Microsoft’s first real entry into the competitive arena of gaming mice. Does the Habu have what it takes to compete against the crowd favorites?

Category: Mouse
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Product: Habu™ Laser Gaming Mouse
Gallery: Click Here
Price: $51.99

Collaborations are not a common occurrence in the hardware world. Companies tend to keep to themselves when developing new products so they can take all the credit if those products succeed. Still, there have been some major products released in the past that have been accepted with varying results. Though many of these products have had a significant impact on the computing world and been relatively successful, chances are good that you have never really heard about them. However, I can name two products of these cooperative efforts that you should have some knowledge of: SED Technology (Hitachi, Canon), and the Cell microprocessor (IBM, Toshiba, Sony). Although hardware manufacturers may not be fond of the idea in general, when they actually do collaborate, some pretty impressive things tend to follow.

It is a product of the collaboration between two companies that finds itself on our workbench today. In 2003, Microsoft launched their IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. Although the IME3.0 was not developed as a gaming mouse, nor targeted towards gamers, the gaming community was quick to adopt it for its reliability, solid performance, and perhaps most of all, its comfort. Since then Microsoft’s Hardware division has admittedly been out of the gaming scene. While their aging products still attracted the die-hard IntelliMouse-using gamers, companies like Logitech and Razer were releasing mice that were, technically at least, far superior. This is why sometime in either late 2005 or 2006 a representative from Microsoft Hardware contacted the president of Razer, Robert Krakoff, about the possibility of teaming up to release a revolutionary product.

To be called the Habu, this new mouse would incorporate design elements from Microsoft and technology from Razer, in addition to some never-before-seen features. When it hit the shelves in early November 2006, gamers were instantly reminded of the classic IME3.0 shape underneath the curvaceous Razer exterior. Initial reviews were mixed; the Habu seemed to suffer from the same skipping problems that countless gamers had been experiencing with Logitech’s G5 and Razer’s own Copperhead laser mice. It being February of the next year already, we have certainly had some time to develop our own opinions of the Habu.

{mospagebreak heading=Introduction&title=Specifications}

Specifications

For a product that was developed as quickly as the Habu, I wouldn’t expect anything on the specifications side to be groundbreaking or even new. Taking a look at the specs for the Habu, we see that the numbers are identical to those of the Razer Copperhead. The specs also appear to be those of the Agilent ADNS-6018 laser engine, an updated model of the ADNS-6010 used in Logitech’s G5 and G7 mice. Here are Habu’s specifications organized in a neat feature-based format that I stole from the Microsoft product page.

Customizable Buttons - Two removable side button panels give you options for different hand sizes or preferences and all seven buttons are programmable—-storing up to five profiles in mouse memory.

High Speed Sensitivity Switching - Adjust mouse sensitivity on the fly — up to 2000 DPI – for controlled sensitivity. The default is 800 DPI, but is adjustable from 400, 800, 1600 to 2000 DPI with the toggle buttons.

High-speed motion detection - Gamers get their speed on with movements up to 45-inches per second, 20-G acceleration and more than 7080 frames per second.

16 bit Data Path and 1000 Hz Ultrapolling - Habu™ has a 16 bit data path for increased bandwidth with high-sensitivity mouse activity. Increased data path improves response time.

Superior Response Time - With an always-on laser that delivers near-zero-lag response time.

Mouse Glide - Habu™ has ultra-slick Teflon® to provide smooth and quiet gliding.

Ergonomic Design - A right handed comfort design allows slip-resistant grip with rubber-coated buttons for improved comfort for long hours of gaming.

Wired Mouse - Wired for faster performance.

Hardware Configuration

• Mousepad: fUnc sUrface1030 Archetype
• Mousepad: NOIDpad Custom
• Mousepad: QPAD|CT (White)
• Mousepad: QPAD|EC-R (White)
• Surface: Engineered Wood Desk

Software Configuration

• Driver: Razer Habu Driver versions 1.00, 2.10
• Operating System: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2

{mospagebreak title=First Impressions}

First Impressions
For some reason when we review a mouse at FPSLabs, we like to discuss, often in great detail, the box it comes in. For the life of me I can’t think of a practical reason for doing this, although the packaging could play some sort of role in how likely the average joe is to walk through the mouse section of a retail store and choose it over the others. If that is indeed the case, then the Microsoft Habu is the inhabitant of one of the sharper looking mouse packages I have personally ever seen. (Not that the package would ever make me buy a mouse, nor should it for you!)

From the pictures you can see that the Habu clearly inherits its shape from the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. The only big difference between the shapes of the two mice is that the front end of the Habu is slightly raised. I actually prefer the shape of the Habu to that of the IME3.0 because the raised buttons seem to allow a quicker reaction time due to the user’s fingers being less relaxed. The science behind mousing posture is one in which I am certainly no expert, but after using this mouse interchangeably with the IME3.0 for quite a while, that is the feeling I got. Aside from that, the buttons themselves are flared out for a more aggressive look that is typical of all Razer mice.

