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I have always been stubbornly resistant to the idea of using a high DPI gaming mouse. Partly out of arrogance (how can it possibly improve my game any further?) and mostly for the fact that their average MSRP is about $70 compared to a generic optical mouse used daily in schools and offices which retail for about $12. A purchase I have always said to myself, better spent on other computer hardware. That is the cost of a high end CPU air cooling heatsink or an additional hardrive for RAID, both of which offer very apparent improvements to your system’s performance. Today however, I will be testing whether a high-DPI mouse performs well enough to justify its pricetag, not just for gaming but for daily use and some minor precision graphic work as well. With its $59.99 retail price tag and 2600 DPI optical sensor, NZXT’s Avatar v2 is the perfect candidate for my testing.

NZXT’s Avatar gaming mouse is the company’s first foray into producing gaming peripherals.  Specs and Features include:

• Optimal performance — 2600 DPI Optical Sensor provides maximum sensitivity and responsiveness which yields unparalleled gaming accuracy. LED DPI indicator gives the user improved usage and feedback. 5.8 Mega Pixels/second with a max frame rate of 6469 ensures smooth fragging and accurate sniping. 4 Speed DPI switch enables you to go from slow sniper movement to quick attack movement in a matter of seconds
• Maximum Customization — 7 programmable keys allows gamers to customize their configuration specifically for First-Person Shooters, Real-Time Strategy, or Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games all within the macro and profile settings
• Ergonomic Design — Ambidextrous design gives full use to both right and left handed gamers. Rubber grip helps avoid slipping during intense gameplay and the small, light form factor allows for faster and quicker movements, perfect for any gamer on the go or playing on a laptop or notebook. A slim form factor makes it the perfect choice for finger tip gamers.
• Simple Installation — Avatar plugs into any available USB port
• Slim and small dimensions — Measuring at 36.8mm x 69.1mm x 128mm ( H x W x D ), the Avatar’s smaller form factor is the best choice for finger tip gamers and people who game on the go.

Packaging:
The mouse ships in a compact black and blue box with matted finish. It is different from the usual glossy box covers retail products usually come in, giving it a simple yet elegant look. This makes the box less resilient to the wear and tear of shipping however so the box arrived with some tears and dents on the corners. It’s not a big deal since the mouse is comfortably placed inside a smaller form-fitting box with a plastic cap in front of it. The product manual was slid inside the box flap, protected by a quarter-inch thick foam and the 80mm driver disc within it. I was beginning to think I was reviewing a Matryoshka doll.

Design:
The mouse is longer than what I’m used to. I use a Microsoft Basic Optical mouse for daily use and the Avatar is a good 2cm longer. It is lean, curvey, ambidextrous and uses a unibody design on the top plate with it extending the length of the mouse including the left and right clicks. It’s body is coated in thin rubber for grip and has a matted look similar to the packaging box. However it seems to attract dust quite easily, after only a minute out of the box, there were speckles of dust visible on the photo. In between the left and right cliker, a rubber scroller is present and behind it are two buttons used for increasing or decreasing DPI on-the-fly, perfect for switching between close-quarters and sniping FPS games. While the the rest of the mouse is matted, the bottom is shiny and the base is bordered by three teflon pads for comfortable gliding across any surface.  The mouse lights up a cool-blue LED color, not too strong that it could double as a night light but glows well enough to see where it is in a dark room.

Software:
Software installation is straightforward. You will be asked to plug-in the mouse in case you haven’t done so (installation will not continue if the Avatar isn’t detected). The software presents the user with 3 options: “Advanced Functions”, “Sensitivity” and “Advanced Settings”. In “Advanced Functions” you can change the polling rate, orientation, DPI, button assignments as well as a macro button assignment function(with a maximum of 20 key presses and release) and profile saving feature. “Sensitivity” option gives the user the ability to change the sensitivity of the X and Y asis separately as well as mouse pointer speed and acceleration. The last tab offers the ability to change the scrolling as well as the clicking speed.

Testing:
Testing and Comparison was made between the NZXT Avatar and a Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse in the following categories:
- Daily productivity (Office work, Web browsing)
- Graphic work (Photoshop and MSpaint)
- Gaming (Tested in Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2)

Performance
Productivity
Difference between the mice were barely noticeable. The side buttons helped in web browsing as they default to back and forward buttons. However, their placement makes it so that its easy to accidentally click one by mistake when moving the mouse. I in particular am very heavy handed, resting my ring finger where the right button is directly and would contantly hit it by mistake when I try to move the cursor to the left.

Graphic Work
The difference is more pronounced here. Complex shapes and curves are much easier to do. In MSpaint, pixel by pixel drawing is much more consistently spaced and doesn’t require as much movement.

(a) “The Pit” run with Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse

(b) “The Pit” run with NZXT Avatar Mouse at 2600DPI

Gaming
In Modern Warfare 2, testing was done in the Spec-Ops map, “The Pit” alternately with each run repeated 3 times trying to produce the lowest time:

As you can see from the score, the average with the Avatar is significantly lower.

Testing in Call of Duty 4 was done by 2 matches each alternating in a public server, however, due to the nature of public matches it is impossible to guage the difference objectively and attribute it solely to the mouse. Subjectively, I didn’t notice the difference until after the second run with the regular optical mouse after using the Avatar. I was unable to follow target trajectories with smooth accuracy and required much more movement and after the 4th run, I was able to utilize the on-the-fly DPI switching and changing my playstyle in the middle of the match. It took some getting-used-to but the results are impressive.

Final Thoughts:
I typically prefer mice with some heft and size in them, NZXT’s Avatar being light and longer than it is builkier, took me some time to adjust. I just feel that with its shape and design, a person with longer and leaner fingers could find it more comfortable than somebody like me who has wide and heavy fingers. The side buttons on the v2 revision of the NZXT are now much more recessed compared to the original version but I still manage to hit them by accident, especially the right side button when browsing online. I would much prefer it if the buttons were a bit lower so there is space near the top for me to rest my fingers without any accidental input. The hardware DPI switching and smooth movements are great features however, enough to convince me to ditch my basic Optical mouse.