Aiming for the High-end Gamer: NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse Review- Page 2/4
November 19, 2008
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Packaging and Features
When the NZXT Avatar first arrived, it was a bit of a surprise to see that the retail package is tiny compared to other manufacturers. When you open it up, you find the Avatar mouse, the driver CD (in mini format), and a user's manual.
The user's manual and the CD are located in the opening cover of the box, and although this is hard to find initially, it is a nice place to store those items. The inclusion of a mini-CD is a concern, as more notebooks are using slot-loaders that are incompatible with this media format.
The NZXT Avatar Gaming Mouse is a traditional wired mouse, with a cable ending in a USB port. The Avatar features a 2600 DPI optical sensor capable of 5.8 MPixels/s tracking and rate of 6469 frames/s for smooth and accurate gaming. The Avatar is also built on an ambidextrous ergonomic design and includes 7 programmable mouse buttons.
The 2600 DPI laser engine is supported using a 4-Speed DPI switch to change the DPI level on the fly, using 600, 1200, 1800, and 2600 DPI settings. The mouse also provides a visual indicator of the DPI setting you are running, thanks to a set of blue LED indicators on the top-left of the mouse, which look very similar to the ones used in the Logitech G5 and G7 mice.
Much like the Razer Lachesis, the Avatar features an ambidextrous design, which NZXT also claims to be ergonomic. Other than the LED indicators, the Avatar mouse is symmetrical, and offers the same features to both right- and left-handed gamers. NZXT also promotes this as an ergonomic design, but that definition is a bit more problematic. The sides of the Avatar do have rubber lining, combined with a rounded overall format, and but there are also trade-offs like a single thumb button (back/forward) on either side and the lack of a true "ergonomic" feel.
Programmable buttons are nothing new to gaming mice and newer mice in general. The NZXT software drivers allow you to assign commands to each of the seven buttons, and since this mouse is ambidextrous, it allows the users to customize the mouse exactly like they want it. The bottom of the Avatar features three Teflon mouse feet and the 2600 DPI optical eye.
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