Taking a look at the underside of the mouse, the first thing that struck me were the characteristic Razer mouse feet. While the mouse feet found on most Razer mice are typically smaller than those on the bottom of Logitech and even Microsoft mice, their placement and composition is widely regarded as superior, particularly in the rear. The larger Teflon skate near the back of the mouse is positioned in a manner that handles the extra weight placed on the mouse due to the user’s hand.

From the overall appearance of the mouse, it is very clear that Razer played a major role in the design phase. The two signature design features of the most successful Razer mice are also present in the Habu: Flared buttons and the LED tube. Whether or not the LED tube is a desirable feature is up for debate, but there certainly is some functionality associated with the contoured, flared mouse buttons. Certainly, these mouse buttons are not any more comfortable than normal mouse buttons, nor are they really positioned in any way that aides the user, but they do add a certain element of control to the mouse. For users that use their fingertips to guide the mouse along the surface, the bumps in the button provide a nice surface on which to apply that force while essentially eliminating the possibility of slippage.
{mospagebreak title=Features}

Features
If nothing else, the Habu is certainly a feature-rich mouse. Not only does the Habu sport the legendary IME3.0 shape, it takes the best of what Microsoft and Razer have developed over the last several years and combined it all into one package. Before taking a look at the physical/hardware features of the mouse, let’s see what the Habu software has to offer.

As you can see the Habu software is clearly developed by Razer. The functionality and overall look of the driver interface are very similar to those of the Razer Diamondback and Copperhead. In the base section of the drivers, there is a very intuitive button mapping area that works just as well as it does with any other mouse driver. This feature also gives you the option to map any of the buttons on the mouse to an “Advanced Feature”, a new section of the driver window will reveal itself. This area allows you to map the selected button to literally any basic Windows function. Unfortunately, using this feature could prove to be more of a detriment to gamers than a benefit, but for work-oriented multi-taskers, having Windows functions at your disposal in this manner could be an asset.

In the same base window of the Habu driver, you have the option to change the lighting effects on the mouse. If you are not a fan of the brilliant blue light coming from every crevice of the mouse, you can simply turn them off.

The final section of this window allows you to change the polling rate of the mouse to 1000Hz from the typical 125Hz. You can also adjust the dpi level of the mouse from here, although I am not sure why you would chose to do it this way when you could simply use the DPI UP and DOWN buttons on the mouse by the scroll wheel.

The Advanced settings pullout allows you to change the relative sensitivity in the X and Y coordinates. This feature will allow you to have less sensitivity in the up and down direction or the left and right direction, while the in-game setting remains the same for both. Useful? Perhaps. One cool feature that the Habu driver has is the ability to see and adjust the Windows pointer sensitivity from within the driver itself. You often have to navigate through the mouse properties in the control panel to adjust this sensitivity, and having it right there in the same window as the rest of your mouse settings is a time-saving feature. There is also a sensitivity adjuster within the Habu driver itself. It is common to have multiple sensitivity sliders to allow for superfine adjustment of sensitivity.

The next feature in the Habu driver concerns the double-clicking speed, and there is actually a little test area that tasks you with double clicking on a pane of glass to make it shatter. The last interesting thing about the Habu driver is that it displays both the current Driver and Firmware versions. This serves as a reference when downloading new software and also when troubleshooting the mouse.

{mospagebreak title=Features (cont)}

The Habu driver, like so many Razer drivers before it, is not without its flaws. The directions on the included “quick-start” pamphlet instruct you to update the drivers for the mouse right away. I downloaded the latest driver from the Razer site and installed it. Upon restarting my computer (you have to do this after every driver/firmware version change), the Fimrware Version was not recognized. What’s more, the mouse was not being detected by the driver (it was working though?), so any setting changes that I made did not go through. I eventually installed the original driver version and then updated it to the more recent one, which seemed to fix this problem. After updating the driver and firmware to the latest version, I experienced some problems with the settings in the driver updating after I made changes. The driver actually crashed one time when I went to apply my settings. I trust that this issue will be addressed with the next driver release, as the original driver version 1.0 did not seem to exhibit this problem.

Externally, most of the features on the Habu are nothing out of the ordinary. The buttons on the Habu are notably well designed in terms of feel and reponse. The rubberized surface provides superior grip, while the effort required to press a button is just right. We often come across mice in our labs that are far too easily clicked – it can be a serious problem when playing games.

The middle scroll wheel appears to be very similar to that of Microsoft’s IntelliMouse Explorer 4.0. It is large, semi-transparent, rubberized, and has very large detents when compared with a smaller scroll wheel like that found on the IME3.0.

Behind the scroll wheel are the dpi adjustment buttons. I find this location to be ideal, as on the fly dpi adjustments should not be made accidentally, and this placement requires a conscious effort by the user to engage the buttons.

