Products: Feenix Nascita Mouse & Dimora Mousepad
Provided By: Feenix
Price: $97 & $36 MSRP at time of publication

Introduction:

I have been given the privilege to do a review for BCCHardware of a couple products from a new company that the crew met at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year. Most years we touch base with a number of our favorite companies to see what they have coming, such as Samsung, Thermaltake, MSI, Cooler Master and others. Sometimes we meet a few new companies. Feenix was a new company to us that we decided to touch base with and cover at the show.

 

About Feenix:

Feenix is a fairly new company, and focuses on a few really good products instead of having a huge selection of average products. They are an American computer hardware company with offices in southern California. Feenix has a crew of people that specialize in making peripherals for gamers. Feenix designs and creates consumer electronics and entertainment for PC gamers.

As a small independently owned company based in Southern California, Feenix enjoys absolute creative freedom to design, engineer, assemble and test what professional gamers consider to be the finest gaming peripherals in the world. While a meticulous assembly process limits the production volume to less than 1000 products a month, owners of Feenix peripherals can be ensured a gaming instrument of utmost excellence. By focusing a unified passion for gaming solely into the making of peripherals, Feenix is able to maintain high-quality standards, and avoid traditional corporate inattention. With build quality as a top priority, a Feenix peripheral is unparalleled in reliability due to impeccable crafting and hand finished quality checks.

 

This review will be of two products - the Nascita mouse and the Dimora mousepad. Think of this review as a "two for one Tuesday".

The Nascita mouse is black and grey laser mouse with the Feenix logo on it that lights up with a nice soft white color. The mousepad is a fairly large black surface with shiny black edging for style. The Feenix logo is nice and small and located in the top right corner. This is a hard-surfaced pad that is a bit rough and allows the mouse to glide on Teflon feet very easily. There are rubber feet underneath the pad to keep it in place on your desk. This is a rather nice looking mouse and pad!

Not only does the mouse light up all pretty, it has a little display by the left mouse button that allows you to see the currently selected DPI. The wheel is nice and is smooth to operate as it has a “grippy” finish on the middle. I’ve used other mice with stiff wheels that were smooth finished and that made it harder to switch weapons quick in-game. The Nascita didn’t come with a ton of buttons other than the left and right mouse buttons. There are two buttons on the top to change the DPI settings and two thumb buttons on the left side that you can assign to other features in-game. The front of the mouse has lights that just add a touch of class, although they don’t change color. The USB connector is gold plated and the cable is braided for durability as well as a nice finish.

 

 

As I mentioned before, Feenix only makes one of each mouse, pad, keyboard and headset. They concentrate on making high-quality products that appeal to our readers and hardcore gamers everywhere. It will be interesting to see if they can deliver on their intended purpose.

On the next page we'll take a look at the mouse in more detail and then we'll cover the specifications.

Closer Look - Nascita Mouse:

Here are some pictures of the mouse. The LED color is actually white and is brighter than what the pictures show. Without a lighting setup and tripod it’s hard for the pictures to do justice to the look and quality of the mouse. Either way this gives you a good look at what you're getting with the Nascita Mouse.

 

On the next page we'll take a look at the specifications before we jump into installation and testing.

Specifications:

Here are the specifications for both the Nascita Mouse and the Dimora Pad. If you want all the details for both of these products make sure to take a look at the manufacturer's site for all the details and updated information.

Nascita Mouse:

• With a design that exemplifies understated elegance, the Feenix Nascita does nothing but overstate its perfection as a gaming instrument.
• Feenix designed and engineered the Nascita to provide gamers with nothing short of impeccable quality, feel, and reliability. As a result the Nascita is a technical marvel, and a paradigm of excellence in quality and workmanship.
• Extensively researched and unique Feenix form factor offers perfect ergonomic feel for the Nascita regardless of whether you are a palm, claw, or semi-claw gamer.
• Feenix engineering and workmanship makes for excellent reliability, quality, lifespan, and click feel.
• Feenix's use of the latest chipsets and sensor technologies allow for a 8200 dpi laser engine with perfect accuracy, tracking, and pickups.
• In mouse LCD technology offers a completely new way of reading information and accurately adjusting DPI on the fly.Perfectly weight distributed high grade Teflon contact points produce excellent glide.
• State-of-the-art Omron switches allow for faster clicking, more tactile response, and a 10 million click lifetime.Feenix Anti-Sweat and Anti-Slip surface material provides a comfortable grip.
• Light Omron switches for the side, DPI, and mousewheel buttons allow for fast response and excellent click feel.Impeccable build quality makes the Nascita resistant to extreme water/beverage damage.
• The 2014 Nascita was designed to be driverless and completely plug and play, allowing professional gamers the streamline approach of being able to make on hardware adjustments without the use of unecessary and bloated softwareBeautiful aesthetics and design, with elegant jewel white lighting that illuminates the front, main logo on palm rest, and LCD panel.
• Every Nascita comes with a complimentary set of extra teflon feet.
• Every Feenix Nascita owner receives their own personally assigned support manager.
• The Feenix braided cord is durable, tangle free, and moldable.
• A Gold Plated USB connection provides unwavering digital transference.

