It’s a mouse cable holder, it’s a powered USB hub and it’s part of an ergonomic gaming system – it’s the Roccat Apuri.
So What Is The Roccat Apuri?
The bold claim by Roccat is that the cable grip of the Apuri will give you the feel of a wireless mouse while using a wired mouse. The cable grip takes the weight of the cable, allowing you to push your mouse around with the greatest of ease. At the same time you benefit from a 4-port USB hub that can be powered by the USB connection, or for more power hungry peripherals you can connect a mains adapter.
What’s It Like?
I was quite surprised when I saw the Apuri for the first time, as it was smaller than I expected. Measuring 134mm between corners it is not much bigger than the mouse whose cable it will be holding. It has three legs, each of which has a grippy rubber base, and the body of the Apuri is held a couple of cms above the desk. Underneath is a glowing Roccat logo that bathes the desk in a blue glow and on the top are three matching LEDs. The rest of the body is typical Roccat, matt black and gray, making it a rather stylish device.
The flexible rubber cable holder sits above the body like a scorpion’s tail. Once the mouse cable is slotted into place it can bend and twist with the movement of the mouse. The cable holder can also be removed if you don’t want to use it.
On two of the three sides you will find a pair of USB sockets, and on the third side there is a socket for the mains cable and a mini-USB socket for connecting to the PC. The Apuri comes with its own USB lead as well as an AC adapter for the mains connection. In mains-powered mode the Apuri can handle a total load of 500mA on it’s 5V supply.
Using the Roccat Apuri
OK, so first thing to test is the cable holder and for me it totally failed to give the impression of having a wireless mouse. At first I didn’t give the cable enough slack and bigger movements were pulling at the Apuri, but with a little more cable length between mouse and Apuri it seemed to work much better. Not that it really made any difference to the feel of the mouse, and certainly didn’t impact on gaming.
So the cable holder doesn’t make much difference but how about the USB hub? Well, it’s fine and does exactly what you’d expect of a hub i.e. you can easily plug and unplug USB devices without having to reach down and fiddle with your PC.
How Much Does The Apuri Cost?
This is where the Apuri starts to look a bit silly. It costs £35.99 and if you ignore the pointless cable holder you’re left with an expensive 4-port USB hub with AC adapter.
Conclusion
Whether or not you want the Roccat Apuri will depend on how much you want a cool-looking USB hub. While it is a winner in the design stakes, the Apuri makes a less convincing argument when you consider what you’re getting for your money. You could get a ‘normal’ 4-port USB hub with AC adapter for about a third of the price of the Apuri.
There’s nothing wrong with the Apuri – it’s a nice design and is well built, but at such a high price the Roccat Apuri is a product I find hard to recommend. Top marks to Roccat for trying something new and innovative but in my opinion the cable holder is a solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist.
If you’re a real Roccat fan then go for it, but if you’re not I’d advise getting a cheaper hub and learn to live without the lighting effects.
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