Microsoft's Habu is Not For Noobs

Well, after all the hype of yet-another-Microsoft-viral-marketing-campaign, their latest teaser site, NotForNoobs.com, turned out to be a hype builder for a gaming mouse, and not for the Zune or the Xbox 360. The big news is that they've teamed up with Razer for this one, and the result is the Habu, a high-precision, 2,000 dpi laser mouse with interchangeable side button panels, high speed motion detection, and the ability to adjust DPI on the fly. Oh, and it's wired, too, doesn't sound like they're doing a wireless version, at least not yet. Should retail for $69.95 when it hits stores in October.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Alex @ Aug 23rd 2006 8:32AM]

Not wireless? Are they mad?!?/?1?!/!?!1

[PodMonkeys @ Aug 23rd 2006 8:36AM]

I have nothing but good things to say about Razer's mice. Maybe for once now, Microsoft will have a decent mouse! :P

I personally like the wired ones, because 1. they don't eat up batteries, and 2. they tend to be lighter.

Now if only Razer would make a laptop mouse, that is half the length of their current model, with retractable cord ...

[Ant @ Aug 23rd 2006 8:37AM]

Oh, yes it IS for noobs. Anyone who thinks buying a more expensive mouse with useless gimmicks is going to improve their gaming will want to purchase this mouse.

Very much for noobs.

[Oddmanout @ Aug 23rd 2006 8:50AM]

"Habu" ? Like "Habu Liquor" ? The medicinal Chinese/Japanese liquor that contains among other things a Snake ?


Well...at least that would explain the cord...


Microsoft...we know you want the Asian market, but I think RPGs and rythyme games are your best bet. NOT herbal medicine of questionable safety*.

And put that Ken Kutaragi doll down. Voodoo won't help you either...

(If you have a job interview the next day, or are in the company of people you don't trust INTIMATELY, do not under ANY circumstances drink Habu Liquor)

[kevan @ Aug 23rd 2006 8:50AM]

words can't describe how over-joyed I am.

[leLabu @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:07AM]

are they shipping world wide this october or just for US only?

[Gordy @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:09AM]

Nice to see Microsoft is keeping up with the Jobses with this over-hyped/under-delivered mouse.

[Jimmay @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:13AM]

Looks like they put some lights on a mouse...

[Jillorious @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:14AM]

Quote: 'no wireless? Are they mad?'
Just this once I'll forgive you for your ignorance; FYI, any wireless mouse out there has a lag in response, be it a 10th of a sec. Or a 100th, but lag nontheless. Which makes every true gamer DESPERATE for a wired device.

[strider_mt2k @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:18AM]

True gamer, lol.

Desparate, lol.

[leojsoap @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:20AM]

Kinda reminds me of that kid down the street, he has a ricer, with ground effects underneath, much like this mouse, moderately fast car, with shiny things slapped on, not bad performance-wise, but nowhere near the professional level it wants to be at.

[Chris R***** @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:37AM]

I doubt they'll make a wireless version of this. This mouse never goes into 'sleep' mode so that there is never a lag during that 'wake up' response to motion. That would make for some sub-par battery life.

Makes sense to me.

[Brian Spence @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:49AM]

Not wireless = not buying

[TS @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:51AM]

"Oh, yes it IS for noobs. Anyone who thinks buying a more expensive mouse with useless gimmicks is going to improve their gaming will want to purchase this mouse."

You have obviously never used the Razer Copperhead. When compared to your run of the mill optical mouse(M$ or otherwise), it is significantly more responsive and accurate. I would say the vast majority of hardcore FPS gamers out there use the Razer Copperhead or the Logitech G5(both of which happen to be wired). Laser mice, when done right, can noticeably improve your play in games where speed and accuracy count, say, a first person shooter.

You are correct, the lights are just a gimmick. However the technology in the mouse(the Copperhead mind you, I can't comment of the Habu's performance) does make it superior to other mice for certain applications.

As far as the Habu is concerned, it looks very much like the Copperhead and has the same features: 2,000 dpi laser, replaceable side buttons, and yes, the blue lights.

[oly va ha @ Aug 23rd 2006 9:51AM]

thank god its not wireless....they drain batteries like mad...i hate it

[noobs @ Aug 23rd 2006 10:00AM]

ugh I hate having the buttons on each side!

They should have just used the old explorer 3.0 design.

[Bobby @ Aug 23rd 2006 10:03AM]

...they drain batteries lika mad...

I have a wireless MS mouse, I havn't changed batteries for 6 months!? How can you say that they drain batteries like mad?

