Hades Gaming Products - Software Setup and Testing

Hades Software:

The Hades H1 Mouse doesn't require software for basic functions - including dpi switching, but if you want to get the most out of the mouse, you have to run a software application to configure, tweak and customize the mouse.  The beautiful thing about this piece of software is that you don't need to install it.  You can simply run it as Administrator in Vista (or any other Windows OS) and once you've made changes, and adjustments, they are saved to a ROM in the mouse.  That way, you don't need the software installed or running in order to take advantage of the changes you've made.

Software - Buttons

Software - Button Config

We start things off with basic button configuration.  As you can see below, you can modify the action of every button on the mouse.  Many mice that have DPI adjustments allow you to modify all but the DPI buttons.  Hades allows you to even modify these - giving you a total of 8 buttons with which to express your individuality.

There are quite a few button functions to choose from, but if that isn't enough and you're macro-crazy, you'll like the script options below.

Software - Script Setup

Most mice don't have other options beyond mouse button configuration, but Hades just don't know where to quit.  They've got some pretty advanced features that I can't even find documentation for, as well as some more well known ideas such as USB report rate that is adjustable up to 1,000 samples/second as well as many DPI presets and even custom DPI settings.

Software - DPI Features

Software - USB Rate

What's even crazier about this mouse is that you can control the LED sensitivity meter and show a standard bar graph representing higher DPI or you can even use the LEDs in a binary output mode, and pretty much everything in between.  I don't speak binary, so even though they look cool, I've got no idea what sensitivity is selected at a given point.

Testing Thoughts:

I've been using the Hades H1 Mouse and the GP1 pad for over a month due to the crazy review schedule, meetings and conferences we've been involved with lately.  I've done a lot of gaming, a bunch of photo editing and countless hours of other office productivity applications with the H1 and the GP1.  The mouse has become my second favorite mouse ever, and has replaced the Saitek GM3200 without any remorse.  Often saying goodbye to a familiar mouse is a little sad, but when the replacement was the H1, there was no looking back on the test bench.

My favorite mouse is still the Logitech G5, but that is because it is a little smaller - at least is has a lower profile, and fits my hand a bit better.  Is the G5 actually a better mouse?  I can't say, but I've been very impressed with the H1.  It delivers an incredibly customizable experience and if you're a serious gamer and you need some macros on your mouse; the H1 is one of the few choices that will leave you happy.

Conclusion:

I'd never heard of Hades until they contacted me a month or so back.  I've been very impressed with the quality and features of their products.  While the mouse pad is over-priced in my opinion, it is a very high quality pad that has some innovative features to allow all mice to track smoothly, quickly and evenly.  I've had some mice track poorly on a fUnc pad as well as an older Ratpadz, but they are flawless on the GP1.

As I mentioned previously, the H1 has become my second favorite mouse and falls in behind the G5 because the H1 feels a bit bulkier.  That being said, I do believe the H1 is a superior mouse due to its features, excellent tracking, number of buttons, customization and even the bling.  I just can't shake the comfort the Logitech G5 offers.

Although these products are able to be purchased separately, we are going to score them together as the scores would basically be identical.  They are all part of the Hades Gaming experience.

Pros:

• High Quality products (both)
  
• Great Overall finish (both)
  
• Excellent tracking (both)
  
• Tons of customization options (mouse)
• Nice appearance(both)

Cons:

• Price (both)

I'd like to thank Hades Gaming for sending these products over for us to review and for their patience while we played with them a lot longer than we estimated.  They are worth owning though in my opinion.

Please post any questions, comments and your general feedback regarding these Hades products in our forum at the comments link below.