As on Razer mice, the LED Tube doubles as a rubberized grip that spans the perimeter of the mouse. This grip can be useful for players that suffer from the dreaded Sweaty Palm Syndrome (SPS).

On the underside of the mouse are two buttons that make the Habu the most unique mouse we have tested to date. At the rear of the mouse is a button that acts as a sort of “reset” switch. If your mouse stops functioning during a driver install or just randomly, you can reset the mode and likely fix the problem by depressing this circular button. The second button is what is really sets the Habu apart, however. The left side of the Habu has two buttons reminiscent of what is seen on the IME3.0.

Two of the biggest complaints from users of the IME3.0 are that the side buttons are too easy to press and that they are not positioned correctly. The Habu has addressed the latter of these problems by allowing the user to customize their button locations. Microsoft and Razer have accomplished this by shipping the Habu with two separate side panels that connect electronically with the rest of the mouse. The button on the bottom of the mouse releases the panel, which can then be pulled off and swapped with a different one. The panels not only differ in the location of these buttons, but the size and shape vary between the two as well. The panels can be swapped out while your computer is turned on and the mouse is running without a hitch. The side buttons on the Habu also provide more resistance than those on the IME3.0, though not by much.
{mospagebreak title=Testing,}

Testing
While it can be said that the forums here at GotFrag Hardware are saturated with post after post of identical subject matter and often nonsensical discussion, the tremendous value that the opinions in various threads cannot be denied. When writing peripheral reviews, we often do a quick search of the forums to see what issues, if any, members of the community have had or are having with the product we are reviewing.

After performing a search for “habu”, we found several threads asking which mouse they should get between the Habu and an alternative, usually the new IME3.0. In these threads, it was common to see someone reply with problems they have had with the Habu. Of those problems, the most common was that it skips at low sensitivity and fast movements. After reading this, the basis for my testing was formed. I would try to replicate this skipping by setting the dpi of the mouse to 2000, dropping the Windows sensitivity down to the lowest, and setting my Counter-Strike in-game sensitivity to 1.0.

With the original 1.00 driver version, I tested the mouse using fast, long, sweeping movements across the Razer Mantis Control mousepad and an engineered wood desk. I was able to replicate the skipping problem that the community complained about in the forums with pretty good consistency. However, most laser mice seem to exhibit this problem out of the box, but several of them have firmware updates available that claim to fix it. With that, I updated the Habu’s firmware to the latest version 2.01 and repeated the test. The skipping problems, while diminished, were still present. Instead of skipping nearly every time I moved the mouse across the pad, the mouse skipped one out of 10 times. This test was certainly repeatable and performing it over and over again yielded the same results.

{mospagebreak title=Conclusion}
Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Coming into this review, we had high hopes for the Microsoft Habu. This was a mouse that was taking everything we loved about the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 and infusing it with the latest technology and drivers from Razer, a company that has long been known for making 100% gamer-oriented products. We were pretty excited after opening the mouse and having a good look at it, and we were particularly impressed with the hot-swappable side button panels. The two main buttons on the mouse were well designed as well, sporting the trademark Razer contour and texture. The mouse feet on the bottom of the mouse, also characteristic Razer developments, performed admirably.

However, after checking our forums for issues with the mouse and trying to replicate these issues in testing, the fallbacks of the Habu became more and more apparent. First of all, the Habu driver is not without its flaws. The driver would not recognize the mouse under the latest version, and I had to revert to the original 1.00 driver in order to get everything working correctly. Also, the driver is port specific, meaning you need to have the Habu plugged into the same port you had it plugged into when you installed the driver, or else it will not detect the mouse at all. The next problem with the Habu seems to be the same problem that is encountered with virtually every laser mouse on the market: skipping at low sensitivity, high speed scenarios. The problem was reduced significantly after updating the firmware to the latest version, but still prevalent nonetheless.

However, the mouse performs perfectly under all other conditions. For gamers that use normal sensitivities and do not make extremely fast movements across their mousepad, the Habu is certainly a viable choice. If you are a fan of the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 and are looking for something a bit more technologically advanced, the Habu might be a perfect choice for you. However, there are two final issues I would like to address before finishing this review. First, Razer currently has a new mouse out called the DeathAdder. The DeathAdder is similar to the Habu in that it shares the IME3.0 shape, but that is pretty much it. The DeathAdder uses the most advanced mousing engine to date, based on tried and true optical technology, and seems to be free of the skipping issues exhibited with the Habu. Secondly, the Habu is a relatively expensive mouse. Whereas the new IME3.0 is going for as low as $28 USD, the lowest price I can find on the Habu is $52 USD. The Habu is a great mouse and everything, but I can’t imagine buying one when I could pay four dollars more and get two IME3.0s.

Pros
+ Nice looking mouse
+ Razer mouse feet
+ IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 shape
+ Interchangeable side-panel buttons
+ Drivers function well when correctly installed

Cons
- Tracking problems inherent to laser mice?
- Expensive
- Razer drivers are very picky

Rating
7.9 out of 10

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