INTRODUCTION

   I must admit that i've never really enjoyed watching other people play games at least not for long periods of time (ok girls are something somewhat unique since where i live that's a very rare phenomenon) and so i think that's also the reason as to why i sometimes fail to see the point behind the existence of all those relatively new eSPORTS professional teams out there. That being said however i also have to admit that because there are so many eSPORTS teams out there (mostly the really old ones) attracting millions of fans around the globe for the past few years manufacturers have focused a lot into developing much better gaming peripherals such as mice, keyboard and headsets. Mionix is amongst those manufacturers and although it's been quite a while since I’ve had my hands on one of their products for the past week we've been testing their latest Avior 8200 laser gaming mouse which brought back memories of the very impressive Naos 5000 laser gaming mouse (my very first encounter with them).

   Mionix AB was founded in 2007 by Peter Nygren. The goal was to design and develop high-end computer peripherals made for gamers. The company stands for high quality, cool design and a touch of innovation. Mionix has received numerous of international prizes and awards for their products. Mionix has a global presence with a worldwide network of distributors, resellers and partners. For more information, visit www.mionix.net.

   Since it's been roughly 3 years from the last time i tested anything by Mionix they have naturally moved forward and so the design of the Avior 8200 is nothing like that of the Naos 5000 which i used to like so much (this is where the Naos 8200 comes in and we will be looking at that pretty soon). This time over Mionix has chosen a more mainstream design for the new Avior 8200 and under the hood they have placed an Avago sensor (obviously the ADNS-9800) which is capable of delivering 8200DPI (dots per inch), 12000fps (frames per second) and up to 150ips (inches per second) at 30G's of acceleration. The Avior 8200 also features Omron switches for increased durability, a 2 LED 2 zone 16.8m color illumination system and an 32bit ARM CPU running at 72MHz. Such specifications is certainly something we've seen a few times in the past from other gaming mice but thanks to design, control software and specific firmware optimizations performed by each manufacturer the end result is always different. So let's see just what Mionix has been doing for the past 3 years shall we?

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Avior 8200 arrived inside a very small box with its picture at the front and the Mionix logo right beneath it.

At the rear of the box we see the unit features showcased on a large picture and printed in 12 different languages right next to it.

You need to slide the interior part of the box to see the unit itself behind a clear plastic clamshell cover.

The bundle is very basic and so right next to the Avior 8200 laser gaming mouse you will find a case badge and the user’s manual.

THE AVIOR 8200

The medium sized Avior 8200 (125.3mm length, 65mm width, 36.6mm height) features an ambidextrous design and rubber coating (4 layers) over the entire body for optimal grip.

Since this exact moment in time we are also testing the large G602 wireless mouse by Logitech we thought it would be nice to place them next to each other for comparison purposes.

As expected the Avior 8200 has two programmable thumb buttons on the left side.

A medium-sized Mionix logo is placed at the rear and it's also one of the two illumination zones.

The DPI buttons placed at the top can be used to rotate between 3 different DPI selection modes and are also programmable.

Two more pinky (or thumb buttons since the Avior 8200 is ambidextrous) programmable buttons are placed on the right side.

The scroll wheel also has a nice rubber coating on it and right beneath it is another LED (second illumination zone).

Turning the Avior 8200 over we see two very large PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) feet.

The Avago ADNS-9800 laser sensor may not be the fastest around but its speed/accuracy and tracking (8200DPI/12000FPS/150IPS/30G) have managed to secure many awards.

Mionix has given the Avior 8200 a braided cable and a gold plated USB connector two features that i happen to like quite a bit.

CONTROL SOFTWARE

To download the latest software version you will need to head to the official Mionix support page as seen above.

I recall that i liked the Mionix control panel when i tested the Naos 5000 almost 3 years ago and seeing it again i remember why. Of course as expected it lets the end user program all of the 9 available buttons, allows for the creation of macros, gives the option to set the DPI for all 3 available modes and also lets you set the polling rate, double click speed and scroll speed but it also gives the end user the ability to configure the lift-distance and also to analyze the quality of the surface used to see just how good it is (it doesn't however like aluminum pads much).

Via the illumination screen you can choose either both zones or one specific one to play with and you can of course also choose the desired color and effect.

CONCLUSION

   When i first got my hands on the Naos 5000 roughly 3 years ago i was very intrigued by its large size which was obviously aimed at superior comfort compared to regular gaming mice and the fact that 3 years later Mionix is still continuing the Naos line and using the same design (or at least it looks the same) means that many others felt the exact same way as i. The Avior 8200 on the other hand is a whole different approach since it was designed with a simple thought in mind, to create one of the fastest gaming mice in the market without using the bulky for some body of the far more comfortable Naos line and i have to say that it worked. The medium sized body coupled with the 4 layer rubber coating makes the Avior 8200 one of the best gaming mice I’ve ever used while the Avago ADNS-9800 laser sensor provides very fast tracking without compromising accuracy. The illumination system is also very nice looking and easy to use although i can see why some people may think it's a bit underpowered. Still Mionix was never much into bells and whistles like that and such things are always overshadowed by performance and quality something that gamers around the world cherish a lot more. My only issue with the Avior 8200 was that at first my pinky was accidentally clicking the right buttons and although that didn't take long to get used to i feel that slightly harder buttons would be more ideal for the job.

   One of the things people didn't like with the Naos 5000 was its initial price tag which was set somewhat high although not really higher than the other high-end gaming mice at the time. Well for good or bad the same applies with the Avior 8200 and when i say the same i mean literally the same since it currently retails exactly as much as the Naos 5000 did at launch. To be more specific you can currently purchase the Avior 8200 Laser Gaming Mouse by Mionix for USD89.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at around 89Euros inside the EU. That being said the equally good gaming mice in the market currently (like the SteelSeries Sensei MLG or the Roccat Kone XTD) cost roughly the same or more so i don't think that Mionix has the wrong idea. However to attract more customers and why not even get them away from other manufacturers like SteelSeries and Roccat i do think that they should follow a more aggressive pricing strategy. Overall however the Avior 8200 is indeed one of the best gaming mice we've tested to date thanks to its very fast speed, accurate tracking and design/size and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design/Size
- Accuracy/Grip (4 Rubber Coat Layers)
- 8200DPI Avago ADNS-9800 Laser Sensor
- Surface Quality Analyzer
- 128kb Onboard Memory
- 9 Programmable Buttons
- 5 Profiles
- Ambidextrous
- Illumination Control (2 Different Zones)
- Braided Cable With Gold Plated USB Connector

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Side Buttons Feel Too Soft