The new Roccat mouse allows you to program up to 29 different inputs.

For power users, gamers, and those looking for a highly functional mouse, more buttons are a win. Roccat wants to attract such people with their upcoming Kone XP, which has 15 buttons that can serve as 29 different inputs once programmed with software.

Roccat’s announcement of the Kone XP today says the peripheral is “ideal”for MMOs and strategy games. But high programmability makes the Kone XP potentially attractive for advanced general use as well.

Programmable buttons: left and right click, scroll wheel (5 inputs: up, down, left, right and in), button south of the scroll wheel, two buttons next to the left button, four side buttons and a thumb button next to the base mice.

Downloading the Roccat software gives each button an additional function when pressed next to the assigned button. The assigned button can be on the Roccat mouse or keyboard at the same time. This Easy-Shift[+] feature means you can program 29 different inputs with 15 mouse buttons. Why not 30? Because one of the buttons must be an Easy-Shift[+] button.

That’s a lot of features, but the Kone XP will have to compete with mice in its price range specifically designed for MMO gaming. Button-equipped competitors include the Logitech G600 20-button MMO ($35) and the 16-button Razer Naga X ($80). The latest device has Razer’s HyperShift feature, which works like Roccat’s Easy-Shift[+].

So many flashes

I said that the Kone XP is primarily aimed at gamers, but you probably already figured it out from its appearance. The mouse has 22 RGB LEDs in total. Using eight light guides, the LEDs emit color through the mouse’s transparent chassis and scroll wheel, which Roccat describes as a “smoke-clear design”designed to diffuse light.

The mouse doesn’t try to lure players in with its colors and button placement alone. It also has a PixArt PAW3370 based sensor called the Roccat Owl-Eye with extreme specs including 50-19,000 dpi (dpi). This is a lower maximum DPI than some other gaming mice such as the 25,000 CPI Logitech G303 Shroud Edition. But for most of this DPI range is enough.

Meanwhile, the left and right buttons use sub-brand Turtle Beach’s own Titan optical switches. In the Roccat Kone Pro mouse we tested, I found the switches to be easier to press with a softer sound than many standard mechanical mouse switches. But the Pro’s clicks were also less harsh. Time will tell if the clicks of the Kone XP are different.

And as a final hint to gamers, Roccat’s Kone XP will also work with Nvidia’s Reflex latency analyzer.

The mouse officially releases on March 29, but is currently available for pre-order.