Biostar's First 'Gaming' Mouse? Ten Bucks

Biostar, a company known for its inexpensive motherboards, is looking to expand its product categories with a gaming mouse, the AM2. That’s a dicey proposition in a peripherals market that is beyond saturated, but Biostar’s hook with the AM2 is the double-take price tag of just $10. That gets you a device that, at the very least, is doing a pretty spot-on impression of a gaming mouse that costs several times more.

The AM2 has two lighting zones, a four-step DPI switcher, and a slick look punctuated by a shiny white top panel and sharp-looking gray accents. The optical sensor (Avago 5050) is quite limited, though, offering a maximum of 2,400DPI. In fact, this datasheet indicates that the max DPI is actually 1,375 (CPI). (We’ve reached out to Biostar for clarification.)

Essentially, the Avago 5050 doesn’t seem built for gaming. But then again, your average “cheapo” mouse isn’t either, and I’m guessing many of you have pwned more than a few n00bs using less than optimal gaming mice. The low DPI, assuming it’s actually 2,400DPI, shouldn’t actually be an issue for most users. Sky-high DPI is a flashy marketing tactic more than a useful feature (which is not to say that it doesn’t have its place among certain users), and I have been told by more than one product manager that their research indicates that most users prefer a surprisingly low DPI.

The four DPI stages are preset at 800, 1,200, 1,600, and 2,400. You can toggle through them with the DPI button located on top of the mouse, and the LED color changes depending on the stage. At 800DPI the light is off entirely (an odd design choice), and at the subsequent stages, it’s blue, green, or blue-green.

There are no navigation buttons--just the L/R click, wheel, and DPI button. The ambidextrous AM2 employs Huano switches rated for a 10 million-click lifetime.

Biostar did not indicate where or when the $10 AM2 would be available.

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