ROCCAT Apuri Active USB Hub & Mouse Bungee Review

7:42 PM accessory , gaming , mouse , review , roccat 3 Comments

     I'm always interested in niche accessories that will improve one's experience while using the PC ecosystem. Today, I got the chance to review the ROCCAT Apuri courtesy of PLAY Interactive. I personally have never used a mouse bungee before so even though this review is mainly about the ROCCAT Apuri, it will also have a focus on what a mouse bungee brings to the table (heh).

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

TECH SPECS

REVIEW
     The packaging that holds the Apuri is fairly simple: a cube-shaped box that has a window on the front so potential buyers can get a quick look of what the Apuri looks like. Removing the Apuri from its packaging is a pretty easy task as well, one just has to open the box from the side and tada the Apuri is out along with its AC adapter and the USB cable.


     Let's start by taking a quick glance of the Apuri. The Apuri is presented in a tripod like form factor and features a rubber finish on the entire body. After plugging in either the AC plug adapter or the USB cable, the Apuri will start glowing in its signature ROCCAT blue. On the left side of the Apuri, we find the proprietary power inlet and a MicroUSB port that allows the Apuri to interface with your PC via the USB cable provided. What I like about the implementation of the MicroUSB cable is that even if you eventually in the slimmest of chance lose it or unintentionally tamper with the cable, you can easily find a replacement cable from your friendly neighbourhood mobile phone shop. On the other end of the cable, we find the signature USB header that is etched with ROCCAT wording.


     Taking a look on the other two sides, we find 2 USB ports on each side which sums up to a grand total of 4 USB ports on the Apuri.



     Flipping the Apuri upside down, we see a ROCCAT logo that is also lit up in the signature ROCCAT blue. We also get to see the rubber grips on each of the feet of the Apuri. While these rubber grips only act as a cushion to prevent scratching the surface which one would put the Apuri on and doesn't provide any form of strong grip, there is no possibility of tripping or moving the bungee in normal usage situations.



     Let's shift our focus to how the Apuri performs as a mouse bungee. One of the perks of being an avid enthusiast of gaming peripherals is that I have plenty of mice sitting around to test out the mouse bungee. While the chances of me having the same gaming mice as you is slim, there are a few cable types that mice generally use which are braided cables, thin non-braided cables and the thicker non-braided cables. For ROCCAT's line of wired gaming mice usually use braided cables and the mouse bungee has no problems dealing with braided cables and the cable can be easily fit inside the mouse bungee. Thicker non-braided cables on the other hand, still fit into the bungee, but it's a pretty tight fit. From this, we can conclude that the Apuri mouse bungee has a wide range of compatibility for different thickness of cables. If you are wondering about how flexible the bungee is, I can assure you that it is very flexible and can cope with even the largest mouse movement a normal human being can perform.


     Now you might be wondering how the Apuri performs as a USB hub. I don't know if you have any experience with using USB hubs, but I have absolute distrust to those 1-to-4 port hubs that performs so poorly to the point where even using just 1 port of the hub just plain doesn't work. However, the Apuri is an active USB hub where it is powered by a dedicated AC adapter which completely negates the problem I have experienced with other passive USB hubs. To my surprise, when being powered by the AC adapter, the Apuri can charge up to 4 devices at a time, which is pretty impressive. On the other hand, being solely powered via USB still allows devices like mice or USB drives to interface with your device.

CONCLUSION

     Without a doubt, my review of the ROCCAT Apuri has been positive thus far and the only thing that is left to be done is to compare the Apuri to offerings by other manufacturers. While I won't name any specifics, doing a quick search yourself would quickly bring you to the conclusion that in most cases, buying a mouse bungee is buying a glorified piece of plastic or metal. On the other end, the Apuri has successfully make itself stand out from the crowd with its ambient lighting effects and the fact that it acts as an active USB hub makes it stand in a class of its own. With that said, there is one area that ROCCAT can improve upon. Even though the build quality of the Apuri is solid, I would like it to be a bit on the heavier side to give it a much more premium feel, but that's just me.

     The ROCCAT Apuri retails at MYR 129.00 and is already available through retail channels. If you are looking for a reliable mouse bungee or even just an extremely stylish active USB hub, I would recommend the ROCCAT Apuri wholeheartedly.

• For more information, do contact PLAY Interactive, ROCCAT's sole distributor in Malaysia: https://www.facebook.com/PLAYInteractiveSdnBhd