ROCCAT Kain 200 AIMO Mouse Review

By now you’ll have read enough of my hardware reviews to know that I stick with something until it’s worn out or broken. So, despite my previous mouse only being eight months old, I didn’t feel that it needed replacing. Still, I agreed to review the ROCCAT Kain 200 AIMO for a change of pace. And quickly forgot about my old mouse.

The Kain is a wireless mouse with a rechargeable battery boasting up to 50 hours of life. It comes in a box with a quick installation guide, a charging cable, a wireless dongle and a USB-to-micro-USB dongle. I think the idea is to plug the wireless dongle into the USB dongle, then connect it to your computer with the micro-USB cable - and swap the Kain with the USB dongle when your mouse needs a recharge. However, I just plugged in the wireless dongle and kept the rest aside for when I do need to charge it.

The build quality of the Kain is fantastic, with the unit feeling nice and solid in your hand. The buttons are responsive and not too loud - with the usual left, right, and two side buttons. There’s also a DPI button behind the scroll wheel, in case you need the mouse to move at a different speed in a snap. The scroll wheel feels a little stiffer than my previous mouse, but it’s by no means stiff. I think the old mouse scroll was too loose.

My only issue is where the micro-USB plugs in, underneath the body of the mouse. Since there’s no way to cover the hole when not in use, I can imagine it will become full of dust over time, depending on the material of your mouse mat. For reference, I’m using a ROCCAT Kanga mouse pad, so I imagine the exact environment it was designed for - but after a few days I’m already wiping dust off of the area around the micro-USB port.

Also on the underside of the Kain, there is a button to sync the mouse with the wireless dongle - I have not had to use it as yet. There is also a slider to turn the mouse on and off. If you forget to turn it off, the mouse will go into standby mode after a short while. It’s 10-15 minutes, I haven’t actually timed it, but it’s never gone to sleep unless I’ve left it alone for a period of time.

Being a ROCCAT product, it’s compatible with the Swarm app, which keeps it up to date - and lets you control the lights. Obviously, I made it pulse in a “breathing” configuration with two tones of purple, because 3rd Street represent.

The Kain 200 is a great mouse, feeling very nicely put together and responsive. I would have liked some way of knowing when the battery is getting low so I could plug it in - it just turns off - but other than that and the expected upcoming dust issue, I recommend it. If you’re in the market for a new mouse and it fits your price range, go for it!