Roccat Burst Pro review: "A mouse built for speed"

To begin with, the Roccat Burst Pro lightweight gaming mouse may seem like it's failed at the first hurdle. If you're looking at numbers, the Roccat Kone Pure Ultra weighs less. But that doesn't tell the whole story.

Plug it in and you'll realize that the Roccat Burst Pro has so much more in its corner. Be it a clever design, new optical switches, or tweaks for greater speed, this is potentially the best gaming mouse for users who want a featherweight rodent.

Features

The biggest feature of the Roccat Burst Pro would have to be its hidden honeycomb architecture. Or maybe it's the super-fast Titan optical switches? Either way, this mouse sets out to be one of the quickest on the market.

Part of that comes down to its low weight of 2.4oz (68g), achieved thanks to a perforated design to keep things as light as possible. In fact, most of the Burst Pro is built with speed in mind. It has a plastic DPI button instead of Roccat's standard rubber and a Phantom flex cable to reduce drag. When combined with PTFE feet like the Razer DeathAdder V2, it becomes undeniable that this is a mouse built for speed.

The Titan switches aim to be just as quick. They operate via a light beam that is broken when you press down on the button, sending a signal near-instantaneously to your computer. That allows it to be much, much faster than a standard mechanical device, and also last longer. It's a win-win situation. 

Yes, the Kone Pure Ultra is technically lighter at a mere 2.32oz (66g). However, it lacks those optical switches, Phantom flex cable, and PTFE feet. These tip the scales in the Burst Pro's favor.

Design

The look of the Roccat Burst Pro took me off-guard. Unlike so many other lightweight mice, it doesn't have the same honeycomb shell making it an acquired taste. Instead, it's much more like the Roccat Kain 120 AIMO. It has a similar rubber shell on the main buttons and hand-grip, accompanied by matte sides and a hexagonal grip design to stop it from slipping out of your hand. The central strip holding the scroll wheel is also much the same, but a bit less premium; the wheel itself carries an identical rubber pattern, yet the strip is plastic instead of aluminium. Finally, you're getting a plastic DPI button instead of rubber. 

This is just a mask, though. Plug the thing in and you'll quickly realise that a honeycomb architecture is hiding underneath. This shines through like a beacon thanks to the bright RGB lighting that pulses inside. It's really quite beautiful. 

Performance

In action, this thing is seriously nippy. While it can't match the high DPI of the Razer Naga Pro (it has a 16,000 DPI Owl Eye sensor instead), it's a whole lot lighter at just 68 grams. That allows you to properly throw it around your mouse mat, offering far less fatigue over a long period and making first-person shooters such as Call of Duty: Warzone more responsive. The light build makes it really easy to twitch your scope around, making it a good choice for those who need to react quickly. And although it doesn't go higher than 16K DPI, it's not hugely necessary to be honest.

The new Titan optical switches are equally impressive. The Burst Pro is incredibly responsive, and a great addition to the Roccat range in general. When paired with the new Vulcan keyboards that also include optical switches, it's a speedy combination that'll give you a split-second advantage over more traditional mechanical gear.

I was a bit concerned about the scroll wheel at first because it felt somewhat 'grindy' (an issue I've had with some other Roccat mice), but this is more because it offers greater resistance than I'm used to. It won't be to everyone's taste, however, so that's something to bear in mind.

You won't have the same issue with the side buttons. They're clicky and hugely satisfying.

Overall - should you buy it?

If you want to step away from heavier gaming mice or would just prefer something more lightweight, the Roccat Burst Pro is basically as good as it gets. Alright, it's not as light as the Kone Pure Ultra. Yet it arguably looks and feels nicer. The Burst leaves its competition behind with those optical switches, too.