My mouse of choice is, wait for it, an Apple MagicMouse. It’s a magical piece of tech that somehow combines a touchpad with a mouse in a seamless, wire-free package that allows you to do so much. Well, if you are using a Mac computer that is. I really love it but Lord knows it sucks for gaming and it’s barely functional on Windows PC’s.
Razer’s new gaming mouse, the Basilisk Ultimate might just be the mouse that makes me put the ol MagicMouse out to pasture. First off, it’s wireless, it’s got great build quality, a number of customizable buttons, it lights up like a Light cycle and best of all, it feels great in the hand.
Razer Basilisk Ultimate Review
Here are the essential specs at a glance:
- Razer HyperSpeed Wireless technology
- 11 programmable buttons
- 14 customizable Razer Chroma™ RGB lighting zones
- Customizable scroll wheel resistance
- Razer Focus+ 20,000 DPI optical sensor with 99.6% resolution accuracy
- Up to 650 inches per second (IPS) / 50 G acceleration
- 100 hour battery life
- Razer Dock
- 5 On-board Memory Profile (4+1 profiles)
- Wired and Wireless usage modes.
- 2.4 GHz dongle
- 1.8 m / 6 ft Speedflex cable for charging and wired use
- Approximate weight: 107 g / 3.77 oz
Like a glove
The Basilisk Ultimate ticks all the boxes for a high-performance gaming mouse. The first thing to note is the design. From the minute you turn it on and it lights up, it sits there like some ancient weapon that you, the chosen one is meant to wield to save the world.
Shaped to fit right-handed users, the Basilisk Ultimate has a very comfortable grip that I thoroughly enjoyed holding onto. In fact, it’s the most form-fitting mouse I’ve ever had the pleasure of holding.
It’s as if it was moulded for my particular palm shape. I’m a half claw, half palm grip type user and the Basilisk fits just right for me.
Razer has crafted a comfortable thumb rest that makes all the difference. It has a textured rubber surface that keeps the thumb snug and comfy. Reaching for the side buttons was always easy and never caused me any strain. My pinky finger is also treated to a similar comfort on the other side leaving my three remaining digits to sit comfortably on the mouse’s main body.
The Basilisk weighs 107g without the cable, which some might consider overweight especially when compared to mice like the Glorious Model O which is under 60g. However, the Basilisk has good reason to be heavy-ish and that’s an internal, rechargeable battery. But the weight doesn’t make the Basilisk unwieldy.
In fact, thanks to the 100% PTFE frictionless feet, moving the mouse around is sublime. It glides effortlessly across most surfaces while the weight ensures you won’t fling the mouse in a fit of trigger twitching in Fortnite.
One of my favourite things about the Basilisk’s design is the elegant use of Razer Chroma lighting. With a grand total of 14 lighting zones, each of which can be customised with 16.8 million colours in a variety of combinations using Razer Chroma Studio. Not only that, but you can also have the lighting synchronise with other Razer Chroma compatible hardware and make your setup Insta-worthy.
It’s really cool is that even the charging dock has a light strip around the base and you better believe this can be customised as well.
20/ 20 vision
The Razer Basilisk Ultimate has a class-leading 20,000 DPI Razer Focus+ optical sensor for a 650 inches per second 50G acceleration. Now, unless you are an extreme-core gamer who needs to snipe a fly on the earlobe of a horse-riding enemy, I doubt you will ever need that level of accuracy.
In my time of use, I was content with no more than 1800 DPI. The Basilisk stores up to five DPI stages from 800 all the way to 20k. Two handy switches placed behind the scroll wheel allow you to quickly change the DPI.
However, you can also customise the DPI settings in the Razer Synapse app. Once you’ve defined your specific presets, you can then save these and other settings right on to the mouse’s on-board memory. This means you can use the mouse on any other PC and still have your preferences accessible without needing to fiddle around with Synapse.
