Looks like it could be a winner, what sensor does it use? (and which other mice use this sensor?)

ADNS-3090, don't know what other mice.

No prediction.

88 grams without cable though :-(

All this information is at the link, so check it out.

G400, Puretrak Valor, CM Spawn use the 3090.

G400 not.

G400's sensor is based on the 3090.

Correct.

PS: you can add the I-Rocks IR-7572 to that list. ;)

Ah I didn't see the sensor in the info, thanks anyway :)

cable in zowie mice is PERFECT !

:D

Too light :/

88 grams too light? you crazy.

well at salmosa/abyssus size I like roughly 95-110g
with bigger mice I like heavier weights but I can bare with 80.

Depends on the price...

Looking at the rest of their product I guess it will be pretty high.

Edit:

59,90 EUR/USD (as expected) according to their marketing guy on facebook

"ZOWIE AM features two buttons on each side – but only one side can be active at a time"

I like using the buttons on the other side :/ like the IMO 1.1...

Other than that looks kind of cool, looks like they had to sacrifice a fair bit of DPI for the custom lens though, don't they know about the tape method ;D I mean looks like the only reason they done it was for the lower lift off distance, if they're making a new mold anyway they might aswell just make the sensor hole smaller Oo

We will have to see how well their solutions works, besides that it looks promising.

Compared to the Xai the size is a bit odd.
It's allmost exactly as long and high but not far from one cm less wide.

125,5 x 68,3 x 38,7 vs. 125 x 60 x 39 mm

That's even 4 mm less than a Kinzu.

Comparison pic with Xai
The violet stroke is inside but the pic doesn't tell too much have to try it.

Looks awesome! :)

If I don't get round to replacing my broken WMO, I will be going with this or whatever bst comes up with :)

comes from cs? fuck no.

Hopefully will be able to turn off the lights if there are any (big FU to razer for abyssus >.<).
Otherwise, looks nice and simple, apart from the red coloring.

Mmm Xaidder... let's just hope they don't fuck it up, the DPI values look weird.

I want (a) active button(s) on both sides too :( like imo1.1

Does anyone know what's the difference between the AM and the AM GS ? I can't find any.

http://www.zowiegear.com/products?page=shop.p...egory_id=1
http://www.zowiegear.com/products?page=shop.p...egory_id=1

GS has glossy sides

http://www.zowiegear.com/component/content/ar...troduction

Ah thanks!

looks nice

irst review is up on fragbite.se , not very informative but still better than no review at all i suppose ....

For just over a year ago released HeatoN and Zowie GEAR a mouse-series called EC. The mice, EC1 and EC2, became extremely popular and now has Zowie released yet another mouse was developed in cooperation with the former NiP and SK player Abdisamad "SpawN" Mohamed. The mouse is known as Zowie AM and has not been released yet, but Fragbite have had the honor to test the new product. Scroll down and see what you can expect from Zowie AM!


Design and Ergonomics

Many of you have probably tried Steelseries Xai, Kinzu or Sensei. This mouse has a shape that is very similar to the mice. As an avid user of the Intellimouse 3.0, I was initially skeptical that this 1.1-like shape would be to my taste, but I was wrong. After having spent a few days to get used to the shape I must say that it is very comfortable. The mouse has a comfortable size and its shape is a perfect example of the phrase "less is more". No wacky curves where your fingers are meant to be, but it is very simple shaped so simply himself may choose how to keep your mouse, unlike many other mice that were released today.

Shapes and curves in all the glory, but an extremely important factor in a mouse's material. This mouse's surface is the same material as the EC-Series black mice, but this time the mouse is coated and not just the top. This means that the mouse sits glued to the hand, and the slightly rubber-like feeling help keep sweat away.

To end this small chapter with mouse look. At first, when I held the mouse in the air and inspected it, I thought it was extremely ugly compared with EC-series. However, I realized that there was really only the extremely red underside that bothered me in terms of color, and it's not visible when the mouse is on the table. Stylish!

Technology and functionality

The first thing I tested beyond the grip of course, was how the buttons and scroll felt. The scroll feels like in the old EC mice, very stable and durable. The buttons known as Mouse1 and Mouse2, ie buttons forefinger and middle finger is on, is large and comfortable to push force. Something interesting is that the buttons known as Mouse4 and Mouse5, that is, side buttons, found on both sides of the mouse. This is for Zowie AM's shape also allows for left-handers to use it. Identical on both sides, something that would be appreciated by players who Tixo, Hibbs and def!

