Microsoft Habu: Initial Impressions and Opening Review

Microsoft Habu: Initial Impressions
By Jason S. Ganz

For those of us who own Sager NP8662s, we live with the fact that while our laptops may compete with many mainstream to upper-mainstream desktops, play games at rates that make us wonder if we're really on a 15.4” laptop, or a shrunken down 17”, and is fairly portable, one of the biggest shortcomings of this laptop is the incredibly stiff trackpad buttons that are provided with this laptop. Thus, the search for a good, reliable mouse was born. Well, a trip to Micro Center yielded an odd amalgam of Microsoft's conservative design and Razer's “gamers first” mentality known as the Microsoft Habu. A brief, strictly empirical overview of the mouse's box provides the mouse, drivers disc and instructions for the mouse, the FCC-standard part 15 of laser / radio interference codes, and a set of alternate side buttons for those who do not have long long thumbs, or just like a different feel. The mouse itself has 7 buttons, a blue-lighting that goes around the body of the mouse, and a Microsoft logo emblazoned on its butt, and a sensor that can poll at 1000hz (ie: make 1000 reports to the computer per second), and a sensor that can go up to 2,000 dpi. More on that later.

For day to day use, the Microsoft Habu functions just as any other mouse would, just with more buttons, and with the Razer drivers installed, a near-unbelievable amount of options at the user's disposal, along with onboard memory (32KB) to store 5 profiles. The feel of the mouse is light yet solid; it doesn't feel like a block of steel, yet it doesn't feel like if you have a heavy hand that the mouse will collapse on itself. It feels light yet significant, but it's natural weighting means those with heavier hands (ie: like to stick the whole palm on the mouse) will discover that their methodologies clash with the mentality of the mouse. This mouse works best when you let your fingers do the guiding as opposed to the heavier wrist, although some light wrist action is ok at lower dpi. (More on that later.) As an added bonus, there is a low-power laser that is bright enough to work, yet you can look at the bottom of the mouse to investigate why it's being bumpy without giving yourself a short-order LASIK operation. This is good if you wish to clean the bottom surface on the fly without having to disconnect the mouse out of fear of blindness. As for the buttons, there are 7 of them. You have your standard left-click and right-click buttons, but also 2 buttons on the left side of the mouse (replaceable with an included set of alternative buttons) that by default make browsers go back and forwards a page, and 2 small buttons in back of the wheel that increase and decrease DPI, and of course a clickable wheel that you can do traditional wheel scrolls as well as a “click scroll”, which is done by clicking the wheel and dragging the mouse up and down for finer scroll control.

However, what makes the Microsoft / Razer mouse what it is is the included Razer software. Being as this mouse is touted as “with Razer technology” on the box, I assumed that it may have the Razer's high performance sensors and notice rate, but everything else would be Microsoft: standard, no-frills, and staid. Thankfully I was wrong. The included driver includes a mouse configuration utility that really turns the Habu into a “Razer in Microsoft Clothing”. Everything that one could expect in a mid-level Razer is here. The 5 saveable profiles, the frequency and dpi changing utilities, provisions to change which button does what, and even functions to change the sensitivity of the x-axis and y-axis movements. I have never seen a mouse with so much user input available to it. One could have the mouse at a very low dpi rate (400) for precise control during a game, or have it at the highest dpi rate (2,000) for games where precision is sacrificed for the ability to move across the screen very quickly. I also noticed that at the higher dpis, it makes the mouse very useable when the mouse is confined to a tight space. One just has to move one's wrist left to right a small bit at higher resolutions (1600 and 2000 dpi) and the mouse will move smoothly across the screen. The tradeoff is that you have to know how to stop the cursor where you want it or it may go off the screen. (I suspect on the high end Razer offerings, the Lachesis and the Mamba, the 4,000 dpi and 5,600 dpi resolutions respectively are the reasons for the jumpiness and may cause the mouse to move far too fast.) On the positive side, the entries for each of these profiles that are user-created are stored on the mouse, meaning that if you have a razer mouse, and your friend has one, and both have the Razer driver on the computer... all that is needed is for the mouse to be plugged in and all the profiles saved on the RAM will be enabled on the new computer. While I have yet to try this, I am also interested in seeing if one program could handle mutliple mice with their own profiles, so if one has a limit of 400 to 2000 dpi, and another is 800 to 4000 dpi, could the installed program dynamically switch between the mice. Remember, even though the mouse is emblazoned with a microsoft logo, its internals are all Razer made, so I suspect that if a different mouse such as a Lachesis were to supercede the Habu, the Lachesis' saved profiles could be used freely on this computer. It'll take a Lachesis here to find that out though. On a side note, for those considering this, or a Razer Mouse, there is a function to turn the lights off so that you can use the mouse more discreetly without drawing undue attention to yourself, or worse, aggravating your college professor. (Gamers take note)

