First impression of the Ninox Venator
The Ninox Venator comes in a simple cardboard box, which gives a first look at the mouse on the front and on which the specifications and features are printed on the back. In addition to the Venator, the scope of delivery also includes a leaflet that explains the functions and the profile change, as well as additional PTFE sliding pads.
Due to the symmetrical design, the Venator is suitable for both right-handed and left-handed users. With dimensions of 122 x 62 x 40 mm and a weight of 80 g, the mouse is comparatively compact and is also light in the hand. The Venator has a total of 6 buttons. Two main buttons for left and right clicks, two side buttons on the left, a clickable mouse wheel and a button below for profile selection.
The surface of the Ninox Venator is slightly roughened and resembles the surface of an eggshell. The illuminated Ninox logo and the tapered rear part of the housing are particularly striking. The sides of the housing are provided with a hole pattern, which is supposed to achieve a better grip. The underside of the Venator has two large sliding pads. The mouse wheel, Ninox logo and the connection between the top and bottom of the housing are illuminated. The cable has a length of 1.8 meters and is rubberized.
The processing of the mouse is the price accordingly good. To criticize is only the mouse wheel, which has horizontal play in both directions. However, this error is already known to the manufacturer and should no longer occur in future revisions.
Ninox Venator programming
The sub-item “Software” or “Driver” usually follows at this point. The Ninox Venator, however, is a plug & play gaming mouse that completely dispenses with control software. All DPI and LED settings are made directly with the mouse. The necessary key combinations are printed on the enclosed leaflet.
A total of 3 profiles can be programmed on the profile button. There are 8 DPI choices, ranging from 400 to 12.000 DPI. With regard to the lighting, you can choose from 12 preset colors. In addition, the brightness of the lighting can be adjusted in 5 steps. The sampling rate is set to 1000 Hz by default and can only be adjusted with a firmware update. There are no gimmicks such as a macro function!
Practical test of the Ninox Venator
The Ninox Venator uses a Holtek HT68FB560 processor in combination with a Pixart PMW-3360 sensor, which is identical to the Avago ADNS-3360 and can be counted among the best, "error-free" mouse sensors on the market. The sensor is characterized by a particularly high resolution of a maximum of 12.000 DPI and achieves a possible speed of 6.35 meters per second. The main switches are of the Omron D2FC-FK type and are designed for 50 million clicks.
In practice, I found the perfect setting at 1600 DPI. Movements are precisely adopted even at a high DPI level. As expected, jittering and rippling did not occur. To the delight of gamers, there is no automatic line straightening ("Angle Snapping") and cannot be activated later (to the sorrow of CAD users). As befits a gaming mouse, there is no artificial mouse correction or mouse acceleration.
The Omron switches have an excellent click characteristic and give the player a pleasant feedback. The two trigger buttons on the side, on the other hand, are a bit stiff. The TCC mouse wheel also feels a bit imprecise due to the light, horizontal play. However, there are already instructions online on how to attach the loose mouse wheel later.
The handling of the mouse was convincing, even if I was left-handed and couldn't use the side buttons correctly. Thanks to the two large PTFE sliding pads, the Venator has good sliding properties on both textile mouse pads and plastic pads. The narrow design and the low weight will probably not meet everyone's taste, but I was able to use the Ninox Venator with palm-grip, finger-grip and claw-grip without any problems. The tapering, rear part of the housing is not annoying. A really great feature is the rough surface. Even after long gaming sessions, the surface does not become uncomfortably slippery and ensures a long-lasting grip.
Product page of the manufacturer: www.ninox.co
Ninox Venator
Symmetrical design
Attractive appearance
Very good feel
Very good click feeling
Excellent sensor
No jittering
No angle snapping
No artificial mouse correction
No mouse acceleration
Not suitable for large hands
Trigger buttons a bit stiff
Mouse wheel with too much play
The Ninox Venator meets my taste. The design of the mouse is appealing and not only outwardly, but also under the hood, the gaming mouse has a lot to offer with high-quality hardware components. That there are no extensive setting options and features, such as a macro function was waived, is not a disadvantage. The mouse does exactly what it should and works very precisely. However, the Ninox Venator is not perfect either. To criticize is especially the loose-fitting mouse wheel.
