ROCCAT Leadr – Wireless Multi-Button RGB Gaming Mouse

My Roccat SagaI have used the Kone EMP and XTD (2 of each) after years and years of Logitech mice (all of them LOL) So i wanted to try the Roccat Wireless Mouse since I was tired of the cords on the above mice.So, I purchased 2 of these mice... One for Home and one for work.They both had issues with initial setup.The cable is a proprietary non standard cable for no reason.... This is the cable that connects the base to the computer.The mouse for my home computer killed my $3k computer...When i connected the Roccat cable, I got an error on my computer saying that the USB sub system had experienced a surge... I unplugged the cable and plugged it back in and didn't see the error again... So I though all was well. About and hour or two passes and I started smelling a hot electronic smell (you know it if you ever smell it) and I started checking everything. but didn't see any smoke or notice any real problems. I sat backdown ant started playing agian.... then my mouse and keyboard stopped working. So i went to unplug them from my computer.. WhenI touched the roccat cable and it burned my hand. I snatched it out of my computer, the hot smell was strong so i inspected the cable. The end that connected to the base station for the Leadr was glowing red like the old cigarette lighters in a car. I was unable to use my computer after this none of my USB gear would work. Ir burned out my USB system on my main board. I switched to my notebook and pulled out a normal cable and used a knife to cut it down to fit the silly shaped plug.... No issues since.After these mice cost me a 3k rig I went ahead and made my own cable for them and have grown to absolutely love these mice. I would highly recommend you get one...but I don't know about the default cable... (I have had to "Mod" one for each of my mice) The thumb paddle is awesome as a modifier for other keys (up = Shift & down = ALT).The software took an act of congress to get updated the first time...but then was no problem (have another mouse handy as the software will not allow the mouse to work until the base is connected and firmware is updated)

Ok, so I read all of the reviews - mostly from the haters. I read about all of the problems with the software and the mouse itself. I also have a Roccat keyboard already and never experienced any issues with the software, so I thought they were being overly critical, but turns out, they were right.Since I already had the software installed, I followed the directions and plugged the mouse cradle in (to be clear, the instructions included ONLY these steps:1. Plug in the charging dock.2. Turn on the computer and connect to the internet.3. Download the Swarm software.4. Install the software.5. Turn on the mouse.6. Pair the mouse.The software (Swarm) prompted me to install new software to update the cradle. Done, easy. Then plug the mouse in to update the mouse. When I unplugged the mouse, I received a Windows error indicating a USB power surge. I plugged the cradle back in and it was dead. Great, I read this review. That poster was right.I uninstalled the device and tried to reinstall. No dice. I finally removed Swarm and readded and started from square on. This time, it did not try to update; I thought this was my way to circumvent the update. Everything was working and looks good, so I tried to program the buttons. I programmed them, but then they were doing both the pre-programmed function and the new function. Some of the buttons, like profile select or dpi select weren't working at all. This is also the time that I realized the easy shift button is actually a SHIFT button, not a toggle. THIS SUCKS. I wanted a toggle.Now at this point I'm seriously considering returning. Instead a post a few comments on some help forums and continue troubleshooting on my own while I wait for replies (I never did get any replies). I checked out the Swarm software and compared to screenshots I found online. Instead of saying LEADR, it said LEADR STAND. I figured that meant something and could be beneficial. I tried to just plug the mouse in multiple times, but had to keep removing and reinstalling Swarm to combat the USB power surge error. I finally figured out that I could unplug and reinsert 2 to 3 times and the device would finally recognize.Lo and behold, it was now showing as LEADR in Swarm! But now it's wired...I made my config adjustments and verified the new button mappings are now persistent. I moved the USB cable back to the LEADR STAND and everything stayed!So now, is my mouse broken? Is this the correct process? I email support and explain to them what's going on, what I did, and asked if this was the standard process. And the answer...YES, THIS IS THE WAY IT IS INTENDED TO WORK. The mouse can only be configured while it's directly connected, not when the stand is connected. Ok, I'm totally cool with this, but the directions do NOT say this at all.I've been using this mouse now and I enjoy the button layout. I'm even getting used to the toggle easy shift. The mouse itself freaking rocks, but the software...oh boy, everyone is right.Buyer beware!

