Full Review

20 March 2007 - So you play PC games do you? Well Microsoft thinks it has the ultimate PC gaming accessory for you - the Microsoft Habu Laser Gaming Mouse.

Designed in combination with game mouse makers Razer, according to the Software giant, the Habu, combines "the best of both worlds, Habu unites legendary Microsoft comfort with the latest in Razer Precision".

So with that high level of promise we were obviously excited, but should we have been? We get gaming to find out.

At a first glance the Habu looks like nothing special, the black design is highlighted by two blue glowing bars down the side and to complete it the scrollwheel glows too.

The top's main focus is two very clicky mouse buttons that certainly have a good feel to them when pressed. To the side are two further buttons which can be customised to suit your needs.

On closer inspection there are two further buttons above the scroll wheel and these allow you to adjust mouse sensitivity on the fly—up to 2000 DPI. Microsoft has set the default is 800 DPI but is adjustable from 400, 800, 1600 to 2000 DPI with the toggle buttons. Doing so makes the mouse go from feeling like you are dragging it through treacle to handling a Formula 1 racing car. In game this means that you can switch from one to the other depending on the situation and we found it useful for when it came to using the sniper rifle after a pistol gunfight.

Back to those buttons, all seven of them can be customised and Microsoft has even included a removable side panel that gives you options for different hand sizes or preferences. It's simply a case of switching in the one that suits you.

Of course for those really into their mouse control Microsoft promises a "16 bit data path for increased bandwidth with high-sensitivity mouse activity", whatever that means, and an always-on laser that delivers near-zero-lag response time - sorry it's not wireless.

The Habu even features Teflon to provide smooth and quiet gliding.

VERDICT
If you are serious about your gaming then this is very impressive. It might be wired, but don't let that fool you into thinking that this is anything but a state of the art mouse that will allow you to win all your battles off- or online.

The sensitivity was so good that at the higher settings it did take us some time to get used to - a case of spinning around in circles, however once we cracked it, it was well worth the effort.

Well made with plenty of programmable and on the fly features, this is top notch stuff for gamers.