Why You Can Trust CNET Roccat Pyra review: Roccat Pyra
The Pyra is Roccat's travel mouse, which is even smaller than the Kova. Roccat attempts to make the most of the size by flanging out the base to create thumb and pinky grips, although we found that under extended use the grip is more likely to cause fatigue than a regular mouse.
The Pyra is Roccat's travel mouse, even smaller than the Kova. Roccat attempts to make the most of the size by flanging out the base to create thumb and pinky grips, although we found that under extended use the grip is more likely to cause fatigue than a regular mouse.
Roccat Pyra
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
At about 95mm long, this portable rodent comes with its own carry case and is available in two editions: wired and wireless. The latter comes with a tiny 2.4GHz transceiver that can be tucked into the bottom of the mouse. While the wired version costs AU$59.99, going wireless significantly increases the price, commanding AU$99.95.
The wired version just needs the driver to be installed to run at full capacity, while the wireless also needs to be synced by pressing a button on the bottom of the mouse. We found that when the mouse goes to sleep, it won't respond to movement at all — you'll have to click a button to wake it up.
Roccat includes a mini-USB cable with the wireless version to connect to the PC, but don't expect this to turn it into a corded mouse; it's for battery charging only.
The cable also adds greater balance: when you take it out, the Pyra disconcertingly rocks back and forward when you use it, with the rear lifting off the mousing surface. The corded version doesn’t appear to have this issue.
The basic configuration screen will look familiar to anyone who owns a Roccat mouse. (Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
The "fat tyre" scroll wheel that's also in the Kova is here, with a satisfying group of detented clunks with each spin. The Pyra can do horizontal scrolling as well, but not with the wheel — you'll have to assign the function to two different buttons to get it to work through the included software. This same functionality allows the user to do on-the-fly DPI switching, with settings of 400, 800 and 1600dpi available.
Customise the buttons to your heart's content. (Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
Macros are supported, with an impressive amount built into the driver, supporting both games and applications. You can of course make your own, with the macro creator recording keypresses, and able to insert mouse events or delays. Only delays can be edited in the standard screen, requiring you to delete an event and re-record from a certain point if you want to insert new commands.
The advanced macro editor goes some way to addressing this, enabling the insertion of new letters, as well as providing the user with a graphical way of inserting delays. Unlike the Kone, we didn’t have issues with the advanced macro editor, everything functioning as expected.
The advanced macro editor works for the Pyra, whereas its performance has been flaky with other mice. (Screenshot by CBS Interactive)
Roccat's EasyShift technology is here too, meaning that when you hold down the EasyShift button (the left thumb button by default) every other button can have a new behaviour attributed to it. For example, the default-shifted values of the scroll wheel turn the system volume up and down.
Once you're done customising, up to five profiles can be stored on the mouse, so you can take your settings with you.
Testing both under Serious Sam: HD and Left 4 Dead, we needn't have worried about the wireless version's slight rocking — things proved to be accurate, fast and deadly. We perceived no lag comparing the wireless and corded versions. In our opinion, the wireless won out in performance due to its freedom of movement.
The Pyra is a handy little gaming mouse. It may not be the best choice for extended sessions due to its small size. But if you're travelling and need space, you could do worse than picking up one of these.