Since its inception back in 2004, NZXT has become a recognizable name within the PC building community in most part for their computer cases. Cases however are not the only thing NZXT has going for them. Their product line includes power supplies, case accessories, cables, and after market cooling for CPU’s, notebooks, and…well cases. Most recently NZXT has joined the ever growing list of companies like Cooler Master, and Corsair by dipping their hands into the PC gaming peripheral market. One of their two latest entries, and the topic of today’s review (you liked that segway didn’t you? Come on you know you did) is the Avatar S Gaming Mouse.
At the time of this review there were (and currently still are ) two PC gaming focused mice available from NZXT. The Avatar, whose features lean more towards the hardcore gaming enthusiast, and the Avatar S, a more casual entry level gaming mouse. As we mentioned before the focus of this review will be on baby brother, Avatar S. So lets see if NZXT has brought something good to the ever growing PC gaming peripheral market table, or should the Avatar S be tucked away in a napkin while noone is looking, and given to the dog.
Packaging and Aesthetics
As you can see the Avatar S comes in a slim white box showcasing the NZXT, and Avatar S logo on the front, and side of the box. A window is present which gives you a preview of what the Avatar S looks like, and what you will be using to pwned some noobs…hopefully.
Opening the box reveals the Avatar S mouse itself protected with a hard plastic casing which will be familiar to many who have torn open a few mouse boxes (is that even an actual term? Screw it it is now. Copyright@ TechReaction.net) in their days. You will also discover a grey card with an outline of the Avatar S. On the reverse of the card is the NZXT logo.Its pretty much a welcome to the NZXT family greeting card.
Here we have the mouse stripped away of its protective plastic ready for use. The Avatar S comes in two colors: black, and white. The mouse utilizes a USB only connection. No PS/2 connection is available for all you old school PC gamers who refuse to move with the times…uh no offense : ). The cord itself is upbraided, and is a decent length. Trust us. You will have plenty of slack to work with. The cord not being braided was a bit of a disappointment as it seems braided cords are becoming the new standard with gaming mice which to us is a good thing as braided means a bit more durability, but the cord not being braided is no where near a deal breaker to us.
The shape of the Avatar S is a bit different from what many maybe use to. While many gaming mice tend to sport a more wide, and semi large design, NZXT decided to go with a more slender, and smaller look for the mouse. The Avatar S measures at 36.8mm x 69.1mm x 128mm ( H x W x D ). Some maybe turned off by the size of the mouse as they are more use to using gaming mice that as a whole are bigger in size which is clearly understandable. When we first used the mouse we were kind of afraid we’d break it seem so delicate compared to what we were use to, but after a few days quickly learned this little bugger could hang with some of the big boys in regards to abuse.
Going a bit deeper into the aesthetics of the mouse we see that the NZXT logo is shown on the left hand side of the mouse. There are five buttons in total. The mouse wheel, two buttons located on either side of the Avatar S, and the standard left and right click mouse buttons. The craftsmanship overall is pretty decent. The Avatar S doesn’t feel like a cheap free gift that comes with the purchase of a desktop. It actually feels like something you could game with.
The Avatar S also sports blue LED’s which emulate from the NXZT logo found on the mouse, and along the sides as well. The LED’s can be turned off via the mouse software which we will get into later. Below are a few pics of the LED’s in action.