After less than a year, I've got to update my review of this item. Although I still really like it in general, some of the buttons have already begun to fail. The thumb toggle/tilt lever no longer springs back to center which means it stays in whatever position you turn it to, effectively rendering it's useless. The top/most forward ring finger button registers multiple clicks most of the time now. I was using it for tab and it regularly tabs past where I expect it to go. I also own the Tyon, which I've gone back to using, and I notice the Tyon buttons are a little firmer which I like better. For the price of this mouse, I certainly expect it to last a little longer. I feel lucky because I'm pretty sure I got this on sale but that doesn't mean I should get an inferior product. Sad news. I really enjoyed this thing when it was functioning properly.I originally bought this as a work tool only to discover that it DOES NOT STORE PROFILES ONBOARD and I actually planned on returning it. Then I started using it and I LOVE it. The charge holds for super long and recharges quickly. The buttons and macros seem more responsive than it's predecessor (Tyon). For a cordless mouse, that's saying something. The range is pretty good too. I can use it from my couch across the living room from my computer and with all the buttons on it I can do about 90% of my web browsing and media control without using a keyboard on one of its many profiles. I currently only use two - one for gaming and one for all of my other computer tasks. It also fits very comfortably in my hand. My hands are bigger than most but it also doesn't feel clunky. This is by far the best mouse I've ever used.

So my shiny new Roccat Leadr arrived this morning and as soon as my grubby little hands could finish unpacking it I went about hooking it up and installing drivers, after all I had an appointment with Mass Effect: Andromeda and I wouldn't want to be late.Setup was a bit of a mixed bag, physically connecting the docking station was just a case of plugging in the USB cable so no problems there however installing the Swarm software was a pain in the proverbial. I ended up having to reinstall it to get it working, and then the first thing it did was update itself. Considering I had only downloaded it five minutes before from the Roccat website I would have thought it would have ben the most current version but maybe that's just me. The second thing it did was flash the hardware, which again I didn't really expect, after all the mouse was only released two days ago.Once I finally got the setup completed though configuring the mouse for my preferences was a doddle as was setting up different profiles with most of the features on the configuration software being pretty self explanatory. There are a couple more niggles to come though and again its the software that's causing them. The Swarm connect feature doesn't seem to exist, when you go to its tab it tells you that you have to download it using auto update, which by itself begs the question Why? After all if you've put the tab for it right there in the software already why make it a separate update? Only when you go to auto update there is no way to install Swarm connect and Roccats website offers no help on this at all. In fact a quick search reveals that may others have problems with the same issue.So software problems aside what's the mouse like to actually use? It is slightly heavier than some mice I've used before but feels extremely comfortable to hold and moving it around feels slick and quick. As I said before setting up your preferences is relatively easy (once you manage to install Swarm) so adjusting the dpi to whatever you find works best is fairly straight forward, plus you can configure a button to lower the dpi (from a selection of choices) for tasks like sniping where you might want slightly finer control. I've been using it for around 8 hours now with a couple of breaks and although I haven't yet returned it to the charging dock the charge has only just dropped below 75% (that's assuming each of the four charge light son the dock does stand for 25% of full charge). If that performance continues I'll be more than happy with it.The scroll wheel feels solid and the feed back when you use it is satisfying, though the extra four buttons on the top of the mouse feel a little plastic they do respond nicely as well as do the side buttons and flippers.Overall an excellent mouse and so far I'm extremely pleased with it, but Roccat really does need to do something about Swarm, it doesn't detract from actually using the mouse, but if you're going to put features into your software make sure people can actually use them.

