Roccat Kone XP Air Gaming Mouse
The Roccat Kone XP Air is one of the company’s higher-end wireless gaming mice. It features a refined ergonomic KONE shape that is designed for right-handed use. The multi-button design and 4D wheel total 29 programmable inputs that can be customized from the software. The mouse features a dual connection with gaming-grade 2.4 GHz connectivity and convenient Bluetooth.The Roccat Kone XP Air comes with an RGB-lit rapid charging dock and the manufacturer promises up to 100 hours of battery life on a charge. The mouse has 3D RGB AIMO lighting with 5 programmable zones and a precise 19K DPI Roccat Owl-Eye optical sensor.
Redragon K556 RGB Mechanical Keyboard
Redragon K556 RGB brings a full key layout with Brown Mechanical switches to up the game. The keyboard is one of the most affordable ones that boasts the Hot-Swappable feature for 8 different keys to suit the playstyle. The beautiful RGB-backlit keys are bright and have a total of 18 backlit modes to choose from.
Roccat and Redragon may not be names that immediately ring any bells, but most budget gamers who have bought new gear in the past few years are almost certainly familiar with both brands. In fact, Roccat has garnered so much attention that they werebought out by Turtle Beachin 2019. Meanwhile, Redragon has soared in popularity, expanding from their low-cost, mid-range fare to offer somewhat competitive peripherals at reasonable prices.
Both brands are also known for their RGB prowess. Although they do offer some standard options, most of their lineups are RGB gaming accessories for PCs. Everything from headsets to keyboards can come with RGB lighting, albeit in wired form only in most cases, and all for less than $100, with few exceptions. So, what exactly sets these two apart, and which brand is the best: Roccat or Redragon?
Product Selection
Before considering anything else, it’s important to know which brand is going to have more gaming accessories than the other and what kind of quality it offers. In general, Roccat is a bit more expensive and advanced than Redragon. At the same time, Redragon has a surprising durability that most of the industry has a tough time competing with while keeping the price down. Each product type deserves a closer look before deciding which brand has the best product selection overall.
Roccat Mice vs Redragon Mice
When it comes to gaming mice, Redragon definitely has a much larger selection than Roccat, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better. Redragon’s gaming mouse options cover all the basic contour styles and shell finishes, keeping them mostly below $35 but also limiting specs like DPI and response time to mid-range levels at best. Despite most of their collections being lackluster, they do have a few more expensive options that offer up to a 26K DPI, such asthe M994, though even these don’t break the $50 mark.
Roccat’s gaming mice don’t vary as much but still offer comfortable and stylish designs. Their most expensive gaming mouse tops $100 and offers updated specs, like a 19K DPI and a 100-hour battery. The best part is that these impressive specs are shared with even the budget options available. Unfortunately, the two budget options are still almost double the cost of most of Redragon’s options, and neither one is wireless. However, some of their premium models, like theRoccat Kone Pro, are often on sale for as little as $19 and offer a max DPI of up to 19K.
Roccat Keyboards vs Redragon Keyboards
Both Roccat and Redragon mainly focus on mechanical keyboards (as has most of the PC gaming market) since these clicky keyboards have seen massive popularity over the past few years. However, Roccat does offer a rare membrane keyboard too,the Magma, which is a breath of fresh air for those who prefer quiet gaming keyboards that still come with customizable RGB.
On the other hand, even though there is quite a lot of customizability in the way of lighting available to Roccat keyboard users, hot-swappable keys are few and far between, unless you’re experienced with a soldering iron. Redragon’s fare is a lot friendlier towards fans of swappable keys, as almost the opposite is true with their keyboards: all of them are hot-swappable.
There is also a much wider range of designs available with Redragon keyboards, not all of which rely on RGB to look good. Both brands offer removable and even magnetic wrist rests with some of their keyboards. Connectivity and overall ergonomics vary between each model, but Redragon keeps pace with Roccat very well, while keeping their prices below $50 for the most part.
