The NZXT Avatar S features on-the-fly hardware DPI switching and doesn’t need any software in order for the mouse to work but NZXT do include a driver/software download on their website for the Avatar S.
Inside this software we are able to tweak all of the setting we would typical want to adjust such as polling rate, DPI, button customisation and of course the standard windows setting such as double click speed. The software may not look the best but it does offer some nice functionality options, we are able to tweak the DPI in increments of 100 and even turn off the LEDs that run along the edges.
Performance
Visual opinions to the side, we now have to consider the performance aspect of the Avatar S. In some ways, establishing if a peripheral is a good performer is quite a hard thing to conclude. After all we all have our own personal preferences; different shaped or sized hands and tastes. Nevertheless I will express my views on the mouse as best I can. So the real question is: How does the Avatar S perform in-game? As after all, it is a gaming grade mouse. In order to ascertain the performance of the Avatar S it is necessary to put the mouse to good use for over a day within a selection of environments.
- Call of Duty Black Ops
- Battlefield Bad Company 2
- Windows 7 – browsing etc.
The Avatar S handles games with a pleasing degree of precision. Not all gamers favour the laser sensor for gaming and more specifically FPS but I found it to be very accurate. The shape and size of the Avatar S means that it would be more suitable if you have smaller hands. It’s also quite light too and without any weight adjustment – so it does glide faster than other mice. I found it a vast difference compared to my typical mouse of choice – ROCCAT Kone[+] due to the size, shape and weight.
It’s nice to be able to change the DPI on-the-fly without having to go into the software to adjust things. Configuring buttons and other options within the software inside windows presented no issues.
I tested the laser sensor on a hardened plastic surface and a soft cloth pad. I experienced no problems whatsoever during the testing period, movements were fluid and without interruption.
Inside this software we are able to tweak all of the setting we would typical want to adjust such as polling rate, DPI, button customisation and of course the standard windows setting such as double click speed. The software may not look the best but it does offer some nice functionality options, we are able to tweak the DPI in increments of 100 and even turn off the LEDs that run along the edges.
Performance
Visual opinions to the side, we now have to consider the performance aspect of the Avatar S. In some ways, establishing if a peripheral is a good performer is quite a hard thing to conclude. After all we all have our own personal preferences; different shaped or sized hands and tastes. Nevertheless I will express my views on the mouse as best I can. So the real question is: How does the Avatar S perform in-game? As after all, it is a gaming grade mouse. In order to ascertain the performance of the Avatar S it is necessary to put the mouse to good use for over a day within a selection of environments.
- Call of Duty Black Ops
- Battlefield Bad Company 2
- Windows 7 – browsing etc.
The Avatar S handles games with a pleasing degree of precision. Not all gamers favour the laser sensor for gaming and more specifically FPS but I found it to be very accurate. The shape and size of the Avatar S means that it would be more suitable if you have smaller hands. It’s also quite light too and without any weight adjustment – so it does glide faster than other mice. I found it a vast difference compared to my typical mouse of choice – ROCCAT Kone[+] due to the size, shape and weight.
It’s nice to be able to change the DPI on-the-fly without having to go into the software to adjust things. Configuring buttons and other options within the software inside windows presented no issues.
I tested the laser sensor on a hardened plastic surface and a soft cloth pad. I experienced no problems whatsoever during the testing period, movements were fluid and without interruption.