Features:
Ambidextrous mouse developed by legendary CS-player Abdisamad 'SpawN' Mohamed
Two thumb buttons on Both Sides to Comfortably serve left-or right-handed users
Easy to switch between left-and right-hand functionality, No Drivers Needed
Optical encoder mouseWheel System for Increased Durability
450 / 1150 / 2300 DPI adjustment
Adjustable USB report rate 125 / 500 / 1000 Hz
Zowie custom-designed lens for a very low lift-off distance = 1.5 ~ 1.8mm
Operating System: Win2000/XP/VISTA/7, Mac OS X v10.2 juices

Specifications:
DPI (Dots Per Inch): 450/1150/2300
Connector: USB
Buttons: 5
Length of cable: 2 m / 6.6 ft.

Measurements:
Length: 125 mm / 4.92 in
Width: 60 mm / 2:36 into
Height: 39mm / 1:53 into
Weight: 88g (without cable)


Zowie AM, just as the EC-series, three different DPI modes. 450, 1150 and the 2300th Personally, I chose to play with the lowest setting when it just suits me best. This is a convenient way to change the DPI, and can certainly be useful in games like Battlefield 3 where some vehicles, such as a tank, often have much lower sensitivity than when you just interest around and Aimar. This advice on usability, I was actually by himself HeatoN when EC-series came out, so I will not take me the honor.

Zowie AM do not need, nor has, any software. This is so very convenient for the more lazy kind of person, like myself, who simply do not want to fuss with settings to get the mouse well. However, I can imagine it is incredibly negative if one feels that something with the mouse does not fall into one flavor. It always feels good to have software to fall into, although it may not be needed.


Pros:

Performance and accuracy
Simple, comfortable shape and grip
Stylish design
Works equally well for left-handers as right-handed
The buttons are nice and feels durable

Positive and negative:

No software needed, no software exists

Negative:

Cost some

cmon zowie plz don't fuck this up :D

I don't mean to sound like an elitist dick, but I got nothing out of this so called "review"

dpi levels on this are shitty, there's no good middle dpi. it's either 450 or ones that are too high

I don't really get what's so bad about the DPI. It has 450 for those low sens users, and 1150 can be used with simple elementary mathematics.

well for one, it sucks on the desktop for those with widescreen lcd's. 450 is too slow and 1150 is too fast in a res like 1680 or 1920. so then you would have to change the windows sensitivity slider but then your mouse would be fucked up in games that don't have rawinput.

Screw it you get used to it. Promise

I use 450dpi on the desktop. Feels fine.

Screw the dpi numbers, as long as it does everything else perfect. I'm going to buy 1, test it and if pleased order a box of 10 and never worry about mice again.

So I received my Zowie AM today.

450 dpi on the mouse is not actually 450 dpi. Having worked out my sensitivity to what I'll need to adjust to for 450 dpi, the cm/360 was lower than it should have been. I reverse calculated and go that the mouse at 450 dpi is actually ~475 dpi.

The shape is awkward than I would have thought. Since its much narrower than the XAI, but the same length, it's awkward to grasp.My hands naturally feel like it wants the mouse to be wider.

The mouse buttons feel solid and quite stiff. I prefer it like this since I have a tendency to bash M1. Though I can see some people complaining about the stiffness.

The large diameter of the lens area on the base will mean it's quite difficult to measure your cm/360, which you'll have to do since the mouse it not actually 450 dpi on the 450 dpi setting.

so its only 475, 1150 and 2300 cpi settings, correct?

here you go, proper review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl3Z9UHq-ls&feature=g-u

this is actually the first youtube review that is not complete shit. only thing missing was some ingame footage.

that guy reviewed the cm storm spawn, along with all the mice discussed on esr. as far as i know that guy plays quake.

obviously, since he even mentioned Quake in the review

I haven't tried 1150 and 2300.

So my sensitivity still didn't feel right, so I remeasured and so on and it's actually 450 dpi is actually ~480 dpi.

Having used it for a day, the mouse is a delight to use but I still feel the shape could be done better.

How easily are the mouse1 & 2 pressed?

is it true that you cant press both buttons at the same time cuz they block eachother?

or smth like that :P

Needs way more pressing in than the G9x and the Xai and the MX518.

I wouldn't be wrong in saying but more than any popular gaming mouse out there.

Thanks.