Roccat Headsets vs Redragon Headsets
Once again, Redragon has many more options to choose from than Roccat, but they only have one wireless headset option,the H848. Like most manufacturers, Redragon’s headsets don’t offer a lot of RGB lighting, though, being Redragon, there are still some nice headsets with lighting available. Redragon naturally beats Roccat in price, but that’s largely because most of their headsets are wired.
Roccat’s lineup includes just three headsets, but two of them are wireless options competitive against other mid-range options, while the wired headset offers much of the same at a fraction of the price. Plus, Roccat’s newest headset, theSyn Max Air,seems to have every desirable feature, from RGB lighting to rapid 15-minute charging. That headset also comes with some of Roccat’s best drivers, which are 50mm in diameter. Similarly, Redragon’s best headset has a driver size of 53mm.
Clearly, neither brand is overly attached to their headset designs, but there are plenty of differences between each model for players to find something that will work seamlessly with existing game setups.
Other Accessories
When looking at the rest of Roccat’s and Redragon’s products, it’s easy to see where the companies like to put their efforts. Roccat lags behind in volume, likely due to their focus on mice and keyboards, but they still manage to offer uniqueRGB mouse padsbuilt for gaming mouse sensors. TheRoccat Torch USB Microphoneserves as a good entry-level standalone mic, but it is priced a bit higher than similar options.
On Redragon’s end, theirspeakers and soundbarsare just as renowned as their gaming accessories for being affordable and flashy. They’re frequently found on Game Rant’s best soundbar lists, thanks to their low price and loud, clear audio. Redragon has even gotten into the PC power game, with theirPSU007 ATX Fully Modular Power Supply, which is a capable and competitively priced option for PC builders. Plus, they recently releaseda gaming monitorthat boasts QHD 2K quality.
Ultimately, Redragon offers the best product selection. Although Roccat may have some more advanced gaming mice, anyone looking for customizability, affordability, and stylish designs will have an easier time with Redragon. Redragon’s lineup is so complete, that it’d be pretty easy to have a full gaming setup with just Redragon accessories. A full Roccat setup would require a fairly narrow range of preferences to achieve.
Best Redragon Peripherals
Redragon M908 Impact
The Redragon M908 optical gaming mouse is designed with multiple needs in mind, managing tasks for work and gaming with ease. Featuring 18 programmable buttons, 5 memory profiles, and bright RGB lighting, this mouse has what many gamers want most. Durable smooth TEFLON feet pads offer the ultimate gaming control, while 8 insertable weights allow players to fine-tune their gaming mouse.
Redragon H350 RGB Wired Gaming Headset
The H350 offers RGB backlighting with dynamic and static RGB modes, alongside excellent 2.0 channel surround sound from dual 50mm drivers. A detachable microphone wrapped in 4mm thick foam picks up only your voice and carries it clearly to in-game chat. With 2cm thick, cozy memory foam ear pads, the headset is also very comfortable. Ideal for all major gaming platforms, you can connect using either the 3.5mm plug or the USB braided cable.
Connectivity
As mentioned above, both Roccat and Redragon have a decent mix of wired and wireless devices. Both rely on Bluetooth and use wireless dongles to connect to PCs and consoles, though there are some slight differences between each brand.
Redragon’s only wireless headset primarily uses Bluetooth to connect to PCs, PlayStation, and Switch consoles, though the 2.4Ghz receiver helps to stabilize the connection with PCs and PlayStations. It can also be used in wired mode, which is helpful for those who want to play a game even with a low battery.
Roccat’s Elo X is the only option that is compatible with Xbox consoles, and it uses a 3.5mm jack to connect to controllers or adapters. However, the much nicer Syn Max Air is perfectly capable of connecting wirelessly to PlayStation and Switch, along with the more standard smartphone and PC platforms.
As is expected of any company worth their salt in gaming, the polling rate for wireless mice and keyboards from both companies is 1ms. In this regard, they’re quite equal. Of course, the sensor affects how responsive each model will be compared to each other. However, Roccat’s devices tend to have a bit wider range, allowing users to walk around their gaming space or even grab a drink between matches.
As far as connectivity goes, Roccat wins by a slim margin thanks to their wider selection of wireless devices with low latency and the fact that their wired options are just as reliable as Redragon’s.
