In computing an avatar is a user’s representation of himself or herself, and can occur in both two and three dimensions. It’s something gamers are very familiar with, along with the need for decent peripherals and how they can affect their reputation (and performance) online. So when applied to said peripherals, the term avatar can represent a gamer’s real or perceived reputation in their favourite game. This link may be a bit of a stretch, but when a company like NZXT enters into the arena of gaming peripherals, it can only represent the addition of another high performance peripheral to the gamer arsenal.
The Avatar is the first gaming mouse from the uber creative mind of young Johnny Hou and the team at NZXT. It is part of NZXT’s Crafted Series, and is directly targeted at gamers with the promise of “emerging (you) victorious in (your) gaming arena of choice”. The mouse itself does share some design cues with other products found in the crafted series, like the Tempest Midtower case. Still this is NZXT’s first foray into a new product category, and that can be perilous. They are known for making great computer cases that satisfy desires for both form and function. Hopefully they can continue that trend in the hotly contest gaming peripheral market.
As for the mouse itself, the NZXT Avatar Crafted Series Gaming Mouse is a smallish yet ambidextrous unit resembling the fuselage of an F22 Raptor. It features 7 programmable buttons and on the fly DPI switching for maximum customization. The sensor is of the optical variety, with 2600 dpi of resolution. Some more technical features are listed below, and of course all the additional info can found on the product home page.
- Max Acceleration: 15g
- Max Frame Rate: 6469 Frames/Second
- Resolution: 650-2600 DPI
- Image Processing: 5.8 Mega Pixels/Second
- USB Reports: Up to 1000 Reports/Second
- Buttons: 7 Buttons, 5 Million Clicks
As for pricing, the NZXT Avatar hasn’t quite reached availability at many retail locations. However, once it’s fully unleashed, this mouse should be found for $59.99 USD or less. This places it right in the same price point as many other popular wired gaming mice. That pretty well leaves you deciding whether or not the design and performance of this mouse suits what you are looking for.
First Impressions
The NZXT Avatar is indeed crafted as they have somehow been able to make it both ergonomic and ambidextrous. This design choice, along with the smaller form factor of the mouse, allows for almost anyone to be able to use the Avatar with comfort and ease. All the buttons are easily reachable for both lefties and righties, though using your mouse with the left hand does obscure the lighted DPI meter. Still, the NZXT Avatar is one of the very few ambidextrous performance mice out there.
Along the left edge of the mouse, you’ll find the first of many customizable features built into the NZXT Avatar. Of course there’s the left mouse button, but the also a “back” button the can be assigned to other features as needed, using the included software. Also on the left side is the DPI meter that glows to signify the level of sensitivity. The three stage meter indicates what DPI level you are currently using, with the levels being easily changed in the included software. If you don’t install the software, the Avatar defaults to a setting of 600 dpi.
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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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Handling and Game Play
The NZXT Avatar was nothing if not comfortable to use. The mouse fit well in my hand, and didn’t force it into any weird positions like previous mice we’ve reviewed (I’m looking at you Microsoft Sidewinder). Its small and ambidextrous design doesn’t quite lend to fitting in your hand perfectly, but the low profile does allow your wrist to lie more naturally. Mileage may vary from user to user of course, but I do have to say that this mouse does a good job by not making its presence known beyond normal usage.
The customizable features and speed of the optical sensor are a little more difficult to test in desktop usage. That being said, I found a few useful tricks to see how well the Avatar faired. Photoshop found some use with the adjustable DPI when making pixel sized adjustments with zooming, and the accuracy of this mouse aided in this exercise.
Still, to put a mouse through it’s paces, you do have to turn to a couple games. So we turned our eyes to some serious and not so serious 3D fare. It’s time to get our frag on.
The so called “serious” game I chose for testing is Call of Duty 4, though I think I called it that just because too many other people take it far too seriously. Anyhow, this game is focused on modern warfare and modern weaponry. This means normal guns that shoot normal bullets that actually need to be accurately aimed at your opponents. So how did the NZXT Avatar fair in this environment? Well the Avatar certainly didn’t hinder my killing ability.
I game primarily with gaming and performance mice, so it is getting really hard to judge them apart at this level. That being said, the NZXT Avatar did feel as smooth as some of the best gaming mice I’ve used. I was able to line up sniper shots easily on low DPI, and should I need a less finer touch I could ramp up the DPI and cut a swath of destruction with a large turret gun. Mouselook was nice and smooth, and I didn’t find myself skipping about too much. So with that in mind, it was time to move to a much more kinetic game.
…and boy can Team Fortress 2 be kinetic and fast moving, especially in the shoes of the Scout class. Though this class doesn’t need adjustable DPI, the youngest of eight boys from the south side of Boston does need twitch capable accuracy to make the capture or kill. I found that while running about, the NZXT Avatar made sure I was able to spin and move to and fro without any lag or skipping.
When it came time to switch classes, I moved on to Sniper and Heavy. Both of these classes benefit from the adjustable DPI. The lower DPI settings allowed me to once again easily draw a bead on someone and snipe their head clear off, and the quick adjustment buttons made it easy to switch to a more combat friendly movement speed when I came under attack. The same things could be said for the Heavy when using the minigun.
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Final Thoughts and Conclusion
So we’ve played some dirty tricks in Photoshop, monkeyed about with our Windows Desktop, and waged war on two virtual battlefields. All this was done with the NZXT Avatar in tow. So where does that place our opinion about our latest gaming companion?
The NZXT Avatar certainly didn’t disappoint in any of the tests mentioned. During these tests, it was a decently comfortable mouse to use. The low profile lent to a natural position for my wrists, and and the small size made for a mouse that wasn’t overbearing in its presence. Speed and accuracy were what was expected in desktop usage, and I was able to try a couple different tricks I hadn’t tried before with Photoshop.
Desktop performance is all fine and dandy, but the bread and butter of the NZXT Avatar is gaming, and this is where it shines. The incredible range of DPI movement ensures that you can move and spin in-game without having to pick up you mouse. The accuracy of the mouse further enhances this by allowing you to stop jumping around like a Jack Russell Terrier, line up a clean shot, and make the virtual kill.
Although the NZXT Avatar seems to be a solid gaming performer, it still isn’t without room for improvement. The biggest one is the lack of 64-bit OS support in the software. This means you are stuck with defaults should you plug it into a system running XP 64 or Vista 64. Also the ambidextrous design and small size means the mouse may not fit your mousing hand perfectly, it really does come down to trying the mouse out for yourself. Mileage always varies when it comes to ergonomics, though for the most part, I think it would be hard to go wrong with this mouse.
In the end, I could say it’s hard not go with the NZXT Avatar overall as your next gaming mouse. It’s a comfortable, high performance mouse that looks good to boot. The price is also right, with it coming in at the same price point as many other top drawer gaming mice. As their first foray into the peripheral market, I think NZXT has really done their homework and has given us a great first impression. I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table for a keyboard. Until then, this mouse has all the right stuff and I’m happy to award it a Futurelooks Editors’ Choice.
Pros
- Unique design
- Comfortable to use
- Performs well in desktop and gaming
- Price is right
Cons
- Ambidextrous design might not fit all
- Software not 64-bit compatible
Overall Rating: 9.0/10.0
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