Enemy Down

Hardware: Deathadder vs Habu

3MC mD takes a look at Razer DA and the Microsoft/Razer Habu

Posted by SmellyMoss on Jan 14th 2009 19:04

by 3MC mD

Welcome to the first of a new feature where we will be taking hardware and peripherals, and putting them through their paces from the perspective of a gamer. These reviews are hopefully going to help you guys and girls who are looking to purchase new equipment, but are not sure which to choose.

The Razer Deathadder, and its 2nd Cousin the Habu

In this feature we will be looking at the Microsoft / Razer hybrid - the Habu, and comparing it with Razer's extremely popular offering entitled, the Deathadder.

Packaging

Deathadder:

The Deathadder comes packaged in that standard Razer way - a black box with a picture of the mouse on the front, a flap so you can see the goodies inside, and on the back, more information than you can shake a stick at. This seems to be Razer's convention now, using rich blues and lurid greens to attract attention to the key areas, clearly the marketing guys at Razer know what they are doing.

Once the outer box is opened, the mouse sits comfortably in a tray with a clear layer of plastic moulded around the mouse to show it off. Also in the box, along with the mouse, contains a Razer Certificate of Authenticity and a driver disk should you decide to use it.

Habu:

Almost unsurprisingly, the Habu, with its Microsoft exterior, comes packaged in a Microsoft influenced box, the deep reds and almost reflective surface show off the Habu in an unconventional curved front package, with just two small black borders towards the frontward face containing the Razer logo.

Opening the box reveals the mouse itself, a driver disk, and a replacement set of side buttons, more on these later.

First Impressions

The mice:

You can imagine that during the design meeting between Razer and Microsoft, the boffins at Microsoft would have been waving the ergonomic stick around, the Habu as a result, is a high backed, comfortable mouse, not dissimilar in shape and size to the classic Intellimouse. The boys down at Razer probably decided that they needed to pimp it up a bit if they were going to make a mark on this joint venture. Wide ended buttons, a glowing rail around the edge, and a number of blue LEDs, covering both the rail, and the mouse wheel were added to give it that classic Razer look.  The internals to the Habu, in case you were wondering are powered by Razer technology.

Razer has - for the Deathadder at least, ditched the theory that their mice need to be designed for both right and left handers, and as a result after a long session you no longer have a cramped up claw that used to resemble a hand. The shape is very similar to the Habu, the surface of the mouse is a softer material instead of the glossy plastic of the Habu, and sits lower down to the ground.

Usage and comfort:

For general use, the Habu feels just like an old school Intellimouse - which is never a bad thing as it is still widely used around Universities and businesses. Indeed it is a comfortable mouse to use, the rubber rail around the outside gives that extra bit of grip and you feel like you are holding a mouse that has been built to last.  The side buttons are well placed, but if you don’t like the position, simply flip the mouse over and press the release button. The side buttons pop out and you can replace them with the other set supplied in the box. The two side inserts both house two buttons; each insert has a different layout for the buttons, so one of them is bound to fit your hand perfectly.

The Habu feels responsive and accurate when doing day to day tasks and I only experienced one small skip when tracing a line in Photoshop. This was small delicate movements and could perhaps be likened to a very low sensitivity player in game, but more on the game performance a little later.

One of my gripes with the Habu was the driver software, trying to update the drivers and firmware proved an absolute mission, with failed downloads and strange updating procedures it just seemed a little unorthodox. My other problem with the Habu is the materials it is made up of,  don’t get me wrong, it is a very comfortable device to use, however the plastic feels a little glossy, and it picks up greasy marks very easily (especially if you are eating snacks while at your pc). While the rubber rail is lit up, it looks very nice, however after a few months when the mouse is off, it will become have a grubby brown colour and feel a bit rougher than it did when it was new, not a major problem, but it just shows a small sign of wear and tear.

I can’t say for sure, being a right hander myself, but I can’t imagine that the Habu is designed for the left handed user in mind, its high sweeping back moulds to the right hand in an extremely comfortable position. The Razer Deathadder is made of a different material; it is a softer grippier textured surface which instantly appealed to me. Sporting a lower back, using this mouse feels like it is putting you in the ready position. For general use, the Deathadder is a very competent mouse, with a little less “bling effect” compared to the Habu, it looks a little more understated on your desk, well, apart from the pulsating blue snake on the front and the equally bright mouse wheel that is. The Deathadder felt responsive and highly accurate when zipping around in Windows. Because the shape is essentially the same, the comfort is much higher.