As a whole, the premise of a Microsoft-branded Razer mouse is a great idea. While it may have some of its performance-oriented features pared down a little below the true razer gaming mice, it offers the same technology present in those mice in a Microsoft package. People may not know the name “Razer”, but they know the name Microsoft, and by putting the Razer technology and emblazoning such on the boxes, Microsoft is doing a 2-fold favor. First, Microsoft is showing that they can market a straight-away, normalish looking mouse designed for gaming rather than day to day tasks. Second, Razer is getting presence in the market by having its name emblazoned on the box, and having its driver and application used for mouse controls, banking on the idea that if people enjoy this Habu hybrid, that the Habu will serve as a gateway to Razer's more extreme offerings. Above all, it does not look as staid as the intellimouse, or as completely absurd as Microsoft's other gaming mice. Rather it seems to combine the best of Microsoft's decades of designing and producing mice, with Razer's cutting edge laser technology, and the result is a very high-functioning, reasonably priced ($70), mouse that's just as much at home doing day to day tasks, as it is with precision gaming, and with games where movement speed is necessary.

I will post further on this as I game with it, this is an initial impression and review. Feel free to ask further, and if I can answer, I will.

Jason

 

Awesome review. According to what I've read, the Habu is basically a modified Razer DeathAdder. I saw a side-by-side photo somewhere, and they are dimensionally identical. If its performance is on par with that of the DeathAdder, then it is indeed an excellent mouse.

 

Nice write up on it!

Here are a few pictures of it! It's sweet






Cin

 

What I like is that it's got a laser optical sensor at 2,000 dpi, it doesn't skip, and while it's a microsoft product, it has all the Razer goodies at its core. I was initially set on buying a Lachesis, but after reading how nuanced it was, and the fact that I found a mismarked box that said $34.99... I couldn't pass up the Habu. Is it top of the line Razer? No, but I like to think of it like this. Imagine you have the DeathAdder and Habu, the Lachesis, and the Mamba. The DeathAdder and Habu are like Porsche 911 Carrera S's, the Lachesis, a GT3, and the Mamba is a GT3 RS. The DeathAdder and Habu, much like a 911 Carrera S, are bred for performance, but can be used viably in day-to-day work as well without worry about whether the cursor will be too jumpy, or if the resolution is too high, etc. They have enough performance to have fun, but they can also handle daily tasks with ease. The Lachesis has a higher resolution sensor, and more options, so it's like the GT3. The Lachesis is also more focused towards gaming, much the same a GT3 is towards racing. The Mamba, is simply a straight-away, brutally fast, cost-be-damned gaming mouse that only has lower resolutions for games that need finer control. There is no "protection" against if you aren't able to keep up, it gives you nothing but does everything you ask of it, and much like a GT3, it's made for speed and performance.

