NZXT Avatar Software

Installation is straightforward. Find a free USB port and plug it in. We used Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit and the OS recognized the mouse without issue. The mouse also operated fine, with the DPI switcher functioning properly and the LED showing us what the setting was.

We went ahead and downloaded the software and ran it through its paces.

The first page allows you to adjust the button assignment and whether you are left or right handed. The polling rate is something we mentioned earlier, and we do suggest setting it at a minimum of 500MHz.

You can make further sensitivity adjustments on the second tab.

The last page has more settings for mouse clicks and scrolling if needed. Once you've made adjustments, click apply and you're done.

Final Words

The NZXT Avatar gaming mouse took a while to get used to on a few fronts. As I have pointed out, I had been used to 800 DPI for a long time with my Microsoft Natural, along with it's mediocre 125MHz polling rate. The extra sensitivity the Avatar provided really threw me off initially and I had a hard time adjusting for a couple days. Also, I took my time getting around to the driver install so even though the mouse was much faster than I was used to, I did feel like it stuttered a bit while moving and wasn't as smooth as it could have been. I did adjust the polling to 500MHz, which was confirmed by Mouserate.exe.

The increase polling rate made a significant difference it the smoothness and I actually felt more comfortable in my mouse movements. In other words, where I wanted my in-game cursor to end up being, it ended up being there.

I am right-handed, so I have full view of the DPI display. It took some time to get used to how the mouse felt in my hand as the Microsoft mouse is about the size of a baseball.

The NZXT Avatar measures 36.8mm x 69.1mm x 128mm ( H x W x D ), and is geared more for "finger-tip" gamers. Generally, this is how I play, but I did have the benefit of the Microsoft mouse being high enough for my hand to rest. I have not experienced any soreness yet with the Avatar, but I will admit it is not going to be as comfortable for anyone who swears by ergonomic devices. At first, had I written this review day one of having the mouse, I would had wanted a bit more weight to the mouse, but now that I am used to it, the light weight does not bother me so much.

As for making a difference in my game play, the answer is a yes* with a * for me. While I understood the reasoning for gaming mice, I never really thought much about it as I never really considered myself a serious gamer. That changed the last 18 months as I have been pretty much a regular Call of Duty 4 gamer, and as of late, I took competition a little more seriously. What this essentially means is that any sort of edge I could find, I would at least give it a try. From PC upgrades to a change in Internet provider, the last issues I seemed to have were my input devices. As I had been using the Microsoft Wireless Desktop 7000 for a while, one issue I have always had was the freezing (where my wireless connection would drop) on occasion. With the NZXT Avatar, this problem was obviously gone (I also replaced my keyboard with a corded one).

Initially, my kill and death ratio was horrible, but as I got used to the mouse, my ratio improved back to the point of my old input device setup. While I did not become a better player, I became a more consistent player as my mouse was no longer betraying me when I needed it most.

We teased at the beginning of the review that a mouse is probably one of the most important piece of a computer build. The reason is simple... we use it everyday. I know there is a percentage of users who are true keyboard warriors, but for anyone else like me, I am near useless without a working mouse. Gaming works differently (though you still need a mouse). Do you need a gaming level mouse or will just any jobber do?

At the end of the day, if you're a serious gamer, you will want a gaming mouse. The question becomes, how much do you want to spend? The , which is in line with what these sort of devices cost. If I didn't play video games daily, would I buy it? Probably not. However, as I do play daily, and at a competitive level a couple times a week, this is a relatively small investment in the grand scheme of things. The mouse is fully customizable, ambidextrous and well built. While the NZXT Avatar alone may not make you a better player, it will remove the mouse as a factor in why are not sitting on the top of the leader board.