[Apple kills another small project @ Aug 23rd 2006 10:12AM]

Wow either, the above people are just MS haters, or not gamers at all... professional gamers and those that take FPS and other precision games very serious (aka non autoaim) will love this mouse... And it's wired for a reason.. LAG.. wireless produces lag, no matter what they try to do, thats why professional gaming mouses and very high dpi mouses that are extreme low latency are always ALWAYS USB.

"Microsoft finally made a decent mouse"

Last i checked, MS Mouses/Keyboards are among the highest rated for quality and usability, but thats just me, i've been dieing for a highdpi model to come out.

It's sad to see a very possibly good product bashed simply because theirs a bunch of Microsoft haters out their with nothing better to do than to bi*ch about what they know nothing.

The fact is microsoft makes good hardware, and hate to say "an expensive mouse" has its definite perks in comparison to say... the 5$ mouse most people use ... but its all preference... some people use no mousepad... some use cheapie 4$ pad... and others use a 40$ glass mouse pad with perferations and texturizing. To each his own i suppose :)

[David @ Aug 23rd 2006 10:26AM]

So basically the mouse has 2 button things on the side, blue lights and thats it and they want soooo much money for it? They have basically taken my mouse im using at this moment and chaved it!!

[Will @ Aug 23rd 2006 10:40AM]

$70 for a 2000 DPI mouse? You can get a Razer for $10 less with the same DPI and pretty lights. All this hype for nothing. I agree with those who have said that wireless is not good for gaming, listen to them. As for my $70? I'd spend it on a new game and some beer.

[zune @ Aug 23rd 2006 10:53AM]

Viral marketing for a mouse? What's next, viral marketing for a dust cover?

[James Ahlschwede @ Aug 23rd 2006 11:21AM]

Habu was the military name for the SR-71 Blackbird (which to my understanding was the public name, not used by people who flew or worked on the aircraft).

Habu is the name of a Japanese viper. According to wikipedia that desgination came about because the planes were flown out of "Kadena Air Base, Okinawa [and] the locals thought the strange and dangerous-looking planes looked like a habu..."

[Jason @ Aug 23rd 2006 11:21AM]

Now if they'd just let people use it with their very own XBox.

[Jeff @ Aug 23rd 2006 11:25AM]

"Last i checked, MS Mouses/Keyboards are among the highest rated for quality and usability, but thats just me"

Heh... so they're the "highest rated for quality" with yourself as the sole reference? That's an interesting way of saying "I'm a big Microsoft mouse fanboy!"

Some people like MS keyboards and mice. Some people hate them. I personally think they're the equivalent of eating at Benihana - if you don't know any better, you may think you're eating high quality, authentic foreign food. And it's not that it's *bad* or anything, but those with real taste and/or knowledge know it's not as good as the real thing.

MS's keyboards are no better or worse than most others made today, which is to say they're junk. Rubber dome keys and lots of useless extra bits that just get in the way. That's fine if you only want to spend 20 bucks on a keyboard, but MS charges upwards of $100 for some of their models and there's just no reason for that. You're not getting any better quality for the higher price. Their mice are sometimes passable, but only at the high end - their low-end mice feel like they're held together with chewing gum. I've got a basic Intellimouse here at work and the wheel on it feels like it's going to fall off, and has ever since I got it.

At home I use an IBM Model M and an IBM optical mouse. The Model M is a buckling spring keyboard, the only kind I'd ever choose to use on a desktop PC. Buckling spring keyboards are still made, too - they're just very expensive (but you do get what you pay for in this case). Model M's can still be had on ebay for very cheap, though - in some cases, new in the box.

My IBM mouse is a fairly basic optical mouse but it's the most ergonomic mouse I've ever used, it's dead accurate, very lightweight and solidly built. If you need bling, it does have a blue LED light in the wheel.

I see no reason to upgrade either of these things. Once you find a keyboard and mouse you really like, there's really no such thing as an "upgrade" to begin with. I think those who are constantly searching for new keyboards and mice are obviously just dissatisfied with what they currently have, and you're probably never going to escape that predicament until you start buying for quality rather than features, looks, or brand name.

[Drew @ Oct 21st 2006 11:17PM]

"My IBM mouse is a fairly basic optical mouse but ... it's dead accurate..."

No, it isn't. Please stop pretending to know what you are talking about and taking that elite attitude, it makes you look like a fool. Especially when every almost everything you have stated is false.

[Funk @ Aug 23rd 2006 12:08PM]

"habu" means soap in Gujrati(an Indian Language from the state of Gujrat). lol, it kinda looks like a rediculously awsome bar of soap.

[GamerGuyX @ Aug 23rd 2006 12:38PM]

It says seven buttons. Yet when I lool at the pics of the mouse I don't see seven buttons...

[John @ Aug 23rd 2006 12:55PM]

Is there any reason why they cant make a bluetooth wireless gaming mouse. B/c I dont want to have any cables coming from my laptop if I dont have to.