I won't be getting this rodent, then.

sounds nice but.. 60 bucks for a wmo lookalike is kinda expensive :X

I don't have any problem like that at all.

Yeah, I read about that, but I just don't have that problem.

I'm thinking there may be a bad batch floating around the USA or something.

it doesnt matter where on the mouse you put your baseline. the 360 will still be the same.

Does this have the same clickers as the spawn (lmb and rmb)? I love the clicks on this mouse and the shape is decent but I wanna try something new too. Always liked ambidextrous mice.

Same as on the EC series from Zowie AFAIK. "Huano" switches or something. Can't remember the exact name. The Spawn uses Omrons.

Modified Huano switches but the first EC batches had Omrons (according to Zowie)

Recieved my Zowie AM yesterday it amazing and finally the mouse i have been waiting for

shape wize it feels like a MS 1.1 or optical blue and feels perfect. Tracking is flawless. It does have the mouse 1 + 2 overlapping issue but thats only a issue if you have hugh hands and press them together at the tip

Great mouse

I though it was smaller than ms 1.1, or not so wide?

I dunno why the mouse is so expensive though. It's almost 2x the price of a spawn with worse components but a better shape.

Worse components? The Huano switches are harder to press but should be around the same lifespan. The cord is better and the wheel uses an optical encoder (which is more expensive).

Omron switches cost more AFAIK. I personally prefer them. Spawn also has an optical encoder for the scroller iirc. The AM cord is most likely a lot better since the spawn one is shit. Regardless the price isn't justified imo.

Spawn is Mechanical.

Optical and mechanical encoders can be cheap or expensive. Feel better or worse. Depends on the part itself.

Expensive does not mean better and vice versa. Meaning that, yes maybe the Huano switches are cheaper but they aren't worse imo. Btw. the price for gaming mice ain't justified in general.

Zowie charge 3x prices for their mice.
Those optical mice are cheap enough to make in large quantity.
Its just small brand added Heaton or Spawn.
If they dont have pro gamers added on their website; them they would be unknown brand.

Zowie does not charge more than Razer or Steel do. But they are a smaller company and thus do not get to produce so many mice. Plus, they do not have access to big retail stores like Razer or Steel do nowadays. At the end of the day, Razer and Steel become cheaper because the retail stores are competing.

I mean, look at what Razer themselves charge for a DA 3.5: 59,99 Euros. www.razerzone.com

So no, Zowie does not charge more than the others. All of them charge too much :)

Zowiefanboy :P
I am just joking.
>>BST is making 5 button mouse with same sensor. He said it will be 35 euro.
http://www.esreality.com/?a=post&id=2174742#pid2174742

I believe he probably is smaller company than Zowie.

RE to Razer and SS website and Logitech too. On their website they will have high prices. And they are pretty low on other online retailers.
Deathadder is £41 in retail + free shipping. (Amazon)
SS Xai was on offer £31 when amazon sold me.
G400 is £26 and can go cheaper upto £20 in future.
Zowie Am is £49.99 on local retailer here. + £6 shipping.
Zowie were EC1/2 is £56 on amazon.co.uk lol.

So even retailers are selling way expensive here. On their website it costs 59.99 + 14.99 euros. Which comes £66 which is ridiculous.

Zowie dont even do as much advertising as Razer, Steelseries or Logitech do

There aren't many online resellers for Zowie. There are for Razer and SS. For Razer and Steel there is price competition. Why should Caseking lower the price of a EC or AM in GER if they are the only store who sell it here?

See my point? You can get Razer mice cheaper due to more resellers. Not because Razer is cheaper. In fact if Razer could dictate the price they'd charge the same. That's what they do with their store.

Again, all of this is too expensive I agree. But Zowie is no exception.

I seriously don't think that's true. The markup isn't that big. The retailers don't slap on a 50% markup just because there are a few less retailers than the other mouse manufacturers. I mean the price is pretty much the same worldwide. If the markup were that big more retailers would sell the mice, no doubt.

Zowie simply charges more for their mouse so they can't charge less. Probably at least partly because they have way smaller volumes than Razer/SS.

No. Just no. Razer charges 59,99 Euros for a DA 3.5 Zowie charges the same for an AM. Look up what they are charging and then come back.

Dude, what they charge on their online store has no bearing on what the retailers buy the mouse for. You think the retailers buy their mice from the razor/ss/zowie online stores? You think resellers of logitech products get their products and prices from the logitech online store?