 

• 8200 dpi Avago 9800 laser chipset
• Avago lens
• 1 ms response time / 1000Hz Ultrapolling
• 12000 fps1
• 50 ips
• 30g acceleration
• 114g net weight

 

Dimora Pad:

Perfection comes to life with The Dimora. Aesthetically elegant and impeccably crafted, The Dimora's design and functionality are nothing short of excellent.

The Dimora was created using the culmination of surface technologies and design practices, making it the perfect base for any Feenix mouse.

• A beautifully carved Feenix emblem and pristine flat edged borders set a refined tone for The DimoraThe Dimora's micro textured surface makes it feel as if mice are hovering on air.
• The hard micro textured surface counter-intuitively increases glide by minimizing the overall contact between the mouse and the mousepad, resulting in very low friction. Achieving unrivaled glide was one of the primary passions that fueled the making of The Dimora.
• The Dimora offers flawless tracking through the use of super reflective surface technologies. The Dimora sends data back to the sensor at speeds and consistencies unheard of with conventional mousepads.
• The single-body construction helps The Dimora achieve a level of quality and reliability that meets the expectations set by Feenix's values. This single-body structure, along with the use of internal diamond-shaped support patterning, allows The Dimora to remain perfectly flat and resilient in almost any situation.
• Optimally positioned Silicon feet on the underside of The Dimora make sure the mousepad stays firmly planted even while being used by the most aggressive of gamers.

Specifications:

• Length: 350 mm / 13.80"
• Width: 280mm mm / 11.00"
• Height: 6.0mm /0.24"

On the next page we'll take a look at installation and testing.

Installation:

When it comes to installing products, sometimes the software and driver installation can be confusing to configure and setup. The Nascita doesn't have any tricks up its cords and when you plug it in, it simply works. Complete installation was as complicated as opening a nice box and then plugging the mouse into a spare USB port. Right away the Nascita mouse lights up and ready for a good days "work" of gaming.

I placed the Dimora mousepad on my desk and "installed" the Nascita on top and I was ready to go. The mouse does include some extra feet to use when the feet that come on the mouse wear out on the rough pad surface.

Sometimes software can be overly complicated but having different profiles available is not a bad thing and it will take a bit of time to get used to as my current mouse has several totally different profiles for different games I play.

 

Testing:

When it comes to the testing gaming products, that’s where the fun begins! Right off the bat, I’ll let you know that the mouse and mousepad perform well. The Nascita glides smoothly on the Dimora and the button clicks on the mouse feel solid, but not too resistive. With different types of mouse pads – such as soft or hard pads – you can certainly tell the difference in gliding and sensitivity. Because of how smooth the Dimora glides, you may want to change up your DPI sensitivity settings.

 

The DPI sensitivity settings on the Nascita can go as low as 800dpi and can go up to 8200dpi. This is a wide range of adjustment that should fit for every gamer and every play style. Half of the “feeling” of the mouse sensitivity depends on the pad and what you’re comfortable using. In terms of sensitivity adjustments, you only have built-in presets that are limited to 800, 1200, 1600, 2400, 3200, 4800, 6400 and 8200. I tend to use somewhere around 1600 for normal web surfing and about 2400-3200 depending on the game I’m playing. Some say that’s a bit too sensitive for their taste, but it works very well for me. I like to be able to whip around to shoot down n00bs before they get me.

I’ve been playing a game that brings FPS games to a whole new level, and of course I’m talking about Titanfall! I’ve been playing this game quite a bit as I “test” the Nascita mouse and the Dimora mouse pad. I’ve also tried mixing things up with different pads as well as different mice on the Dimora pad. I used the Feenix combo at BCCHardware’s LAN party fairly recently and played some old-school CoD4 as well as a few other games including Torchlight, Black Ops and more. With competitive gaming you always want to be on guard and on your toes and don’t want a crappy small pad or a mouse that tracks poorly to be the cause of your death. Having a couple of responsive thumb buttons is very handy as I like to use the side button for a melee key. When I get up close and personal with enemies, it’s nice to quickly knife, kick or break their necks to get them out of the way.

 

When I did open the box, I immediately noticed it was a large mouse and the mousepad was pretty large as well. I have pretty small hands as a female gamer and the mouse does feel a bit bulky for me. It’s not horrible, but if it was a bit narrower, that would be great. I’ve used a narrow NXZT Avatar mouse in the past and while this may not be the greatest mouse, I do prefer this style rather than the semi-claw style of the Nascita. That being said, once you get used to the larger shape of the mouse, it feels quite comfortable. The mousepad is also rather large, and it’s nice to have a big surface to move your mouse around; especially when you're having a good round. Because this is a hard pad, you’ll want to make sure you have space on your gaming table or desk for it as you can’t do much with your keyboard if it sits on top of your pad.