[Kevino @ Aug 23rd 2006 2:08PM]

The noobs here are the ones that put a mouse on the market with a flipp'n wire. WTH is the wireless model?

[Jacob @ Aug 23rd 2006 4:21PM]

"At home I use an IBM Model M..."

That explains everything.

(Personally, I prefer a keyboard that doesn't wake half the house.)

[glacia00 @ Aug 23rd 2006 4:23PM]

I'm really stunned by the people complaining about it not being wireless. It's-a-gaming-mouse. If you're not into gaming fine don't buy it you don't need it.

Using a wired mouse for gaming is an absolute must. It's not just lag and it's not just the risk of weak batteries when you finally get to 40th level it's also that every single wireless mouse will experience deadspots where you lose signal briefly. If you're scrolling a website who cares you'll probably never notice it. But if you're trying beat the reflexes of another person who's shooting at you...

[Zach Marshall @ Aug 23rd 2006 5:07PM]

i have a MX700 (wireless, mind you) that I love to death. I've never noticed any lag, though yes i know it must be there, and ive also never experienced any dead spots. granted, the reciever is about a foot in front of it, but still. I like my wireless mouse because of the added weight. Batteries probably last a good week before i need to throw the mouse onto the charge, but hey whatever. leave it on overnight.

i also have a Logitech Elite, which I have to say, is imo the greatest keyboard ever produced. so. freakin. comfortable. yes I've used a buckling keyboard. and yes, they're quite nice to use. but man i love my keyboard.

"(Personally, I prefer a keyboard that doesn't wake half the house.)"

HAHAHAHAHA that made me lol

i have to say, this looks like a piece of shit a company like Nyko would remasticate to us all. it just looks cheap, and flimsy, and nothing special from any other microsoft mouse. I'd say, stick with a Razer if your looking for a razer.

[Afroloop @ Aug 24th 2006 12:12PM]

I have the Logitech G7 laser (wireless 2000dpi) and it’s awesome. It has 2 batteries so one is charging while you are using the other one so you never run out of battery. It has a nice weight to it. I’ve played about 10 games with it including several FPS and have had no lag issues at all. It was expensive though which is a downside.

[Erick @ Aug 30th 2006 4:08PM]

"As for my $70? I'd spend it on a new game and some beer."

That must be some crappy beer you drink there.

[Richard @ Nov 8th 2006 5:10PM]

I never rarely reply to comments but I just couldn't help myself when people were complaining about it not being a wireless version. A gaming mouse is not a gaming mouse if it is wireless, as explained by many others wirless is heavy and has much slower response times compared to non-wireless.

People are starting to take games very seriously which I don't mind because I'm hardcore like many others. After playing Counter-Strike from beta 3 and continue playing it from this day;
I've come to realise how important it is to lose a millisecond to your reaction time, it's like a huge bonus! Imagine two of yourselves playing, you both end up in the same situation where your both going to shoot somone! One has the wirless version, the other has the non-wireless version. Obviously what I'm going to say is the non-wireless clone/twin whatever would win. It's sooooo important to be so fast! Especially when your playing professionally, so if your looking for a new wireless gaming mouse, I wish you good luck because theres hardly any and if you do find one, my advise is to not buy it.

Also, somone mentioned that a gaming mouse isn't always the way to go, a good normal but perhaps expensive mouse can be good if not better! I completely agree! One very good example for this is the intelli mouse 3.0 (2006) or even the earliest version that came out in 2000, this mouse is amazing! If you look at the spec it's actaully more accurate than any other gaming mouse out there, the technology is right up there and the newest version is being used by many professional gamers due to them owning the older one, they know how brillaint it was in 2000.

Habu is a good gaming mouse but I can't help think its a bit of a gimmick. Ok it has 2000 dpi etc, but the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer (2006) is actaully better when it comes to shooting people due to it simply having a better spec. It's well worth looking into and if your not convinced, then thats when peoples different opinions jump into play. I hope you all get what your looking for in gaming mouse, it's hard at first or second, third or fourth time to find your perfect companion.

[Keys @ Nov 19th 2006 6:56PM]

I currently use the Razer Diamondback and love it, i agree that MS mice and keyboard suck but the Habu is not a MS mouse. This mouse was designed by Razer and then MS came and asked Razer to stamp there name on it then flashed a really... really big check before Razers eyes and so there we go a Razer mouse that says Microsoft!

The $70 is resonable when the Diamondback first came out it was around $70 aswell. The lights are gimmicky but come on they look AWSOME! The side buttons are key for use in FPS or really any game out there, think that fireball is right at your pinky or that fresh clip is right at your thumb! It looks great and performs great. What else can one ask?