Retailers deal on a whole different market with other stakeholders involved (big resellers of hardware etc). Nothing to do with the end consumer.

Manufacturers/brand online stores always have a lot higher prices than online retailers. Most of them don't really have the logistical setup to sell large quantities anyway.

Exactly. Resellers get a discount. Razer and SS can give this discount because they are big enough. Zowie cannot. IF Razer and Steel could dictate the price they would charge as much as Zowie (supposedly has to).

So: No Zowie does not charge 3x the money Razer or Steel does.

Now, why do I get the impression I repeat myself and you just did not get it the first time around :)?

You used the prices of their online stores as an argument of why the only factor that Zowie has higher prices in retail stores is because lack of competition.

Razer/SS don't give a discount. They simply sell their mice to wholesalers for less than Zowie does. They certainly could charge more for them but competition between those companies have probably driven their price down - and their own markup down as well. Zowie certainly isn't competing with the big boys yet.

So yeah, more competition certainly means lower prices - both between manufacturers and retailers. But the prices are just way too high for that to be the only reason.

In Sweden over 20 online stores carry the Zowie products yet the prices for the products are pretty much the same as in other countries.

Bottom line, it's not because of a lack of competition or that the retailers have a super high markup on the mice, but because Zowie charges more for their mice to wholesalers, for whatever reasons. Some are most likely justified; they're a new player on the market, their mice are arguably of a higher quality, they have lower production volumes, etc.

That particular mouse (my 3 button one) is more of an exception rather than the norm, its really good value (most mice cost a lot more from the factory), also they were estimated prices, though still fairly accurate, a bit too cheap tbh, probably by about £5 (for the 3090).

For a mouse like the AM, the price is about right, imo. Its just what happens.

I'll do it as if they're a UK company, so say they pay £8 ex vat delivered for the mouse, and the inc vat RRP is £50, and the retailer works on a 2.6x margin (though they probably want more), 50/2.6 = approx £19. So then 19-8 = Zowie will make £11 per mouse, and the retailer makes about £23 (£42 ex vat RRP minus £19 ex vat wholesale price).

But lets say the retailer wants 3x margin, then Zowie has to sell it for £16.66 ex vat, and they make £8.66 per mouse.

(Obviously I don't know what Zowie pays for their mice but I think I'm in the right ballpark.)

Then don't forget they probably invested about £7,000 in the AM and thats a conservative estimate (not including their own staff wages, office rental, shows etc), so they have to sell about 1000 before they even see a profit...

Of course its up to the retailers though, they don't have to make a 3x margin, but it gives them room to undercut the competition, and also zowie doesn't have to make £11 a mouse when they're aiming at 2.6x, they could just set it at £8, but when the retailer comes along who wants 3x, they start to make less profit and its not worth it. So basically both the wholesaler and the retailer usually give themselves a buffer, so they can sell it cheaper if they really need to.

Edit: And yeah because larger companies like logitech sell so many more mice, they pay less for them (logitech iirc has its own factories and so they pay cost price), and they can have a lot smaller margin, and thats why you can get something like a G400 for such a cheap price.

I really don't think online retailers make that much per mouse. They work with very small margins as the competition is fierce. 10-15% maybe...

I didn't think they had such low margins on the small gaming mice companies O_O thought the low margins were more for components and the big name brands. Suppose I'll find out for sure soon enough.

I wanna try this mouse out, the kinzu v2 pro and kana. Both Steelseries mice are around 75grams though. The sensor on the AM looks pretty damn good though.

Got mine, it has a sidebutton issue though. Other then that, I'm surprised, turned out better then expected.

More info here: http://www.overclock.net/t/1182539/zowie-am-review/280

I do not wish to argue more! :P
I worked in retail industry and I was basing my guess on that.
Zowie are little overpriced and dont even give free shipping.
They should have charged maximum 50 euros + free shipping.

Its just my opinion.
As you get mouse which has no future firmware no software (plz don't argue on this either)
Quality is not as good as Razer/ SS/ Logitech. You dont feel that mouse is worth that money.
If you hold G400 it feels pretty solid and have solid clicks feels like its worth £26.
Razer Deathadder = Coating feels nice; clicks are solid but mouse doesn't feel its some cheap thing. I know it is weak mouse can break with heavy usage but feels nice quality.

Zowie EC2 and mico which I had feels pretty cheap build for money they charged to me.

Forget the rest not buying Zowie any more.

