Look At the Pretty Colors –
The phrase “finding the right tool for the job” was probably coined decades if not even centuries ago. At the time, this tried-but-true phrase was probably geared towards hammers, lumber, or even hunting equipment. In modern times, however, this phrase can easily be applied to first-world problems such as deciding which shirt to wear for a specific occasion or which flavor of coffee creamer to use. Or in this case, finding the right tool for the job means finding a quality gaming mouse capable of performing at a professional level with suitable price point.
Mionix is no stranger to the PC accessory business. Their newest mouse, the Avior 8200, can be thought of as an extension to the Naos 8200 model. The Avior 8200’s biggest bullet point is that it is ambidextrous. But in all honesty, this is also its biggest downfall.
symmetrical mouse
I am not sure I understand the point of the ambidextrous design. Do serious gamers really switch mouse hands in the middle of the match? Do you ever see a professional golfer carry two sets of clubs, lefty and righty, when playing in a big tournament? No, you don’t. While the ambidextrous design is still comfortable and it works just fine, it is nowhere near as sleek and personable as an ergonomic model. On the other hand (bad pun intended), if you are a palm or claw grip gamer, this unit will be better suited to your needs. But I think the safe assumption is this style of mouse-holding is few and far between so most users might want to consider the Naos model instead.
Like all the other mice available from Mionix, there are tons of options available after the corresponding software is installed. With nine customizable buttons and several different profiles, this mouse should be able to handle anything you can throw at it. The 32-bit ARM Processor and 8200 DPI laser turns this mouse into one accurate and quality piece of hardware. This mouse is USB powered (2 meters) – it is not wireless. Having the convenience of a wireless mouse is great but has potential to be laggy and requires a rechargeable battery. But since the point of this mouse is to be as accurate as possible, being tethered to your machine is an understandable sacrifice to make. This unit is also plug-and-play but if you want to take full advantage of the all the extra options then the software will also need to be installed.
There are so many options in the Avior 8200 model. From tweaking acceleration speed to just how fast the mouse moves in general, there is a setting for it. Everything is clearly available and instantly switchable from either switching profiles or from accessing the software. Cosmetically, the Avior 8200 is pretty sweet as the user can actually control the lighting of the mouse. Want to make your mouse glow a solid forest green or a deep red? No problem. Interested in making random colors fade in and out? Go for it. Want to turn off lighting altogether? Sure, everyone has their favorites. The mouse’s lighting effects are truly stunning and one of the biggest highlights. Solid, blinking, pulsating and even fading breathing effects are completely customizable with just a button click. It is really cool even though it has nothing to do with the overall performance of the mouse. The straight forward design is sleek and minimalistic with or without all the nifty color and glowing effects.
The logo and scroll wheel light up impressively
The mouse itself is coated with rubber which feels good in the hand and all buttons are easily accessible. However, I wish the buttons were a little more firm and not composed of a hollow/cheap feeling. This can make accidental button presses common especially on thumb and pinky side buttons. But since every button can be customized, unused buttons can be shut off to avoid unwanted accidental effects. With 128kb of memory, the mouse is capable of programming macros. Any hardcore gamer will surely make use of this feature but common gamers or just simple web users might wish for some additional default options. For example, my Logitech mouse has features to one-button Google search a highlighted word, minimize or maximize, or can even cut/copy/paste with one tap. Sure, these things can be done with the Avior 8200 but the user has to specifically program them as opposed to just easily selecting them from a drop down menu. The functionality is there but could be better streamlined.
it has a low profile
The scroller works fine but isn’t as intuitive as other models on the market. The Avior 8200 basically offers just a general scrolling feature. However, my same Logitech model offers smart scrolling design which makes scrolling through long vertical documents quick and highly controllable; this competitor unit also allows for horizontal scrolling. With as many options that the Avior 8200 has, the scrolling options are the most lacking and disappointing.