But none of this matters if the mouse can’t relay all that goodness to your PC quickly and lag-free. Razer has developed something called HyperSpeed Wireless which they claim is 25% faster than the industry standard. Bold claims which I couldn’t really test but I found nary a hint of lag.
From moving my files around to shooting the Vex in Destiny 2, every single click and move of the mouse responded immediately. This performance is delivered via a 2.4Ghz wireless over a teeny-tiny USB dongle that can be stashed away in a cubbyhole underneath the mouse.
Click me, click me
Up top are the two main mouse buttons. They employ Razer’s Optical mouse switches which are really fast, responsive and clicky. Razer says they have a lifetime of up to 70 million clicks. I really enjoyed how they feel compared to traditional mouse buttons.
Ensconced in between the main mouse buttons is a deliciously tactile scroll wheel. It has a ribbed rubber surface that gives a good grip.
The scroll wheel has a stiff resistance by default; it’s quite clicky with audible feedback as you spin it. You can adjust the resistance using wheel control located at the bottom of the mouse. You can make it tighter or looser, whichever you prefer. I had no issues scrolling endlessly through web content without any strain or fatigue to my index finger. The scroll wheel also functions as another set of buttons with a left, right or downward press.
On the left side of the Basilisk are two extra thumb buttons and a unique multi-function paddle. This little paddle acts as a sort of shift button allowing every other button on the Basilisk to have a secondary function. It’s literally like pressing shift on your number keys to get symbols. In the hands of an enthusiast, this can make for some great button combinations. Honestly though, for me, the standard buttons were more than I needed.
All in all, the Basilisk gives you 11 programmable buttons which thanks to the multi-function paddle and software, this effectively triples the number of actions at your disposal.
Battery for days
So the Basilisk Ultimate comes with a battery that Razer says will last for 100 hours. Now, of course, mileage will vary based on your specific usage and in my experience I honestly didn’t find out how long the battery would last. Why? Because Razer has made some essential design choices that really make it hard to drain the battery.
For starters, the Basilisk Ultimate ships with the oh-so-convenient charging dock that comes with the mouse. It attaches to your PC via a USB port and every time you are done using the Basilisk, you sit it on the dock and voila, the battery recharges. While this isn’t as convenient as a charging mouse pad, it’s a practical and effective solution. Plus, it looks undeniably cool.
Basically, unless you are going to be away from your desk set up for days, you will never need to worry about battery life. But that’s not all. The Basilisk also automatically goes to sleep to save even more precious battery. You can even put the mouse in dark mode which turns off all the lights saving you even more power.
And even if you do run out of charge, the Basilisk can charge directly via the same USB braided cable that the charging dock uses. And because the cable plugs into the front of the Basilisk, you can still use it as a wired mouse while it charges. Yep, none of that ridiculous turtle-on-its-back nonsense that the Apple MagicMouse has.
As I said, Razer has covered every angle here to ensure that this isn’t even a conversation. Very well done.
Verdict: Should you buy?
The Razer Basilisk Ultimate retails for $299 in Australia. Now, that’s a lot of money to spend on a mouse but Gawd darn it, Razer has knocked it out of the park.
And I want one.
It’s great in the hand, smooth and responsive in any situation. And that battery life? What life? This thing can literally go for weeks at a time without needing a recharge.
I simply can’t find anything to fault this mouse besides being strictly for right-handers. This is an expensive mouse for sure, but Lawd I have to say it’s well worth it. Go and get one now if you can.
The Razer Basilisk Ultimate sample unit was provided to PowerUp! by Razer for the purpose of this review.
Razer Basilisk Ultimate Review - mightier than the sword
Product Name: Razer Basilisk Ultimate
Product Description: Wireless gaming mouse
Offer price: 299
Currency: AUD
Availability: InStock
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Excellent design that fits like a glove
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Ridiculous battery life with so many charging options
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Excellent wireless performance with nary a hint of lag
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For right handers only
