Not too long ago our reviewer took a look at his first G-Wolves gaming mouse, the Skoll. That mouse was a rather unexpected hit, combining a number of great features and specs in a nice and solid package and thus it received out Staff’s Choice award without much discussion. The people over at G-Wolves aren’t resting on their laurels though, and soon they’ll be releasing their newest effort called the Hati. This mouse is also referred to as the ‘HT-M’ in some cases, but since the Skoll also had ‘SK-L’ as prototype name before it got the full name we’ll refer to this as Hati as well.
In any case: let’s see if our reviewer was as impressed with the HT-M as he was with the Skoll!
At a Glance
G-Wolves Hati-M
Used by 1 player (Jun, 2023)-
trexx
❝Essentially this a top tier gaming mouse. It’s not groundbreaking or insanely revolutionary, but it is a great product for gaming, so what else would you need?❞
Specs
| Sensor | PMW 3389 |
|---|---|
| DPI | 16000-200, in steps of 100 |
| Polling Rate | 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000 Hz |
| Button Switches | Omron |
| Connection | Wired |
| Shape | Ambidextrous |
| Length | 12.42cm |
| Height | 3.96cm |
| Weight | 63g |
| Width | 6.14cm |
Pros
- Great cable
- Flawless gaming performance
Cons
- Main buttons feel a bit loose
- Feet feel somewhat scratchy
First Impressions
Update: the unit that I received for testing isn’t a final retail unit. It also didn’t come in the retail packaging. As of right now (September 18 2019) it seems that the Hati is available in two different versions; one with a 3360 sensor and one with a 3389 sensor. G-Wolves have also updated the main button switches in the retail version. It now houses TTC Golden Micro Switches.
I’d say that the first noticeable thing about this mouse is the fact that it’s got holes in it but if you’ve been following the world of gaming mice over the past couple of months you’ll know that this isn’t an oddity anymore. If we ignore the holes for a second the Hati looks about as plain as a gaming mouse can look. There’s a small G-Wolves logo right above the scroll wheel but that’s about it. There’s not even any RGB to be found on this mouse. To be clear: I don’t mind that at all (nice looking RGB is a nice extra in my opinion, but it’s far from a necessity on a performance product) but since almost every gaming mouse these days has at least a tiny strip somewhere it is something that I noticed.
Another aspect that caught my eye is the fact that there are no holes on the sides of the mouse. This isn’t bad by any means, but the Skoll did have those side holes, so it is something that I noticed almost straight off the bat. Speaking of the Skoll: the HT-M has that same grey top on a black frame. I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder so this obviously won’t affect my opinion on this product in the slightest, but I would really prefer an all black look here. That said; G-Wolves are planning on releasing this mouse with a ton of different finishes so most people will find something that they like.
As is the case with the Skoll, G-Wolves have been heavily… borrowing from other designs for this mouse. The shape is extremely similar to the shape of the Logitech G Pro Wireless, so what you can expect here is a rather safe ambidextrous mouse that will suit a variety of grip types, but more on the shape and grip later.
On my scale it weighs in at 63 grams, which makes it one of the lightest gaming mice out there at this point in time. That’s impressive, and it’s nice to see how companies are really taking this whole ‘lightweight race’ seriously. I wonder if we’ll end up with a mouse that’s somehow too light to comfortably use, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Packaging
As I said earlier I didn’t receive my Hati in the retail packaging, but I did contact G-Wolves and they assured me that the final version will come in the same beautiful tin box (pictured above) as the one that the Skoll came in, and that it will contain even more extras in said box. That’s nice to hear, because I was already thoroughly impressed by what G-Wolves managed to include with their packaging.
Expect a cleaning cloth, a lot of extra mouse feet, a separate ‘information sticker’ (with the model number and so on on it), grip tape, and even extra mouse switches. You can also order it with an extra paracord cable if you’d like. I’ll obviously update this review over time once retail packages start heading out, but this does sound really impressive.
Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet
As I said the Hati is an ambidextrous mouse (no side buttons on the right side though, so lefties beware) with a pretty safe shape, and as I grabbed it the first time a familiar feeling came over me. The shape is almost exactly the same as the G Pro Wireless’, with a couple of small little differences. The grip width (i.e. the width in the middle) on the Hati is just a bit smaller than what it is on the GPW, while the flare out at the back is a tiny bit bigger on the Hati. The difference is only a couple of millimeters (depending on where exactly you’re measuring) but it does give the G-Wolves mouse a slightly different feeling when holding it. I’m not saying it’s a completely different mouse, it’s extremely clear where they got their inspiration after all, but it’s not a complete 1:1 copy.
In any case: I do like this shape. It’s very neutral so people who like to have a filled hand or a curvy design won’t be too impressed here but it’s a safe design that should suit a lot of different hand sizes and grip styles out there.
The mouse is finished with a matte coating all over and for me it does the job nicely. It’s not the best feeling coating I’ve ever experienced, nor is it the worst; it just does the job. No performance issues at all. I also didn’t have that sandpaper-like texture that I got for the first couple of hours with the Skoll and the coating on the Hati looks a bit shinier, which leads me to believe that they’ve made some minor changes to the coating, but don’t quote me on that. This might just be a case of comparing a relatively new mouse to a well-used one, or maybe even a case of factory/QC tolerances being on the higher side.
There’s a DPI button on the top of the shell as well as two side buttons on the left side. They’re placed nicely and they’ve got plenty of room between them so it’s easy to tell the two apart when you’re frantically trying to click heads. On to the bottom, then, where you will find four small mouse feet along with a larger one at the back. These offer an okay glide, but I’ve definitely used better stock feet if I’m being honest. They’re not ‘getting in the way of performance’ bad or anything but this is something that they can improve on in the future if you’re asking me.
