Roccat say by the end of the year that they will release the final two products in the SDMS range. The Smart Desktop Management System is said to be aimed at performance lovers, and the idea of it is to create space for unrestricted gaming. Here today we have the Roccat Sota Mouse pad, one of the products in the SDMS range currently out and the Roccat Kova which is the new, slick gaming mouse that will hit the shelves next month. Keep reading to see why both products get the Editors Choice award.
Sota Packaging
Unlike the Taitos packaging, the Sota is almost fully visible without opening the packaging. On the front are a few basic Specifications stating that the product has a granular coat, integrated metal foil, a striking shape and what Roccat call a Hard N Flexible mouse pad. On the front there is also a sample of both the Granular surface and the Non-slip back. The back of the packaging shows a Diagram of the mouse pad, explaining its design and comparisons to a standard mouse pad. Below and to the side of that are the specifications explained in greater detail and a list of tested mice. The packaging was easy to open and kept the product secure.
Surface and Design
![clip_image002[5]](content_media/ReviewRoccatSotaMousepadandRoccatKovaMou_107C3/clip_image0025.jpg "clip_image002[5]")
![clip_image004[9]](content_media/ReviewRoccatSotaMousepadandRoccatKovaMou_107C3/clip_image0049.jpg "clip_image004[9]")
The Sota mouse pad is made up of three layers. The top layer is a Granular surface to help increase gliding speed and I can assure you, it does. The mouse glides more naturally on the surface of the Sota than it would if you were to glide it through the air. This hard top surface is even more sturdy thanks to the second layer of the mouse pad. Although it is not visible, it boosts mouse tracking and helps the mouse pad be that bit sturdier. I am of course talking about the metal foil surface inside of the pad. Last but not least the Non-slip layer at the bottom plays a very important role. Thanks to the high quality surface the mouse pad will not move no matter how hard you try to push it. Like the Taito, this mouse pad also feels like it is glued down to the surface you lay it onto, so the game is the only thing you have to concentrate on now.
The surfaces arent the only impressive thing about the Sota, the design of the mouse pad is clean, modern and everything seems to just make sense. As SDMS is about saving space, the Sota is slightly smaller than the Sense and the Taito, 350x270mm to be exact. The cut-out at the bottom of the mouse pad isnt just a nice design; its the area where the wrist should be placed if the consumer wants full comfort and a smart operating range. So to sum up, this mouse pad accompanies SDMS perfectly and its a mouse pad in a league higher than ever before.
Kova Packaging
![clip_image002[7]](content_media/ReviewRoccatSotaMousepadandRoccatKovaMou_107C3/clip_image0027.jpg "clip_image002[7]")
![clip_image004[11]](content_media/ReviewRoccatSotaMousepadandRoccatKovaMou_107C3/clip_image00411.jpg "clip_image004[11]")
The Kovas packaging really impressed me with a magnetic door at the front and all the information you need without opening the box. The box is easily opened by taking the necessary tape off the top and sliding the contents out of it. On the front is a short summary of specifications and if you open the magnetic door you can read about SDMS, Roccat world and Andre Uteschs opinion on the Kova. If you look on the left side of the box, you will see a diagram explaining the LED colours, system requirements, technical specifications and package contents which I will explain in a moment. Finally, if you look on the back a full specifications list is shown with a diagram of the mouse showing where all of these features come into play.
![clip_image006[16]](content_media/ReviewRoccatSotaMousepadandRoccatKovaMou_107C3/clip_image00616.jpg "clip_image006[16]")
The Kovas box contains a quick installation guide, a divinity 2 flyer, a confidential document with your Roccat ID card and of course, the mouse itself. As the Kova is driverless, the quick installation guide is more of a guide on how to use the mouse more than how to install it. Installation is easy anyway, just plug in the mouse and your good to go. The guide gives you all the key combinations to change the colours of the LEDs, the pulse of the LEDs, left handed or right handed mode and on the fly DPI switching.
Appearance
The Kova is describes as a German Engineered Sports Car for the Desktop and you can see and feel why when you use it. Just like a sports cars body, the Kova has them sharp looking edges that make it look modern. There is not one thing I can fault about this choice of shape as it is comfortable, looks great and it feels as if your hand moulds onto it when you use it. Everything seem
s to be in the right place and the whole product just seems well thought out on the design front.
LED Lights
Well dig deeper into the mouse now and look at the LED lights. These lights flash in seven different colours and when in the dark, these light up most of the desk area. Although they are not the strongest of lights, the colours are rich and give a nice eerie glow underneath your hand when gaming in the dark. To give you an idea on what the lights are like, I have took the time to film the LEDs in action, see that Here.
Tests
With the Mouses appearance out of the way, I though some tests were in order. So I have run 3 tests on the mouse which are:
1. Acceleration to Response time test
2. Gaming test
3. Gaming comfort test
Acceleration to Response time test
Above you will see a bunch of random lines. This is due to a test which is achieved by:
1. Setting your mouse to the highest DPI
2. Opening up Paint
3. Drawing Lines
4. Looking at the lines
The above may sound pointless, BUT, if the lines are jagged then this is a handy way to tell if the Acceleration is faster than the Response time. See, it all makes sense. You will notice on the Kovas results the lines are slightly jagged. This means that the Acceleration is faster than the response time. Some people may find this a drawback, but as this is just a benchmark, when playing games at the highest DPI you will hardly notice. Besides, who would want to use the highest DPI out of a game?
To see the results of the Kova, click Here.
Gaming test
In this test, I will play a game called Combat Arms to see if this mouse improves gaming. When playing I found the mouse incredibly useful when switching the DPI to 400 for sniping or switching the DPI to 3200 for going forward and storming the other team. Here are my experiences with each DPI:
· 400dpi: great for precision, much easier to get headshots when sniping.
· 800dpi: great for shooting people in front of you, speed is average, not fast enough to move to precise points at speed.
· 1600dpi: great for catching out and shooting people in front of you and behind you. Also works as an average speed.
· 3200dpi: great for anything really, if you have control of the mouse 3200dpi can achieve any result you like.
Gaming Comfort test
When gaming, for some people the biggest headache has to be repetitive strain injury. This sometimes is due to poor hardware and all the pointing and clicking in games doesnt seem to help RSI at all. When using to Kova in gaming, I got the usual RSI but a lot less often as the shape is almost perfectly crafted for my hand. For some reason, it just feels really nice to use, something Ive never found happen to me with any other mouse.
Conclusion
This mouse is a thing of beauty. Everything seems to make sense and it will impress all of your friends. Paired up with the Sota, this mouse makes one half of the SDMS range and together they are amazing products. In fact this mouse is so good, I urge you to get in touch with your local Roccat dealer and buy this product sometime in November.
Both products receive the Editors choice reward.
