The Roccat Burst Core costs $35, which is about what one would expect from a cheap gaming mouse. This peripheral is lighter than it looks and the additional features work well. At the same time, its performance is very variable and more utilitarian than comfortable; while the Burst Core deserves praise as an affordable PC gaming peripheral, one cannot shake the feeling that there are better mice in the same price range.

Generally speaking, I enjoyed the Burst Core's clever "covered honeycomb" concept, customizable buttons and DPI, and affordable pricing. At the same time, it did not work well with my setup. If the device does not always correctly parse commands during heated sessions, it is difficult to recommend it as the best gaming mouse. However, with its affordable price and generally good performance, the Burst Core still makes the Best Cheapest Gaming Mouse list.

Read our review of the Roccat Burst Core.

As a gaming mouse, the best way to describe the Roccat Burst Core is "plain." The mouse has everything one would expect from this type of peripheral, with few flashy or innovative touches; the chassis of the Burst Core is plain black or white, with a slightly curved palm rest and two polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) feet on the bottom The bottom has two polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) feet. There is a small hexagonal pattern on both sides of the mouse, but neither side is textured. This oversight is not comfortable and reduces grip. As for the

buttons, there is a right button, a left button, a clickable scroll wheel, and a dot per inch (DPI) sensitivity adjuster on the surface. There are also two small thumb buttons on the sides. The layout is fine, everything is easy to reach and clicks satisfactorily. [There are no flaws in the Burst Core's design, but there are no major advantages either. Even with the curved palm rest, the device is a bit low to the ground. It is a little too small for gamers with large hands and a little too flat for gamers with small hands.

On the other hand, the mouse's "solid honeycomb shell" is an interesting idea. Unlike traditional "honeycomb" mice (see SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless, for example), the Burst Core has a lightweight honeycomb design inside, with a solid shell on top. This reduces the weight of the mouse while avoiding the discomfort and cleanliness issues common with honeycomb mice.

Much can be done with the Roccat Burst Core by installing the Roccat Swarm software. The Swarm software itself is somewhat complicated, as it does not download updates properly and only allows you to have 5 different software profiles at a time. and some other complications. (Most competing programs do not limit software profiles, only hardwired ones.)

Another problem is that the RGB lighting seems superfluous; the only LEDs are in a small strip outside the scroll wheel. This is visible, at least while playing, but subtle enough to be barely noticeable. Without this, the mouse might have been a bit cheaper.

Otherwise, reprogramming buttons and setting DPI levels is easy enough, as is changing DPI on the fly with the dedicated buttons. If you don't want fancy features in a gaming mouse, the Burst Core is sufficient.

The biggest problem with the Roccat Burst Core is that its performance is largely dependent on what kind of surface it has. Between the optical sensor and the PTFE foot, the Burst Core simply did not cooperate with my stiff mouse pad. Whether I was operating Windows 11 or fighting enemies in a video game, the cursor was constantly jumping around. This made both productivity and gaming next to impossible.

On wooden desks and soft mouse pads, this problem was not as severe. Still, the fact remains that Burst Core does not work well on all types of surfaces. Furthermore, the Swarm software does not have a surface calibration option, which makes the problem even worse.

Once the mouse was placed on a wooden surface and no longer had to deal with wild cursor jumps, the Burst Core worked well in-game; tested on Age of Empires IV, Doom Eternal, Cyberpunk 2077, and Final Fantasy XIV The mouse worked fine. Controlling medieval soldiers, shooting demons, exploring futuristic cities, and teleporting from town to town were all done without much trouble. Still, much of the performance of the burst core depended on what surface it was on.

Wired gaming mice from major manufacturers can cost as much as $90, and Roccat's Burst Core is just that. Still, it's not the only option at this price, nor is it the best one; the SteelSeries Rival 3 and HyperX Pulsefire Core are $30 each. Both of these mice perform well and look beautiful.

If you have other Roccat products or have a general fondness for the Roccat brand, the Burst Core is worth a look for its simplicity and functionality. However, you might want to purchase a soft mousepad along with it.