To compare the Kone Pure with the Kone XTD we utilised the same mousing surface: a ROCCAT Taito. The Taito is a fairly straightforward 400mm x 300mm x 3mm thick mat with a rubber backing, which allows both smooth mousing over its cloth surface and considerable comfort thanks to its ample padding. Slightly on the large side as recently reviewed mats go, but still comfortable for many computer desk locations and suitable for LANs were space isn't too cramped, it's also notable for the exceptional grip the rubber rear provides.
General Performance
The two Teflon 'feet' of the Kone Pure allow very smooth mousing over the Taito's cloth surface, and manufacturing precision results in a mouse which doesn't wobble when on a flat, hard surface. In this light, it's suitable both for cloth mats, and more rigid aluminium/plastic surfaces. The rubberised finish of the mouse doesn't tend to accumulate much sweat during longer sessions at the desk.
The mouse is a little smaller and at 93 grams appreciably lighter than the Kone XTD. Light as it is however, it's not so light that it would be pulled around by particularly inflexible or dense USB cables. It comes down to personal preference, but in general it'll take much less energy to whip this mouse around over the course of a day than a heavier one, though it may be a little less suited to those with larger hands. It's not however the size of some of those designed specifically for laptop, so in all likelihood won't be an issue for those with larger than average hands.
Mouse presses are might lighter than the Kone XTD, requiring by contrast very little pressure and travel distance to actuate. The switch is more quiet as a result, resulting in a much more pleasant experience in an office environment.
The Kone Pure loses out to the XTD in terms of functionality through the lack of three assignable buttons: two tilt buttons on the mouse wheel and an additional button above the wheel. Users who make extensive use of spreadsheets - or significantly more user-defined macros - will see a difference, but for most the difference won't be felt. Trading off against this is a wheel which is considerably less firm whilst still picking up all the incremental notches, leading to a movement which is much less tiring on the middle finger.
For an office environment, or streaming with a sensitive microphone the Kone Pure will be very good, and probably will be more suitable than the XTD.
Gaming Performance
As you should expect from a ROCCAT product, the Kone Pure begins to shine in gaming. The ergonomic shape and button layout of the Kone Pure is logical and consistent with market norms, far reducing the learning curve after picking up the mouse for the first time. Running a little counter to the Kone XTD, the shoulder buttons feel a little more proud and clearly differentiated, aiding precision a little compared to its sibling. The slightly more compact size of the Kone Pure makes this quite important, and for someone with average hand size the thumb buttons will be ideally placed.
Once again, the Japanese Omron switches are a surprising highlight. Each button press is precise and satisfying, with no rocking of the button in the housing. This really highlights the build quality of the Kone Pure, that feels if anything more secure than the XTD.
One feature which is lacking is a clear visual representation of DPI. The software allows for five DPI presets per profile, and although setting up lighting to differentiate between each profile is easy, the same cannot be said of DPI. There is an option to enable an audio cue for DPI, which calls out "1600 DPI" etc. in increasingly more urgent tones as DPI increases, but this breaks flow during gaming.
FPS gamers should feel particularly at home with the Pure. It's a standard 5-button design for the most part, without a 'sniper button' with the potential to change DPI at relatively fast speed. Easy-Aim - a means of changing DPI level as a toggle rather than being constant - ameliorates this particular oversight, although it does eliminate a keybind unless used in conjunction with a ROCCAT Isku keyboard, a more optimal configuration.
MMO gamers will probably see the Kone Pure as slightly less suitable than the XTD by virtue of having fewer available locations to bind macros. The Kone Pure has no tilt functionality on the mouse wheel, and no button above the wheel, reducing the keybind options MMO/MOBA players crave. With that exception, the mouse is very good; like the XTD it includes Easy-Shift[+] to effectively double the number of potential button assignments on all buttons bar one; with six different buttons doubling to twelve assignments, most should be usable for most games. As with the XTD, Easy-Shift[+] activation changes the mouse lighting to a light-blue colour.
All-in-all, the Kone Pure is an excellent all-rounder. It's not hyper-specialised to MMO, MOBA or FPS gaming, but is versatile enough to satisfy gamers who enjoy a combination of all three. Furthermore the excellent build quality make it just as suited to use in an office, with only a small productivity loss compared to deluxe models.
