Moving to the front of the mouse, we can see the lighting in full. The Avatar has blue LEDs running from the middle of the mouse to the top of the main buttons on either side. This lighting effect is similar to what is seen on the front of the NZXT Tempest case. With that in mind, the Avatar does look right at home next to that case. The main left and right mouse buttons have a similar “lifted” design to what’s seen on some RAZER mice, though they don’t share the same lighting effects.
Though the DPI setting defaults to 600 DPI if you don’t install the included software, the DPI switches are hardware based. This means that even without the software installed, you can still switch DPI to three default levels with the buttons directly below the scroll wheel. The right side of the mouse features one more programmable button that defaults to a “forward” function.
As for additional accessories, there really aren’t any. You get the mouse, a manual, and a mini CD containing the software and drivers. Their isn’t any funky weights, feet made of exotic slipery compounds, or other extra gewgaw. It’s quite a simple package, which makes me all the more curious as to how well it performs.
The Software
The NZXT Avatar comes with a full featured software program that allows you to customize the mouse in any way that suits your style of play. It should be noted that the software doesn’t support 64-bit operating systems at this time. Luckily we’re using Vista 32-bit, so it’ll be some trouble-free testing from here on out…hopefully.
When you first launch the program, it instantly kicks you over to the “Advanced Functions” section. Here you can customize every button to do whatever you want. In addition to the buttons, you can customize the DPI stepping levels, and change how the scroll wheel functions. You can also set the mouse up for left or right handed users, and then save all your settings so you don’t loose them.
Using the second screen, you can drill down even further in the sensitivity settings. Here you can fine tune the X-Y Master Sensitivity of the Avatar, as well as change the pointer speed and acceleration.
Though this may seem like a skin for the Mouse control panel found in Windows, it’s nice to have everything in one place. In the final screen, you adjust some more ho-hum features. You can change you scroll speed and double-click speed, and adjust your sensitivity even further.
So do all the features affect the mean performance of the NZXT Avatar? Well now we get to find out.
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