Wut? Razer has a shit build quality, nothing near the one of Zowie. Stop trolling please.

Also, not having a software is a neg for you? Razer has to release firmwares and software updates for their broken products to fix them AFTER launch. :D

Every Razer DA I've had, had a broken scrollwheel after 6 months or less.

Software always comes handy to tweak mouse according to what you would prefer. Newer firmwares would improve tracking overtime.

Deathadder I had broke in a month. Salmosa I had squeaked till end.
Copperhead keeps disconnecting.
Razer Lachesis and Pro v 1.6 sitting in my drawer because I haven't used them a lot.

Its just not me others are facing problems about their mice breaking in few months.

Zowie EC2 right click wasn't working properly for me after 4 months. And it has annoying smoothness in tracking. Mico was shit too lol

I am trying to comment of my experience with Zowie products as it is Zowie mouse thread.

After buying so many mice nYshak why none of them suit for your preference?

The AM suits me just fine. You on the other hand say Zowie does not have the build quality of Razer and then proceed to list all the problems with Razer mice and how fast you broke them.

That makes absolute sense. Just like the statement that newer firmwares would improve tracking overtime. Why? I guess because they are _new_. Lolz. There is nothing wrong with the tracking of the AM and you can set all you need on the hardware level. CPI, polling rate, left vs. right orientation. But I take it you'd think it better if you could only do that with software? So whenever you go to LAN - and god forbid gamers do that and that's the target group of Zowie - you have to bring the mouse and the software. Yeah, why have a mouse that does everything with plug & play. I'm sorry, I guess this does not makes sense to you :)

You are allowed to use softwares in LAN lol.
It took razer 2 years atleast to remove prediction from Deathadder and reduce lift of distance. Thats why it was the best product of Razer and players are demanding a lot for it.

Not just slap custom lens and make low lod. Buy some custom firmware (not made by Zowie) and sell mice for 60 euros. Which hasn't put lots of effort on tweaking it.

Regarding to build quality of AM. People are reporting side buttons issues. So it doesn't sound like it has good build quality.

I will ignore you from now on till the end of time :)

Your such a troll

It feels pretty strong, stronger then a Razer mouse.

Anyone here who has an AM and is wanting to sell it, I'm willing to buy. Let me know.

Sweet! kustompcs.co.uk have the revised second batch in stock today....just ordered :D

Got it, liked wmo better. Why no one mention prediction? What is this shit: http://i.imgur.com/fMDUL.png? Can't get why mice 10 years ago were much better?

Because it has no prediction. Like I told you on IRC your mouse seems broken. Shit happens.

Yes, just got reply from zowie support, they suggest to replace my mouse.

I could think of a possible cause. but I'm not exactly 100% sure. ;o

Maybe this one did not have the prediction disabled?

@cerb: Yes, with the Avago 3090 prediction can be en- or disabled. The AM has it disabled _normally_.

Yes i fixed it somehow, feels great now.

It's not that. Two separate ROMs. The factory likely only worked on one variation.

The cause I assume wouldn't be related to the sensor itself though ^_^

a USB port fault i think

if only they had a white version of this mouse :(

They actually do, AM-FG, google it :p

noone told me!

Is this a full glossy version or rubber?

FG - Full Glossy

o: do you happen to have one? or know someone that does?

it seems to not have been released yet in the states.

Well, he owns AM with glossy upper part (rubber coat removed) and i using GS (Glossy Sides) and could say that i'd like to have FG, it provides great grip to non-sweaty hands (can't test sweaty ones cos summer is done there). Probably will try to remove rubber if 'chinese smell' of it will not go out in a week or so, drives me mad.

Ah, alright. I had an IME 3.0 Legends which is the only mouse I've had with a glossy shell and I liked it quite a bit. Just didn't know if it was a good or a bad thing for the AM as I've not had any other exposure to it.

Guys, how fast did you change your mousefeet? Mine looks worn out only after few months. Not completely but lower part has a lot of scratches. I have a complect of new wmo glides, will it be good idea to slap them on top of regular glides or should i just wait and use spare feet?

slap them on and reduce your mouse lift off distance.

Not sure about which mouse he asks since he's mentioning WMO glides and this is Zowie AM thread... but if it's about Zowie AM then reducing lift off distance is worst idea ever.

This mouse has problems with too low lift off distance, reduce it and mouse completely stops working.

I feel like you missed the sarcasm