Do I miss out on some of the insanely high dpi resolutions, yes... but for all the games I play, and for the applications I use the mouse for, I have no problems with a 2000 dpi limit. But if you think about it, it's a microsoft product with razer technology. Microsoft is a household name, Razer is known mostly to gamers... Razer wouldn't sell their maximum performance technology to Microsoft, knowing full well it would cannibalize their sales and revenue, but Microsoft is smart enough to know that they may be able to get away with a less powerful product that gives them a foot into the gaming category with a well-known brand, and gives Razer some presence in the mainstream market. However, what I do have is a very well-made, high-performing mouse that leaves me with no complaints at the end of the day, and me being a racing game person, I really don't need a 5600 dpi mouse anyway


The Habu also, much like a Lachesis and a Mamba, has a laser sensor for the pointer sensor... It's like the lite version of them.

Jason.

(Although I would love to see how the mamba works compared to the habu )

 

nice review!!

 

haha yea nice mouse. i heard that its not the DA design but in fact the IE3.0 design. what does the OP have to say?

 

I thought I saw this some where before when I saw the thread title. Then I realised I was reading this on NBF earlier. Thanks for the review.

<s>It's definitely DA design. I have used all 3 (DA owner). Whilst it resembles to IE 3.0's design, it's not the same.</s>

 

appearance / aesthetics: a cross of deathadder and an intellimouse 3.0
technology: Razer Copperhead guts

Overal likeability: It's like a mouse with a stickshift... on-the-fly dpi changing is great!

 

The Habu and IE 3.0 has practically the exact same shape. The DA is the one with a slightly different shape...

 

Madness! I don't believe it! :cry: Actually last time I used the Habu was a while ago so I might have been wrong.

 

what he said.

 

But but but...





EDIT: Here is a nice pic of the 3 of them together.

 

Nice pics! They look different but if you put your hands on the Habu and IE they feel exactly the same. I dunno... Maybe someone else can chime in on what they think.

 

I think it's aesthetics. The Habu isn't going to look exactly like either of its parents (the copperhead or the IE 3.0), but it's going to have some of the "microsoft conservative" aesthetic, with a bit of the Razer's bulging curves. (Look at the front of it, you'll see the trademark snout). Razer mice have an inherently aggressive appearance to them, and the toning down of the appearance by Microsoft is what's going to give it slight differences aesthetically. For me, I can use either mouse without a hitch.

The copperhead's technology = the guts, the body is a MS / Razer mixture, the result is a performance mouse that rocks! For all the doodads and :: of microsoft's other gaming mice, I think this one best captures the mixture of performance, simplicity, and looks while giving 95% of gamers all the range they need. It has clean lines, a simple light system, well-placed buttons, and with the lights off, you wouldn't suspect of being anything more than what looks like a $10 mouse with a swoosh on it.

Jason

 

I am in the market for a new mouse, so I'll definitely have to try this out. Any opinions on this versus current logitech offerings?

Oh, and what would the 911 GT2 of mice be?

 

GT2: The upcoming Orochi, a turbocharged little brat.

 

Heh, I somehow managed to mess up my Sager NP8662 so the trackpad is actually too soft >_<

 

I honestly think the DeathAdder is a better gaming mouse than the Lachesis; the Lachesis is a completely symmetrical ambidextrous mouse, which prevents it from truly excelling in either hand, in my opinion. The DeathAdder is definitely right-hand oriented.

I own a DeathAdder, but I've used a friend's Lachesis plenty of times, and I definitely think the Lachesis is less comfortable and natural.

 

Between my G51's backlit keyboard, the top lights, the blue light on the NC2000, and the lights on a Habu, I could illuminate my entire room.

 

The deathadder, to me, seems like an infrared version of the Copperhead / Habu mouse. I like the general aesthetic of having some ergonomic orientation to the right hand, and I'm a lefty! The lachesis also looks a bit too flat for my tastes (I like my mouse to have some thickness to it, much like I like my stratocaster necks). One day though, I may try the mamba to see if it's fixed at all. APPARENTLY, it needs a teflon ring around its sensor or it will jump around like nobody's business... I think the same may apply to the lachesis as well.

 

yea that was the problem earlier but after a firmware update its gone. i still ordered two razer teflon rings to my house tho....lol i thought i could use em.

