Mionix Naos 3200 Black Wired LED-optical Mouse

Like a lot of people, I love my mouse. Unlike a lot of people, I can be pretty objective about it.

This mouse is awesome as a relatively cheap, low-hassle, high-performance gaming mouse. And to top it off, it's durable and has great build quality. The Naos 3200 is an optical mouse, which I prefer over laser.

No mouse is perfect for everyone. If you're shopping for a mouse, more than likely you know what you want. If you don't know what you want, the Mionix Naos 3200 is an excellent 'starter' gaming mouse in that it's relatively conventional and essentially just better than cheap wired mice without being a radical re-design. For more experienced shoppers, the reasons why you DON'T want the Naos 3200:

You're left-handed. The mouse is ergonomically designed for right-handers. You can still use it left-handed if you're at a friend's house, but you wouldn't want to buy one.

You have very particular DPI tastes. The Naos 3200 has only three speeds: 800, 1600, 3200 DPI. If you've determined 2155 DPI is the only possible setting for you, you don't want this mouse.

You think 10mm is "so damn high!" The practical-use lift-off distance for the Naos 3200 is 1 centimeter (although their website claims 3.5 mm, your results may vary), which could be slightly annoying for those who constantly lift their mice to recenter them.

You have monstrously large hands (think: you can palm a basketball) and prefer a palm grip. The Naos 3200 is not giant, but it is great for medium-sized hands. Then again, should be fantastic for large-handed claw grip people, I suppose.

You like a heavy mouse (you freak). The Naos 3200 is lightweight.

You need 452 macro buttons on your mouse. The Naos 3200 has 7 customizable buttons, including left-click, right-click and mouse wheel.

Sheesh, MisterFred, that's a long list! Who does want the Naos 3200?

Everyone for whom one of the above isn't a deal breaker. The Naos 3200 is a joy to use. The mouse has a comfortable, clean feel, seems light as a feather, and glides effortlessly over just about any surface. I've dropped mine and kicked the cord a few times: no damage. LED haters can turn the LED off. LED lovers get a nice glowy design in green, red, or blue. The mouse can quick-switch between DPI settings for those who want both slow and fast options.

Let me continue to sing its praises. The Naos 3200 is, by far, the most comfortable mouse for gaming or browsing I've ever used. It has a side-rest for the ring AND pinky fingers. Your arm will never get tired moving this mouse around (the mouse itself weighs 99 grams). Heck, the cord has a classy braided cover with just the right amount of stiffness to eliminate cord drag - no mouse bungee needed. It feels like a wireless mouse - with spectacular accuracy.

My gaming environment is not the most conducive to good mouse function. I have a crowded desk, sometimes including crumbs (I'll admit it), and I don't currently have a mouse pad, relying on the top of my faux-leather desk instead. The Naos 3200 doesn't blink an eye - or miss a pixel. I mis-click noticeably less than with lesser mice.

A few perks do round out the package. Once you download the driver, the settings you select are saved to the mouse itself. Unplug it and plug into a different computer, your settings remain the same. Four buttons can be easily changed to macros or what not, two comfortably near the thumb, two below the mouse wheel. I customized one to function as an 'h' key (the hotkey I use for warpgates in SC2), a pleasant convenience. Other common functions are rotating between DPI settings or LED colors.

Conclusion

The Naos 3200 is relatively cheap (~$50 USD), but you don't sacrifice any performance. The build quality and precision is top-notch. It's exceptionally comfortable for the vast majority of people, fitting my medium (male) sized hand perfectly (I prefer a loose palm grip - I could use a claw grip if I really wanted to). Once you've selected your settings, the driver isn't needed anymore (the settings are saved to the mouse itself - so they hold true if you switch between computers). Choose between 800, 1600, and 3200 DPI (3200 being a bit too fast for most people, 1600 is the sweet spot for me), and the mouse just works. Ease of use should not be underappreciated.

While you don't sacrifice any performance with a Naos 3200 - it is a top-level gaming mouse - you do sacrifice some extras and perks niche users desire. A limited number of buttons means a limited number of macros bound to the mouse. If you know you need those, you already know you need those, so no worries. The mouse wheel is great, but I have used smoother mice wheels (oh logitech, the one thing you do right).

Long story short, if you just want a kick-ass mouse that's durable, will last, and won't break the bank, stop here. Buy this mouse. If you have special needs, you probably know what they are, and can decide if the Naos 3200 meets them or not. I have essentially only one special need - I like my mouse to be as light as possible - no hand-weights for me, please. The Naos 3200 meets that need, so I love it. If it meets your particular needs, you'll love it too.