ROCCAT Pyra Wireless Review

ROCCAT, a relatively new player into an industry where names like SteelSeries, Razer and Logitech have dominated the play field and have become household names to gamers everywhere. New as they are, they have made a name for themselves with superb products such as the Kone mouse and Kave headset. Today we'll be taking a look at one of their new product, targeted at mobile gamers - the Pyra Wireless.



The Pyra comes in 2 varieties, a wired one for the discerning gamer who does not wish to be interrupted by niggles such as low battery life and unresponsiveness during frag sessions and also a wireless one for those who wish not to deal with a messy gaming set up but it is just as powerful as its wired counterpart. For this review, I will be taking a look at the wireless variety.



What's in the box:
In the box in addition to the mouse came a small carry pouch for those on the go, a USB cable for recharging the mouse, 2 AAA batteries, the wireless receiver and of course the ROCCAT ID card with the driver disc and product catalogue packaged in a neat little card. The box was kind of big for the contents but still, what came included is pretty much good.



First Impressions:
I can't say I'm not impressed by the simple yet elegant styling and sharp lines which are typical of ROCCAT. It's like looking at a mini Kova minus the sloping rear after the hump and the loss of some lighting. Tech specs on this little rodent were pretty much impressive given its size. The fact that its wireless makes the 1000Hz polling rate impressive to boot!



Design:
In terms of design, I really can’t help but to mention ROCCAT’s sense of style. It is very sleek and very beautiful. Certainly appeals to those who love their cars (and mice) sharp and fast. I mentioned earlier it looks like a mini Kova but I have to point out some differences. Namely the Pyra is much shorter than a Kova. Because of the decrease in length the side is naturally shorter and you only find a single thumb button for the EasyShift function on both sides. ). The word ROCCAT which is moulded into the right button adds a nice touch to the overall aesthetics. If I have something to complain about it is the scroll wheel which is too stiff for my liking.  The side panels are made of rubber giving it a good grip. At the rear of the mouse, rather than let it continue sloping downwards from the hump ROCCAT tapered it in a terrace form to save space. If you’re disappointed about the lack of LEDs on the mouse, fret not as there is a single blue LED on the top of the mouse which also functions as a battery indication (though after weeks of ownership I still don’t know if it gives any indication besides going completely when the battery is dead.



At the bottom the On/Off switch can be found, as well as the battery holder and wireless dongle slot with sync button. I don’t have much to say about the bottom of the mouse, except for the fact that the mouse feet are terribly small. The 5 small feet are not very convincing and I fear they may wear out faster than I would like them to. The wireless dongle is still tastefully done although it will be out of sight most of the time. Pictured here it is smaller than a 50 cent coin and much lighter.



The USB charging cable is also a looker. A nice angular design as well as sporting the ROCCAT brand and Pyra name. The connection jack with the mouse also serves as an extra glide foot for the mouse when connected.

In terms of build quality, the Pyra does need some TLC. I have read reports where it suffers from poor assembly. Indeed, if you hold the mouse a bit too hard you can hear squeaks coming from it as the gaps are compressed. It seems the multi pieced construction does have something to do with the gaps. Bad move here, ROCCAT. Provided one does not hold their mouse with an iron grip it should be totally fine. 

Comfort:
For a tiny mouse, I was rather surprised when I first got a good hold on it. I was getting this mouse blind as ModernoPC did not have a demo unit of display and especially with mice; each user had a subjective feel of it. Thankfully this little rodent is rather pleasant to hold even after long periods. This is coming from a guy who is used to large mice such as the SteelSeries Ikari so it is rather surprising. The lack of a rear wasn’t much of a big deal as I could barely feel it was gone. Palm and claw gripping works fine on the Pyra although I would recommend semi claw gripping since it is so small. I would say that it feels like an in-between of the SteelSeries Kinzu and Razer Abyssus in terms of feel. Some might not like it due to its small size though. The fact that it is wireless also adds to the enjoyment to use. Freedom of wires opened up a totally new dimension to my mouse usage. I can now use it anywhere and not worry about annoying cables!



Software:
The ROCCAT configuration utility is pretty comprehensive for the tiny rodent. Options such as DPI, sensitivity to button macroing and profiling can be done here. Every button on the mouse can be programmed to do something with the EasyShift feature. As you can see, I already programmed the EasyShift buttons for my ease in FPS games. To use the EasyShift feature, you need to hold down the side thumb buttons first and then press the appropriate key which you yourself have programmed. In terms of DPI settings, a rather tight selection of 400, 800 and 1600 DPI are offered. Not something I'm impressed with I have to say. I would much liked to have the freedom to customize the DPI to my liking.

Performance:
So with that done, it’s time for the main course of the review which I know everyone wants to find out; just how well does this mouse game? I can safely answer that one in 2 words – PURE PLEASURE. The weight of the mouse felt just about right with the batteries inside giving it a weighty feel. Using a sniper rifle or just about any other gun in games was a breeze with its stable and accurate optical sensor. Some may find the max DPI of 1600 a limitation but personally I don’t have any qualms with it. It’s fast enough for me when playing FPS and I don’t think many people use DPI levels of more than 1600 anyway. For RTS games, that accuracy and speed is appreciated as well with unit selection smooth and fluid. The small feet also proved me wrong. They glided effortlessly over my QcK mousepad as well as my black notebook sleeve. It did however run into problems when used on a reflective surface or even a white A4 paper.

Some people may be concerned about the fact it is still a wireless mouse and the many negatives attached to being wireless. Well I didn’t find it to lag at all in frantic action neither did it become any less responsive up to the moment its battery runs out of juice. That said, I must comment on the mouse’s battery indication (or lack of one). The LED indicator doesn’t do a very good job so I have to estimate the time I used the mouse between charges. Every time when the juice runs dry, the mouse would simply stop responding altogether if not act erratically. A simple plug in to the USB cable will allow you to use it again. On average, I manage to squeeze roughly 6 hours of battery life out of the mouse before it dies. Another gripe I have with it is the sometimes erratic connection. On one occasion it took me several tries to successfully pair and use the mouse with the dongle. Rather bad if you ask me.

I also found it awkward at times when pressing the EasyShift button on the right side of the mouse. It took a bit of effort to depress it so it might skew my aim when I’m trying to use the macros.  Nothing major but something that could have used some improvement. The scroll wheel is also a bit too stiff requiring too much (IMO) force to depress.

Other thoughts:
Unlike the hybrid mode implemented by Razer on the Mamba where the mouse can be used without the wireless dongle when connected with the USB cable, the Pyra only draws power from it. You still need the dongle in order to use the mouse. It’s not a deal breaker but I expected ROCCAT to at least consider letting people use their Pyra Wireless as a wired mouse once in a while.

Summary:
To be completely honest, I gotten the Pyra Wireless as a complement for my notebook and wasn't really expecting very much from it but a more that decent wireless mouse made from a reputed gaming peripheral company. I was wrong. Instead I found a mouse which was not only very capable as a mobile option but could also give more expensive mice a run for their money in terms of features if not performance.

The good:
Great performance for a wireless mouse
EasyShift function is useful and easy to use
Compact and mobile

The bad:
Subpar build quality
Erratic synching
Poor battery indicator
Might be too small for some users

Rating:
Build:  7
Performance: 8
Value: 7
Overall: 7.3/10