus Review

Roccat Kova Plus Review

Introduction

The Original Kova has been around for about a year and a half and was quite startling when it was first released. The combination of a great sensor, ambidextrous usability and driver-free customisation were a unique combination.

One of the biggest downsides of it though was the various button combinations involved to change DPI settings or colours. Without any obvious feedback it was a bit poke and hope at times and once you got the mouse dialed in to your liking you were loath to press anything.

Now, following the successful “Plus” update to the Kone, it’s time for a Plus, or more accurately [+], version of the Kova.That seemed like the perfect opportunity to take look at what’s changed with one of our most used rodents.

Specifications

Let’s see how Roccat call it before we get into things.

  • 3200dpi optical gaming sensor
  • 130 inches per second maximum speed
  • 30Gs of acceleration
  • 1000Hz polling rate
  • 16-bit Data Channel
  • 2m USB cable

So what’s new since the original Kova?

Firstly, and easily the largest change, is the removal of the button combinations in favour of a comprehensive driver package. Not only does this enable much closer control over every function available to you, but also removes something that anyone who has used a Kova regularly experienced. That “trying to do two things at once and ending up changing DPI or lighting” problem. Whilst the plug and play nature of the Kova was useful, we’re glad to see it dropped in favour of the control a driver package gives.

Besides that the capabilities of the Kova Plus have been improved with it now capable of handling speeds up to 11 feet per second (which should be more than enough for any possible use) and the acceleration increased up to 30G. About the only way you could move the Kova Plus faster than it could handle would be to strap it to a race-car and move it by driving. Certainly if you’re putting more than 30G acceleration through your mouse you might be better looking at how you use it rather than the product itself.

The Kova Plus also includes the EasyShift [+] button that we first saw on the Kone Plus, which is similar to how shift changes the numbers on your keyboard. One press and the rest of your buttons can do something different, allowing for two assignments per button.