 

I’ve been using a soft pad for a while, but used to use a hard pad back in the day. I never realized how much I missed the hard pad as it offers a quick and smooth glide and allows you a quicker twitch in game.

I purposely didn’t do a bunch of research on the Nascita or the Dimora before I got them so I wouldn’t have any pre-conceived ideas about the products. I thought the mouse would have a few more bells and whistles such as software and macros that I would have to figure out. Thankfully, it’s a very simple and straightforward product that gets you into the game faster without complicated setup. There are enough things to rage at in a game rather than adding crappy software or profile changes to the mix. The Nascita delivers a clean, uncomplicated experience.

Part of a reviewers job is to notice and find faults with products that they test and unfortunately (or fortunately), I really didn’t find any. Other than the personal preference of size (a bit too large for my small hands), the Nascita mouse and Dimora pad didn’t give me any hassle. They both performed great – together or mixed with other products – and does exactly what they are supposed to do. This is a high-end mouse and pad that gamers will enjoy.

On the last page, we'll summarize our thoughts on these products as we wrap up with the conclusion.

Conclusion:

 

As we wrap up our thoughts, we'll break things down by category to give you a better understanding of how we rate and score both of these products.

Quality: Nascita = 9/10, Dimora = 10/10

When scoring any product, you have to be completely fair. As this is a combined review of the Dimora mouse pad and the Nascita mouse, each of the products are scored separately. In terms of quality, I give the Nascita a 9/10 because it is high quality and looks very durable. It feels very solid and it won’t fall apart after a few hours gaming. I even did an unofficial “drop test” as it fell off my table when I was reaching around and was plugging it in and it still works fine. I probably wouldn’t throw it up against a wall when I rage quit, but it should last for years. Did the mouse live up to my expectations? In terms it certainly lives up to my expectations, but when it came to flashy features, I assumed it would have more. That being said, it’s still a good gaming mouse – without all the gimmicks.

The Dimora mouse pad was great and I gave it a 10/10 for many reasons. The quality is great and the mouse glides smooth on the surface. It is sturdy and feels very durable. The rubber feet on the bottom held it firmly in place no matter how franticly I dodged, jumped and fought my way through any battle. I surface is nice and large so that you can move your mouse around without running out of room. As far as a mousepad goes, I’m not sure how much better it could get. I used this pad at VulcLAN and it worked great. My expectations were a bit low as this pad looks, feels and performs great. Even if you're not a gamer, you would be very happy with this pad in an office setting as well.

 

Performance: Nascita = 10/10, Dimora = 10/10

When it comes to performance, both the Dimora pad and the Nascita mouse score 10/10. Both performed great. I didn’t have any issues with tracking with this pair or any combination of anything else. There was no mouse lag and the buttons are very responsive. DPI adjustment works instantly and I like the fact that you can change the sensitivity on the fly. The mouse wheel is awesome because it doesn’t stick, jam or lag when changing weapons or scrolling pages. The mouse was simple to use and install and I didn’t have to mess around with software. The lights add a nice touch and while more colors or patterns or illumination is cool, having something simple and elegant is nice for a change.

The mouse pad is also a 10/10 and it performs very well. The bottom is slip resistant and the top is slippery. It’s a slick, but rough texture that doesn't give the mouse trouble at all. The good news is that with the hard surface, cleaning up spills is easy and you won’t have to wring out spilled milk or coffee and leave stains that cause weird smells.

 

Accessories: Nascita = 10/10, Dimora = n/a

There were no accessories with the Dimora pad and the Nascita mouse package was fairly simple. The Nascita came with some extra mouse feet in case your wear out the originals after prolonged use.

 

Value: Nascita = 10/10, Dimora = 10/10

After reading the review it now comes down to you and your wallet. No matter how good a product is, if you don’t have the green in your wallet or your pants, you may have to pass. The mouse has a suggested retail price of $97 with the pad coming in at $36. I guessed the Nascita was about $100 and it surely feels like a great mouse. I thought the pad would be a bit more expensive, but at these prices, they are affordable. With these prices in mind, I think they are priced fairly, and you certainly do get a high-quality product for the price. Feenix even claims that they try out each and every product to make sure they are in good working condition before they send them out.

If you can’t find these in a retail store, you’ll be happy to know that shipping directly from Feenix is free by way of UPS ground to everyone in the USA.

Although this is not priced at budget levels, you certainly aren’t getting budget hardware and the Nascita and Dimora perform as good as they look - and they look fantastic.

 

I'd like to thank Feenix for sending out the Nascita and Dimora for a review. I am happy to say that I'd choose these over my previous gear in a heartbeat. Here's hoping BCCHardware can spring for me keep these.