I do have a small problem with the Deathadder though, and that is the side buttons, the side of the mouse is a glossy plastic like most mice, which wouldn’t be a problem on its own, but when you consider the different textured surface of the rest of the mouse, having the side of the mouse becoming slippery, is slightly off putting, be it from snacks or just constant use. In all honesty it is a very minor issue.

In Game

I think it’s a safe bet to say the reason most of you buy a gaming mouse, would be to play games. To test these mice in game I had a go at a few different games: Counter-Strike: Source, Call of Duty 4 and Command & Conquer 3.

These games were selected simply because they represent a large audience across Enemy Down and Command & Conquer because it provides a different style of using the mouse (and I like it!).

Habu:

The Habu is a mouse I want to love, and for the most part, I do. While playing Call of Duty 4 I found it to be responsive and accurate, using the scopes and general movement in game was as I hoped it should be, and the rubber rail gave me a bit of grip when I needed it the most.

However, when playing an extended CoD4 deathmatch my hand was hurting a little, the high back of the mouse, while very comfortable to use, probably isn’t suited for constant flicking and moving, I certainly didn’t notice it while playing however.

Next up was Command & Conquer 3 – A game that involves a lot of clicking and a surprising amount of mouse movement. This game was where the Habu felt the strongest for me, its clicking motion was comfortable, and flicking the mouse to and fro checking for threats to my ever growing base was a joy to use.
However, I had a few problems when playing Counter-Strike: Source. Now, I am not a low sensitivity player by any stretch of the imagination, I don’t use a particularly high sensitivity either. What I am trying to get at is this: I know a few people that play with a much higher sensitivity, and a few that play with a much lower one.

I did find a few instances where the mouse skipped on me, only a couple, and each was only very small, and to be fair I probably wouldn’t have noticed them had they both not have been in very key moments in a match. The comfort and the accuracy were good, and in my opinion, the Habu was a better mouse to use than the Razer Copperhead, which I personally used for many years.

Deathadder:

The Deathadder was next up, and I thought I would start with Counter-Strike: Source. The lower profile of the mouse, while still keeping the higher back was an absolute charm. Shots and movement were superb. The buttons were responsive and just the right amount of sensitivity - everything just seemed to feel spot on. My only problem is that now I can’t blame the mouse when I miss a shot, maybe reg and rates, but not the mouse for once!

Moving on to CoD4 I expected more of the same, and I was pleasantly surprised, the game felt even more accurate than I remember, the sights and the scopes went just where I wanted them and each kill felt satisfying. I stopped to think about all the mice I had used the in past, and I honestly couldn’t remember one which felt this good.

Now, it is customary for me to find something wrong with anything, and the Deathadder’s in game performance is not going to escape that boat either. The movement was exact and true, just like in the other games, however my partner found the constant clicking while playing C&C3 just too much to bear while she was trying to fall asleep, and then it dawned on me, the Deathadder’s buttons are actually quite loud when you are clicking them every 2 seconds or so!

Software and Features

Anyone familiar with a Razer mouse will be familiar with the extensive control panel you get bundled with them. You can adjust any possible settings, from X-Axis sensitivity, to the length and intensity of the glowing lights on the device. For reference, both mice come bundled with this suite.

The Habu does have one major advantage of the Deathadder, the removable side buttons. This is a great touch, and one that I think a lot of companies should implement. The ability to put your fingers where you want them, instead of where the manufacturer wants you to put them is a nice touch, and the fact that Microsoft bundled a separate side with the mouse was a nice surprise when I opened the box.

Final Thoughts

Well, here we are, and as a gamer I can’t stress enough how good both of these mice feel in your hand.  Over the years I have used a number of the Razer offerings, the copperhead springs to mind as the most uncomfortable mouse ever, despite its great performance.

In my eyes, the Habu is a great product, it combines the “nearly the best” of both worlds, the style, comfort, and performance of the Habu is a credit to both companies, and the price is set at around £40. However, the Deathadder, is possibly the greatest gaming mouse I have had the pleasure to use up until now, its brand new sensor technology gives the mouse that cutting edge over the competition, not only that, but at £35, is reasonably well priced.

Deathadder: 9/10   vs   Habu: 7/10