Biostar’s first gaming mouse is feature thin and ultra-cheap at $10

It's clear that someone forgot to give Biostar the memo, the one that says the easiest way to justify a premium price for a peripheral is to add LEDs and throw "gaming" into the title. Instead of doing that, Biostar went off script and announced the AM2, the company's first mouse and one that's aimed at gamers for a relative pittance.

The AM2, which is an "optical gaming mouse for real gamers!," carries an MSRP of just ten measly bucks. Actually it's $9.99, so technically Biostar could market this thing as a gaming mouse for under $10 if it wanted to. Apparently it doesn't, choosing instead to acknowledge the company is viewed as a value brand. That's something it's been fighting in the motherboard arena with slabs of racing-themed PCBs aimed at overclockers and enthusiasts, but for peripherals—or at least this one—it's embracing its reputation.

"As competitive gaming grows more and more, the trend in high-performance gaming mice has become a challenge for both gamers and manufacturers as it’s a challenge to find the middle-ground for the various gaming genres and preferences. As Biostar is well-known for its value-based proposition, it takes this into consideration as well as feedback from gamers into the design of the Biostar AM2 gaming mouse. The result is a striking balance of performance and quality in a simple offering meant for any and all gamers who want the most essential features like on-the-fly DPI switching, comfortable grip, and excellent tracking," Biostar explains.

Compared to mice that cost ten times as much and more, the AM2 isn't going to thrill hardcore gamers with buckets of buttons and an arsenal of fancy features. Instead it focuses on the basics.

The AM2 is an ambidextrous rodent armed with an Avago 5050 sensor capable of up to 2,400 DPI. It defaults to 800 DPI with no color indication, though you can adjust the DPI to 1,200 DPI (blue LED), 1,600 (green LED), and 2,400 (blue-green LED).

Other features include Huano button switches that Biostar says are good for up to 10 million clicks, a high-gloss mirror UV surface to make it easy to clean, and Teflon feet.

Paul has been playing PC games and raking his knuckles on computer hardware since the Commodore 64. He does not have any tattoos, but thinks it would be cool to get one that reads LOAD"*",8,1. In his off time, he rides motorcycles and wrestles alligators (only one of those is true).