Cela fait maintenant 5 mois que j'utilise cette souris.Tout d'abord je tiens à préciser que c'est mon premier produit ROCCAT. J'ai essayé de nombreuses marques de souris pour joueur (Steelseries, Razer, Madcatz, Logitech).À la réception du produit, j'étais impatient de pouvoir l'essayer. La souris est robuste et semble de bonne qualité. Cependant, au bout de 2 mois d'usage, un problème survient: le curseur saute de manière aléatoire en haut à gauche de l'écran et reste bloqué. La seule solution que j'ai pu trouver pour fixer ce problème est de maintenir la souris en l'air pendant 2 secondes. C'est embêtant lorsqu'en pleine partie de jeu de tir, la caméra du personnage saute en pleine action et on se retrouve bloqué, la visée en l'air sans pouvoir rien faire... À raison de 5 à 6 fois par jour. On se retrouve à jouer avec un handicap: ironique quand on détient une des souris les plus haut de gamme du marché qui vante ses performances.Évidemment pas moyen de renvoyer le produit chez Amazon pour un remboursement vu que le problème est survenu après la date limite de renvois.Et la cerise sur le gâteau c'est que j'ai tenté DEUX FOIS de joindre le SAV ROCCAT et je n'ai jamais eu de réponse. J'ai expliqué mon problème avec des vidéos à l'appui, des détails sur mon système, les pilotes mis à jours et j'en passe et j'ai l'impression d'être ignoré! Pourtant elle est encore sous la garantis constructeur et pour une souris à ce prix là, j'estime avoir au moins le droit de me plaindre et de demander un dédommagement ou un remboursement.Franchement, c'est la première fois que j'ai à faire à un SAV inexistant malgré des messages clairs, concis et aucun manque de respect.Je retourne chez Logitech, au moins leur SAV répond en cas de soucis.

UPDATE: After only a couple of months ownership, the thumb scroll wheel that I use for general browser scrolling has broken. Feels like the spring has gone as there's no resistance and it get stays where ever placed. Very disappointing.SECOND UPDATE: I've received a new mouse after returning the last to one to Amazon due to the thumb scroll breaking. After 2 weeks of usage the new one is already showing signs of the thumb scroll loosening up. I think it's not long before this one fails also. Now I know this is an issue with this product, I've searched for it and can see it's a fairly common problem. I don't use the thumb scroll too much, only for scrolling web pages, but for it to fail this quickly is crazy. It's such a shame as generally is not a bad mouse that offers lots of flexibility.I had such high hopes for this mouse. I was even looking at Roccat keyboards as I need a new one and they look great.Unfortunately my experience with the mouse has ended that desire. The hardware itself seems to work well, but the software is very bad. The mouse fits quite nicely in my hand and the buttons are easily reached. There's plenty there for the avid gamer and they feel nice and tactile to use. My only real complaint about the hardware is that the mouse seems to grip the desk surface a little, so it makes precision movement hard. This could just be because it's new, but my previous mouse (Logitech G602) glided effortlessly. I'm hoping over time it will improve. So, back to the software. I've found that the macro's just stop working for no reason. Despite multiple tries, sometimes they just don't seem to work. Limitations in the software make it almost impossible to edit macros once created, so you end up deleting/retrying a lot. Simple things are missing, like the ability to move the macro components order around.Initially before I could even use the mouse I had update the firmware of the LeadR pad and mouse. After multiple attempts I gave up and contacted support. It's been over a week and despite me chasing several times, they've not bothered to get in contact. Not even an email to say we don't care go away.. nothing. Ended up fixing the issue myself by trawling google for the answer, but took a good few hours to find. (If anyone else has this issue, plug it into a USB2 port, not a USB3 port, then update). It wasn't a massive problem to fix, but what is more worrying is knowing that support is NOT there if you need them.

Pros:Decent buttons layout. Not the greatest placement of the default "Shift" button, not the most confortable to keep it pressed in various conditions, but it's ok'ish.Decent shape and size. Lacks confort grooves in the two primary buttons, but it's not something to make them unconfortable.Option to use it in wired mode without the charging base.Good build quality.Decent skatez, gliding nice on cloth pads.Decent battery life.Good Scroll-Wheel and Middle-Click.Decent software. Not the best, but definitely not lacking options.Cons:Biggest con of them all - It has NO ON-BOARD MEMORY for storing your profiles / macros !!! (unlike the Tyon) So no switching between PC's without having the SWARM Software installed. In fact, you can't even use macros / profiles without the SWARM Software constantly running in the background...Very slow charging.Not portable in wireless mode as you need to have the big charging base with you.Bit on the heavy weight side at around 128 grams iirc. Also not very well balanced, a bit heavy on the back.RGB lighting is very poorly implemented, color transitions are lacking any smoothness.

Loved the Tyon. I just cant get used to other mice with less buttons and once you start using the side axis paddles you'll miss them immensely when they're not there.The only reason for not giving this 5* is I found there was too much interference with the wireless at anything more than about a metre away. I'm a sofa gamer so my PC is about 2.5 metres from where I sit. I wasnt expecting it to reach that far.. but a bit more than 1m.Other than that. Software is now good. Mouse is solid and options (especially with easy shift) are endless.