Back at CES, Roccat showed off a bunch of new hardware it had coming out. Fast-forward to May, and the last piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. Check out the final version of Roccat's Leadr wireless gaming mouse. This is one of a rare breed of murids, featuring a top-class optical sensor, 1000-Hz polling rate, and a whole bevy of buttons.
A lot of gamers prefer to avoid wireless mice. Cheaper wireless mice can have serious latency issues, and even more expensive devices can be subject to interference in electrically noisy environments. Roccat insists that it uses "pioneering" wireless technology to avoid these pitfalls and give a true zero-lag experience. The mouse uses a non-removable 1000-mAh rechargeable battery, and includes a charging dock as well as a top-up cable that can be hooked up to use the mouse in wired mode.
All of Roccat's new high-end mice use the company's Owl-Eye sensor. Like the sensors in everyone else's high-end optical mice, the Owl-Eye is a customized version of the PixArt 3360. That means it supports up to 12,000 DPI and can track at up to 250 inches-per-second, although Roccat itself recommends setting the mouse to between 400 and 3000 DPI. I've tested this sensor myself in a couple of mice and let me just say that there's a reason everyone and their ma is using it.
You get 14 programmable buttons with the Leadr. Included in that number is the "dorsal fin" rocker switch that Roccat intends users to hit with their knuckle or palm. The mouse also includes an "X-Celerator" analog thumb paddle. Naturally, all of these functions can be configured using Roccat's Swarm software. Swarm is one of the more user-friendly configuration apps out there, and it doesn't require an online login.
The Leadr wireless mouse is currently only available direct from Roccat for $140. All of the hardware that Roccat was showing at CES is now available, too. Newegg has the Isku+ Force FX partially-analog keyboard for $100 and the Kone EMP RGB gaming mouse for $80. The Kone Pure Owl-Eye—a slightly smaller Kone EMP—is up for pre-order on Amazon for $70.
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