 

Heh, going back to the theme of using cars as an analogy, John Romero likened the Lachesis to a PT Cruiser:

http://rome.ro/2009/01/razer-copperhead-ftw.html

I've never used a Lachesis so I can't say whether I agree or disagree. I personally am a fan of Razer mice. I have a Deathadder, Diamondback 3G (which I'm using right now, it's awesome), and have a Krait on order. There's something about them that makes you want to own them.

Sadly, as mice evolve towards cleaner designs (much like cars), these Razer designs will over time be increasingly perceived as funny looking and obsolete by the mainstream. IMO Razer mice are like the classic American cars of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. They have a certain flare to them that appeal to certain types of people.

 

Ahh....I think it will go the other way,razer is the future conceptual designs if you ask me...i mean seriously,cars today are becoming more and more user comfort designed,look at the Mamba,now think of a more ergonomic design,cars of the 50s were very basic in design,seats were just 2 cushions at an 75 degree angle....I love the feel of razer mice...

 

Razer is more futuristic than a 50s design. If razers made a 50s design, it would look more in the vein of the original applelisa mouse.

Lisa Mouse:

 

This is what I had in mind when I think of Razer designs:

 

WIN!

ok, valid point

 

I think you'll love the Mamba if you like the DeathAdder. Their shapes are identical.

 

The more I use the Habu, the more i realize its eccentricities. First off, it likes a REALLY smooth surface. If you have grime on a desk because you eat there, you will discover that it will skip like its more focused Razer cousins. I've been caught doing this where I have the sensor set to 500hz and 1600dpi, and a piece of dust or something may be run over by the sensor and it'll skip a bit. Cleanliness really is important if you do not have the desire, or space, to get a "specialized razer pad". While we're on the topic of Razer quirks, one of the major quirks it has is that it remembers the last setting it was on, even if it's not a "default 5" setting, and even after being removed from the computer. This has led to some very funny moments where it was left at 2000 dpi for an incident where it was needed to move across the screen quickly, unplugged for a few days, and you can't figure out why the cursor is moving with the speed of someone who just downed a case of BAWLS (R). It has TOO good a memory at remembering what you do, and it has a zero delay time... something that with other wired mice in its class (mid-range gaming laser mouse) I have seen, and also not seen. Case in point: The logitech laser mouse where I worked claimed 1000 dpi resolution, but when you used it, it was very sluggish to move, and it always moved slowly... even at the advertised dpi... as though it had a restrictor plate on it... the habu is the complete opposite, it's ON!" I'm almost tempted to not test the mamba or the lachesis after this because for what I use it for, it more than does the job. I have come to learn that before I disconnect the mouse, to dynamically shift it down to its lowest dpi setting so that it doesn't get "speed mouse" syndrome. The more I use the buttons on top for dpi adjustment, the more I appreciate this "stickshift" mentality, espeically at high speed to zoom across the screen, and then lowering the dpi resolution for finer work, or clicking on smaller things on screen.

From an energy usage standpoint, it doesn't cost the battery much power to use it, with LEDs on, or off.. at the most, I lose maybe 2 minutes to the mouse, which is completely within the realm of battery charge error. (+/- 5% for me.) This should not be taken as it uses zero battery life, as anything that lights up or receives / gives signals must have some energy requirement, however it does not use a great deal of energy as a peripheral, which for mobile gamers who want performance is a good thing. The only caveat is that if you're in a library, or worse, a classroom or conference, you may not want the whole world to see that the mouse you have lights up in "neon blue"... thankfully there is an option to turn the mouse's lights off to minimize attention to one's self. (I'm of the camp of I didn't buy an AW because I don't like the lights and I like a more "sleeper" look... why blow it un-necessarily with a mouse that glows electric blue?) Anyway, back on subject... it's not a resource or battery hog, and when you're in a library on power-saver trying to eke out every last ounce of energy, it's a great thing. By and large, if you want a razer mouse with microsoft's mouse reputation, but you don't like the razer's tendency to have bounce with their higher-end laser mice, the Habu as a long-term day to day mouse for all applications is officially ganzonomy approved

Jason