So, you’re a gamer on a budget. You want an inexpensive gaming mouse with adjustable precision levels and lots of programmable buttons. And worst of all, you might be left handed (check with your doctor for an official diagnosis).
NZXT wants the Avatar S to be the gaming mouse you need.
Specifications
- Precision levels: 1600/800/400 DPI built-in selections (others via software)
- Tracking speed: 30 inches per second
- 16Kb onboard memory
- Ambidextrous design
- LED on/off settings
- Five programmable buttons
- Available in black or white with blue lighting
- Cable length: 6.5 feet long
Packaging for the Avatar S is simple. Aside from some packaging to hold the mouse in place, there is a simple card directing you to download the manual and drivers from NZXT’s web site.
The mouse itself doesn’t feel like anything extraordinary, but with a price tag of $39.99 it probably shouldn’t. The USB cable isn’t nylon-wrapped or heavily shielded, so it seems a bit thin. The standard five buttons (left, right, forward, back, and the scroll wheel) are present. 16KB of onboard memory provides storage for one profile of macros, DPI settings, and LED settings. It’s quite handy if you use your mouse on two different computers.
The Avatar S is a narrow mouse, about as wide as a travel mouse. There is enough length to rest your hand comfortably but just enough width to only rest your index and middle fingers on the buttons. Left-handed folks will be happy to know this mouse will work just fine for them, as the design is symmetrical. A quick setting in the driver package is all that’s required.
The Avatar S, like many other gaming mice, doesn’t require drivers to switch resolutions on the fly. Unlike other mice, there isn’t a set of dedicated buttons to switch. To do so, hold the left side button and scroll up/down to flip between the preset precision levels. It’s very difficult to switch resolutions accidentally, and at first it’s even a little difficult to switch intentionally.
The driver software allows full control over the Avatar S – left/right orientation, lighting, button configuration, USB polling rate, DPI settings, pointer speed/acceleration, scrolling speed, and double-click speed. The software has slots for five different profile settings, but also provides the ability to save configurations to the computer, making settings easily portable between systems. As good as the software is, there is one thing that isn’t immediately obvious—and that is how to save a settings profile to the mouse. It’s possible that saving a profile automatically copies that profile to the Avatar’s memory, but the documentation and help files just don’t cover this.
For non-gaming use, the Avatar S does an excellent job. The buttons and scroll wheel are nice and responsive, though the forward and back buttons can be a little difficult to find depending on where you are accustomed to placing your hand.
Feel
At first, the Avatar S was a bit uncomfortable for gaming due to its narrow width. My normal habit is to grip the mouse on the sides with my thumb and pinky, lay my index and middle fingers on the left and right buttons, and either lay my ring finger on the right edge of the mouse or use it to augment my grip. For short gaming sessions this worked, but after about 15-20 minutes the narrow width leads to my hand cramping. After a few days of continued use, my grip adjusted to the mouse and things became much more comfortable. The quick switch is pretty useful in games such as Team Fortress 2, especially when playing as the sniper—a role which benefits from tracking speed changes.
Aside from a couple of minor complaints the NZXT Avatar S is a decent gaming mouse. At $40 it’s one of the least expensive gaming mice available. It’s a great choice for folks who prefer lightweight mice with a thinner profile. We’re happy to award it the Icrontic Detroit Hustle award for value, because if you want to dip your toes into the world of gaming-specific peripherals, this is a good place to start, and it’s not going to break the bank.
The NZXT Avatar S is available from Newegg and Amazon. In Europe it’s available at Scan.
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