Turtle Beach Kone II review: Speedier access to your MMO commands

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Up to 23 commands

Comfortable, well-built, and ergonomic

Nice RGB accents

Fits large hands and all grip types

Affordable

Cons

Polling rate is just 1,000Hz

The scroll wheel could be larger

The casing sometimes collects fingerprints

Our Verdict
We’d buy the Turtle Beach Kone II sheerly for its excellent trigger which gives you very quick access to a second set of MMO commands. That’s not accounting for all this mouse’s other top-notch features.

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The Turtle Beach Kone II fulfills so many features on my wish list that it really got my attention. It has plenty of power in the hardware department, laying claim to a formidable 26,000 DPS Owl Eye Optical sensor, four-directional mouse wheel and seven programmable buttons of which you can expand the commands out to 23.

The Kone II also has attractive RGB lighting and an ergonomic grip that feels just as comfy for long swipes as it does for small micro movements. Plus, that ergonomic grip is adaptable to all the major grip types and comfortable for long gaming stints too.

At just $69.99 the Turtle Beach Kone II also hits a sweet spot being about the price most gamers would want to pay for the kind of functionality on offer.

Further reading: Best PC gaming mice

Turtle Beach Kone II design and build

Finding a gaming mouse that accommodates large hands can be a big ask these days considering how many tend to favor smaller hands. But the Kone II, which measures a generous 5.13 x 1.72 x 3.25 inches, suits both hand sizes equally.

The mouse’s design looks similar to a lot of other large multibuttoned mice, in that it has a right-hand skew with a left-handed thumb rest. Gamers who know their hardware may find comparison in the Logitech Hero G502, but the Kone II has a few advantages over this mouse and others like it.

The DPI switcher buttons change color as you switch up and down DPI to denote what stage you’re in…

For one, it hides an Easy-Shift [+] trigger button in its thumb rest instead of having a trigger on its left side. That trigger is easier to use — all you have to do is press your thumb down to extend the seven active programmable mouse buttons and their commands to a total of 23 commands.

It also beats out the G502 in the looks department, showing off three programmable RGB lighting zones — two of which are long strips that trail down the back of the mouse. These are compatible with Turtle Beach’s AIMO ecosystem, which means you can sync-up colors and effects with other Turtle Beach gear in the Turtle Beach Swarm II app, or else choose a unique look just for the device.




Dominic Bayley / IDG

Testing out how the design adapted to different grips, I found it easy to use with all the three main grip types. The slight gradient on top was also a nice touch that elevated my index finger and made it oh so easy to get rapid shots off from the left-hand main click.

For such a large device, the Kone II is also very lightweight. It weighs just 3.17 ounces. That’s lighter than most other MMO options out there — the 3.52-ounce Razer Basilisk V3 included. Consequently, the Kone II moves with the precision of a much smaller mouse.

Turtle Beach Kone II performance

Being a wired-only device, the Turtle Beach Kone II is free from the latency delays I sometime get in wireless gaming mice — that’s despite its USB polling rate being just 1,000Hz (4,000Hz or even 8,000Hz polling rates are becoming increasingly more common these days).

To be sure, I became a big fan of the mouse’s 26K Owl Eye sensor, which never glitched or exhibited smoothing for me. It felt so efficient and always performed smoothly and precisely in the games I played, which included quick FPS games and MMOs.

That being so, some of the credit belongs to the mouse’s design. The large, heat-treated PTFE feet, for example, which are a little taller than in some mice, do a little better at preventing friction. The mouse’s PhantomFlex USB-A cord, which is very soft and shoelace-like, also goes a long way to minimizing drag.

The mouse’s buttons, with their Titan Optical Switches, are a class act too. There’re quick and responsive, and not just the main clicks — the peripheral buttons feel like mini versions of those main clicks, showing off a medium tension and satisfying rebound. They made firing off some of my lesser used spells in WoW feel deliberate, rather than a happy accident.




The Turtle Beach Kone II has tall, heat-treated PTFE feet that work well to produce a smooth glide. 
Dominic Bayley / IDG

The Turtle Beach Kone II’s main buttons are very large too. In fact, I could easily get two whole fingers on the right one. I love that for two reasons: Firstly, it reduces any chance of strain in those fingers. Secondly, I get so much extra speed that way — firing is a lot faster when both of your fingers twitch together.

As to the mouse wheel, the Kone II’s can be triggered in four directions. It feels solid and stable, but it could have been made a tad bigger considering the mouse’s size. Regardless, it registers clicks well and looks great with RGB.

Speaking of RGB, in the Kone II it’s not just pretty, it’s also functional. By that I mean, the DPI switcher buttons change color as you switch up and down DPI to denote what stage you’re in. This small feature really helps take away any doubt or confusion when you’re in a game.

Should you buy the Turtle Beach Kone II?

The Turtle Beach Kone II is a great buy at $69.99. It’s got all the features you’d want in an MMO gaming mouse — 23 commands accessible via a very easy-to-access shift trigger, a 4D scroll wheel, RGB lighting, a quick precision sensor, and a sturdy, ergonomic build.

All those things work well too. In fact, if you’re after a gaming mouse that excels at MMO gaming, this mouse should be a top-tier choice.