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.