Review: ROCCAT Sova is sofa king excellent

The ROCCAT Sova’s near perfect ergonomic design makes it a stellar couch-desk for PC gaming, and it earns its place as my favorite PC gaming lap board. It is the Sofa King.

I loved the early pre-production model of the Sova that I got to preview at E3 a number of years ago. Unfortunately for ROCCAT, the Corsair Lapdog and Razer Turret launched ahead of it and threatened to steal its thunder.

But while the Corsair Lapdog and Razer Turret each have their strengths, it’s the ROCCAT Sova’s mid-sized chassis, generous mousing space, and (most importantly) generous wrist space that make it the most comfortable, adaptable solution of the three for couch-based PC gaming.

ROCCAT Sova feature highlights and specifications

The Sova is available in 2 models: The Sova and the Sova MK. The only difference between the two is that the Sova MK features taller keys backed by TTC mechanical switches.

Roccat Sova/Sova MK features and specifications

• 275mm × 240mm mousepad, replaceable
• Replaceable wrist rest and lap cushions
• Easy-Shift[+]™ with 28-key EasyZone
• 2 × USB 2.0 ports
• ROCCAT® Talk™
• Multimedia functions
• 4m break-away cable
• 512kB memory + 32-bit Arm IC
• 1000Hz polling rate
• Advanced anti-ghosting with N-key rollover
• Membrane keys (Sova)
• TTC mechanical key switches (Sova MK)
• Dimensions: Width 64.6 cm (25.4″) , Height 28.0 cm (11″), Length 3.7 cm (1.45″), Weight 2350 g (5.18 pounds)

The Sova connects to your PC through a 4-meter, break-away dual USB 2.0 cable, and the Sova acts as a USB 2.0 hub with 2 ports located on the underside where the cable connects. The extra USB ports can be used for a mouse and another USB device such as a headset or flash drive.

Four snap-on memory foam cushions line the underside of the Sova. You can remove the cushions to pop-out the mouse and wrist surfaces for cleaning or (potentially) replacing. A  small mouse cable router prevents the mouse cable from cluttering up the Sova’s surface, keeping your lap space clean and streamlined.

ROCCAT has generally been 3D-printer friendly and makes some 3D plans available for download (for a price). However, as of this writing I could only find Roccat Nyth accessories and some smartphone cradles for the Sova readily available for 3D printing enthusiasts. If you’ve got the equipment you can purchase and download the necessary files.

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Lapping it up

I liked the pre-production Sova the first time I tried it at E3, and the shipping Sova models haven’t changed much from the original design. Aside from getting rid of wireless connectivity (the original Sova was intended to be wireless), the form factor has remained largely the same design.

Succinctly, the Sova feels like a natural extension of a desktop in a comfortable, lap-friendly surface.

The mouse and wrist surfaces are hard, lightly textured plastic, but it’s the surface area allocated for the wrists that make the SOVA so comfortable compared to the Corsair Lapdog or Razer Turret, neither of which provide any wrist support. With the Sova, you could even add your own cushioned wrist rest, although it might be prone to slide about a bit without anchoring it in some fashion.

Like other Roccat keyboards, the SOVA is powered by Roccat’s powerful and highly configurable SWARM software. Roccat SWARM enables you to record macros, change the backlighting configuration, and program profiles to accommodate different games — all pretty standard fare for gaming keyboards. And Roccat’s SWARM is some of the better gaming software out there.

If you opt to purchase the smartphone cradle attachment, you can mount your smartphone as a secondary display and run Roccat’s software on it, providing quick and easy access to an array of customizable information.

Overall: 8.5/10 — Highly recommended 

At around $150 for the Sova and $180 for the Sova MK, the Sova (like most ROCCAT gear) isn’t cheap. But if you truly want to take your PC gaming to the couch on a balanced, comfortable platform, the Sova is nearly perfect.