With a few shortcomings, the Mionix Avior 8200 is a quality product that offers an insane amount of customizable options. But the ambidextrous design is strange and is not as intuitive as an ergonomic model. Because of this, the Avior 8200 will best be used by claw grippers who are not already using a trackball or have been accustomed to using a righty mouse. At the same time, the super sweet color options available could be worth the price of admission alone. But serious gamers are not going to lay down $90 solely for cosmetics.
PROS:
– Works well with the Mionix Ensis Mousepad
– Very customizable
– Wicked lighting effects and options
– Easy to use
– Programming macros is an available option
– Can instantly switch between profiles to basically offer more options than anyone will need
– Price is comparable to other sophisticated mice
– Ideal for claw or paw gripped gamers
CONS:
– Isn’t wireless
– Scrolling options are lacking
– Ambidextrous design isn’t as intuitive as an ergonomic style
– Could use some better built-in shortcut options (copy, paste, minimize, document switch, etc) as opposed to having the user program all macros manually
– Can’t tweak settings for specific software but creating different profiles is a way around this
– The side buttons feel a little cheap/hollow
Not As Good As: Logitech Performance MX series
Better Than: being left handed using a righty mouse
Try Instead: the Naos 8200 Model
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
Features
- Ambidextrous design
Supported shape for use by both right and left handed gamers. - Palm or Claw grip
Suited to both Claw and Palm grip - Maximum grip
4 layers of rubber coating ensure a maximum grip and soft touch feel. - Lightning fast processor
The 32bit ARM Processor running at 72Mhz is the powerful engine to power it all. - 8200 DPI laser sensor
Remarkable tracking performance built for gaming. - 128kb built-in memory
Bring your settings and recorded macros with you stored into one of 5 profiles. - Customizable LED lighting system
Personalize your mouse with up to.16.8 Million color options. - Stunning Lighting effects
Solid, Blinking, Pulsating and Breathing effects running single color or color shift. - S.Q.A.T™ – Surface Quality Analyzer Tool
Surface Quality Analyzer Tool measures tracking quality of your gaming surface. - In-game 3 step DPI adjustment
Set 3 DPI values and switch easily between them in-game. - 9 fully programmable buttons
The buttons can be assigned to any key, mouse command or macro. - In-game profile switch
Switch easily between stored profiles in-game. - Adjustable polling rate
Tune it all the way up to 1000Hz and up to 1ms response time
Suggested retail price: $89.99 / €89.99 / £79.99 / 799 SEK
Launch Video: http://youtu.be/oAO6L-wfC3Y
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
- 32bit ARM processor 72mhz
- Ambidextrous design, palm or claw grip
- Grip friendly rubber coating
- 9 fully programmable buttons
- 3 steps in-game DPI adjustment
- 2 integrated LEDs in 2 colour zones
- Up to 16.8 Million LED colour options
- Lighting effects Colour shift, Solid, Blinking, Pulsating and Breathing
- 128 kb built-in memory
- Large PTFE mouse feet
- Gold Plated, Full speed USB 2.0 connection with Plug and Play
- Cable 2m long braided cable
SENSOR SPECIFICATION
- 8200 DPI gaming laser sensor
- Max tracking speed 3.8 m/sec (150 ips)
- Max acceleration 30g
- Data Format 16-bit both sensor and USB
- Adjustable to1ms response time
- Upto 12000fps
- 10.8 megapixel per second Image processing power
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT
- 125.3×65×36.6 mm / 4.93×2.56×1.44 in
- Netto (w/o cable): 93g
- Netto (cable incl.): 145g
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
- Windows® / XP / Vista / 7 / 8
- 40 mb free space on hard drive
- Available USB port
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Warranty for Mionix products only covers defects caused by manufacturing. The warranty does not cover defects caused by any kind of usage that is not attributed to the manufacturing process.
EU 2 years manufacturer warranty
US 1 year manufacturer warranty
ASIA 1 year manufacturer warranty
PACKAGE CONTENTS
- Mionix AVIOR 8200
- Quick installation guide
