ROCCAT made their US debut early this year with their flagship Isku keyboard and Kone+ mouse, then followed up with the Kave 5.1 headset. Now the company is looking to bring that success into the mid-range peripheral category with the Savu gaming mouse.
The ROCCAT Savu isn’t quite the high-end mouse the Kone+ is billed as, but that doesn’t mean it’s any low-end hardware. Its laser sensor is a bit less sensitive, but its maximum 4000DPI is still plenty sensitive for most people. The five customizable buttons are a slight reduction, but each mouse function can still be tweaked to your crazy little heart’s content. Custom lighting is still available, but it is limited to a single bar at the heel end of the mouse. Basically, the features are the same with just a slight reduction in their extent.
Peripheral drivers aren’t the most exciting things, and can often be bypassed entirely, but to skip out on the ROCCAT drivers is a huge mistake. As Bobby explained in his Isku/Kone+ review, ROCCAT’s driver work is top notch and their outstanding work continues with the Savu. As with ROCCAT’s other products, every setting imaginable can be tuned and saved to one of five profiles.
In its default configuration, the EasyShift button is located in the traditional ‘back’ button position, but if that’s not to your liking it can be moved to the ‘forward’ button position. Whatever location you prefer, a total of 12 button assignments can be made thanks to EasyShift (all buttons minus the EasyShift, plus the scroll wheel up/down). And if you’re into macro recording, the Savu doesn’t disappoint. A number of pre-programmed macros are available, and if those aren’t enough, it’s easy to record and edit new macros.
New to the drivers is the ROCCAT Achievements Display, or R.A.D. This feature tracks statistics on button clicks for each button, distance tracked, scroll count, and EasyShift uses. And to make these statistics mean more than just a number you’d never look at, ROCCAT has attached acheivements to the statistics. The achievements are announced by the same voice that announces other settings changes and can also be shared on most of the current social media sites (as well as MySpace. Bling Bling.)
The mid-size Savu’s fit is quite nice. Even during extended gaming sessions (let’s call it “research”), using the Savu was a very comfortable experience. All of the buttons are within easy reach. A nice balance of heft and maneuverability has been achieved, and the lack of adjustable weights doesn’t really seem like a hindrance.
The ROCCAT Savu is a pretty darned good gaming mouse, and certainly continues their streak of excellent products. At $59.99 it’s not going to break the bank, and considering the features and quality of the product, it’s a fair price. We’re happy to award the ROCCAT Savu our Stamp of Approval for a product we’d recommend to our friends.
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