Recommended Grip Types
This is a medium sized ambidextrous mouse with a safe shape so it’s gonna be great for a lot of gamers out there. Palm grippers with larger hands and/or people who like to have a ‘filled palm feeling’ should probably look somewhere else though.
The shape, if you want to try it in real life, is extremely similar (to the point of it being almost a carbon copy) to the G Pro Wireless’ shape, save for a couple of millimeters in the middle and at the back. In any case; the lack of weird angles or odd bumps makes it so that most people will be able to work with this shape, regardless of grip.
Buttons and Scroll Wheel
G-Wolves, like most manufacturers these days, went for Omron switches in this mouse. As far as the actuation force goes these clicks fall in the middle of the pack. Not super light, but not very heavy either so I can’t imagine that a lot of people will be offended by these clicks.
There’s very limited amounts of travel (pre or post) and the clicks are nice and crispy once actuated. The right button does sound noticeably different than the left one though, but since they don’t feel different this is just a minor note. What is a bit less minor is the fact that there’s some side movement to the main buttons, both when pressed and when left alone. Not enough to really annoy me, but it is there on my copy.
The scroll wheel has these tiny knobs on it for texture, and it is great to use. It’s virtually silent and the steps are clearly defined without ever feeling like you’ve got to break a piece of glass each time you’re scrolling past a step. The wheel is perhaps a tad heavier to press in than what I would personally like but it is well within the ‘reasonable’ range so this isn’t a huge complaint. All in all the scroll wheel that they’re offering here is great, both when it comes to performance (no steps were skipped) as well as the overall feel.
Both side buttons have a nice and audible click but the front side button could use some work. If you click it towards the back (which is what I do with my grip style) it sort of ‘pivots’ where the back side of the button travels into the shell and the front side comes out a little. This isn’t a great feeling when you’re using it and I also have some doubts on how this will affect the durability. If you click the button in the middle or towards the front you won’t have any issues with this, but that doesn’t the change the fact that there’s room for improvement.
Build Quality and Cable
Picking up the mouse and shaking it around produces an audible rattle around the front, but since this can’t be replicated on a mousepad (not even when I was actively trying to by doing crazy long and fast swipes) I don’t see this as an issue. Aside from this the mouse seems to be really nicely built. There’s no flexing anywhere on the shell so if you had any concerns about this mouse feeling flimsy you can rest easy. To be complete: you can flex the bottom part of the mouse a bit if you press down with your thumb but that part is always just sitting on your pad so this isn’t a concern in my opinion.
Something that G-Wolves seem to consistently pull off really nicely (I only tested two of their mice, but still) is the cable. Along with the Skoll this is quite simply the best stock cable I’ve used so far. It’s extremely flexible and light and you won’t really notice it at all when you’re gaming, even if you’re using it without a bungee. I know people who order a mouse and then immediately order a custom cable to install once they get the mouse but I seriously think that even those people should hold off on that if they’re considering this mouse.
As far as I’m concerned there are two main ‘battles’ being fought between some mouse companies right now: the battle to have the lightest mouse, and then the battle to have the best cable. Some companies solve that last one by just going wireless (I can’t wait until we get these extremely lightweight wireless mice) of course, but if you’re asking me G-Wolves are clearly on top in the cable department at this point in time.
Sensor and Everyday Performance
The 3389 sensor is what drives the G-Wolves Hati. That’s a completely flawless sensor, meaning that it translates everything that you do in real life to whatever game you’re in with perfect precision. No smoothing or acceleration will be screwing with your aim, so the only one to blame for missing that easy headshot on a stunned target will be you. Or lag, whatever.
DPI and polling rate can be configured in G-Wolves’ software, which is a basic but functional program that has pretty much everything (including macro functionality) that you can think of so no complaints there. It’s also a plug and play mouse, but the lack of DPI indicator LED will mean that it’s not ideal to do so for inexperienced users.
A lot of people wonder if holes in a mouse interfere with performance or if they get annoying after a while, so I’ll say it here too: for me, they don’t really do anything. Obviously they help with reducing the weight but aside from that I don’t really feel the holes once I’m using the mouse. Some people say that it helps with ventilation for sweaty hands but there’s not really any air going through the mouse (unless you’re playing in front of a fan I suppose) so I personally never really notice that ventilation effect. The holes do mean that there’s less contact with your hand so these holey mice help somewhat for people with sweaty hands in the sense that there’s less mouse surface that can start to feel icky during long gaming sessions. This is really me trying hard to find these ‘advantages’ though, realistically most people won’t really notice any huge difference between a mouse with holes and one without them. Except for the reduced weight, of course.
G-Wolves Hati Review – Conclusion
The G-Wolves Hati is a very, very good gaming mouse. It has a flawless sensor, nice clicks, a best-in-business cable, and it’s super light to top it all off. If you’re looking for a lightweight ambidextrous gaming mouse this could be one of your options, and that’s immediately why I am not as impressed with this one as I was with the Skoll. There are a number of similar lightweight ambidextrous mice out there and while the availability of other offerings don’t in any way diminish the quality of this product it does have an effect on my enthusiasm for this mouse.
That’s a personal opinion, obviously, and it’s probably influenced by the fact that the Skoll is one of the first ultra lightweight ergonomic mice and I happen to prefer ergonomic mice. The Hati is very much a top product, so if you like what you’re reading as far as the shape goes (or you love your G Pro Wireless but you want it to be lighter at the cost of adding a cable) then this won’t disappoint at all. As with most products it’s not flawless: the main buttons have some side movement and the front side button feels kind of bad to use if you press it towards the back. The feet also aren’t the best I’ve ever seen. These things are all minor drawbacks though. Essentially this a top tier gaming mouse. It’s not groundbreaking or insanely revolutionary, but it is a great product for gaming, so what else would you need?