Best Roccat Wireless Mouse
Customizability
In some ways, Redragon and Roccat are extremely similar, but in other categories, the winner is clear. When it comes to customizability, Redragon blows Roccat out of the water. Even when putting aside the fact that all of Redragon’s keyboards are hot-swappable while almost none of Roccat’s are, Redragon’s gaming peripherals all have a way to add a personal touch to the device. A prime example is theRedragon M908 Impactwired gaming mouse. Players can customize the RGB lighting on the mouse, as well as tweak the overall feel by using (or removing) the eight weights included with the mouse.
Both companies have software available to download for their products, though Redragon is kind of a headache to deal with since each item has its own software to download. Despite that annoyance, each app is straightforward to use, so it almost makes sense why they’re separate apps, though it can feel as though even Redragon doesn’t think anyone would ever buy two of their peripherals.
Roccat, having been acquired by Turtle Beach just a few years ago, is currently being moved to their Swarm II software, which centralizes Turtle Beach’s peripherals. Ironically, this has proven to be a bit too much for one app to handle, and some users are having significant issues working with the new software. Once things settle from this new release though, users who have other Roccat or Turtle Beach gaming accessories will likely find Swarm II to be as useful as Logitech’s streamlined G Hub app.
For now, although both Roccat and Redragon boast extensive RGB customizability, anyone looking for swappable keys, adjustable parts, and plenty of re-mappable controls, will find that Redragon is the best choice in terms of personalization.
Best Redragon Wireless Keyboard
Redragon K552 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
The Redragon K552 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is a backlit mechanical gaming keyboard with RGB lighting and a sturdy build. Produced by Redragon, you’re able to depend on this mechanical gaming keyboard as one of the best in the line. It comes in three switch types and two colors. With rainbow LED RGB backlighting on the Redragon K552 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, you can type or game regardless of the light in the room.
Durability
One of the most popular ways for manufacturers to cut costs on gaming peripherals is to use cheaper materials, and that’s exactly what Redragon and Roccat have done. However, here Roccat’s higher prices give them an advantage, as they can splurge a bit more than Redragon.
Most of Roccat’s accessories are made with metal instead of plastic, unlike Redragon’s. While Redragon does use high-quality ABS plastic, the fact remains that its peripherals are more likely to breakdown first. Granted, Redragon does use some metal parts in some of their keyboards and other accessories, but Roccat uses anodized aluminum throughout many of their products for lightweight durability that Redragon just can’t match.
Along with the main materials, Roccat tends to design its accessories with little extras that ensure durability. For example, Roccat uses braided fabric cords with most of their wired peripherals, while Redragon still tends to stick to plastic ones. Similarly, their optical switches and Titan Switch mechanical keys are purposefully built to last.
Both brands tend to cut costs with their materials, but even so, Roccat manages to offer superior durability over Redragon, leaving their gaming accessories with long lifespans.
Best Roccat Wired Keyboard
Roccat Vulcan 121 Gaming Keyboard
The Roccat Vulcan 121 features Titan Switch Mechanical technology. This is designed for quick and smooth key actuation. Advanced anti-ghosting technology is a feature that ensures that all key presses are registered, even during intense gameplay. The keyboard also offers AIMO illumination, which lights up in 16.8 million colors. The keyboard comes with a detachable palm wrist rest, which allows more comfort during long gaming sessions.
Verdict
Roccat and Redragon are very evenly matched when considering all of their peripherals’ customizability, features, and overall quality. Both offer wired and wireless connectivity, bright and bold RGB, and they can handle games on almost any platform. Yet, there is a clear winner when deciding which brand is the best budget option for gamers.
When looking at the specs alone, most gamers would say that Roccat is the much better choice. However, Redragon doesn’t lag too far behind with most of their offerings, plus they have a much wider variety of PC accessories, giving budget gamers an easy way to have matching, affordable peripherals in their space. Although their software could use some consolidating, overall, Redragon’s customizability is superb, regardless of what type of product you choose.
Redragon’s entire stock is listed at prices well below industry standards, and they hardly ever break the $75 mark at all. Budget gamers are better off choosing Redragon over Roccat for their next gaming accessory purchase.
