Review: NZXT Avatar S

While Apple is pursuing the world of touch/gesture interaction ultimately looking to abolish the aging peripheral, there’s still plenty to love about the little digital rodent. For starters, photo editing/CAD in particular can definitely benefit from the pin point precision a standard mouse offers — something much more blunt objects like fingers can’t yet do. Gaming is but another area, that in our opinion, won’t go mouse-less for quite some time.

With all that said, actually finding a mouse that is perfect for you is quite the chore these days. There are literally dozens upon dozens to choose from. Which one should you choose? How about the NZXT Avatar S? Hop inside as we take a look at NZXT’s new gaming mouse and determine if this mouse sinks or swims…

General Specs & General Impressions

Thanks to Max Borges we we able to score two NZXT Avatar S mice (black and white). Because we have a fancy shmancy white NZXT Phantom in house, we choose to put the white Avatar S to the test.

In short: We’re in love. Though truth be told there’s nothing particularly special about the hardware or features of the mouse. Resolution is “only” 400-1600dpi with on-board storage of 16 KB. (Many higher-end mice go up to 5700 dpi.) The mouse itself weighs in at 20g and input is provided by 5 separate buttons. Users looking to add some junk to the Avatar’s trunk will be disappointed to find out that add-in weights are not an option.

Buttons Size & Feel

We’re use to a Logitech G500 gaming mouse which is admittedly quite a bit larger and more fuller feeling. The Avatar S on the other hand is quite narrow. They’re definitely two different mice for two different users. Though even after spending months with the G500, we’ve grown to love the Avatar S’ more svelte shape almost instantly. It just feels more nimble. Gamers of both claw and palm grip should find a comfortable grip with the Avatar S. Though it goes without saying the only true test is a hands-on one.

Besides the good looks, we’re coming to enjoy the more clicky, almost squishy nature of the buttons. Compared to our G500 and Razr Naga, the index finger buttons in particular have considerable more travel than the former two.

One other thing that strikes us slightly off is the quality. There’s no denying the Avatar S looks good (especially the white). And the overall quality is quite good. But, the plastic feels a tad cheap, certainly not as high-end as the Razr Naga. Still, at $39.99 one can’t really expect to top the other two aforementioned mice.

Conclusion

Why pick the Avatar S over the many other gaming mice? For starters it’s affordable. While high-end custom PCs get a fair amount of media attention, everyday gamers on a budget will appreciate the low cost of entry with the Avagar S. Second, the Avatar S looks damn good in both black and white. Finally, the overall feel of the mouse is quite good. The narrow grip gives the mouse a sense of speed and lightness that isn’t particularly easy to replicate.

How much do we like the Avatar S? Enough to split at least 50% of our gaming time between the Avatar S and G500. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.

[NZXT]

Gadgetsteria Rating: 8.5/10

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