Gaming mice nowadays are pretty similar to each other. They are lightweight, typically have a couple of extra buttons, and have pretty close to the same shape. The Razer Basilisk Ultimate, on the other hand, has a very distinctive design. Of course, a chunky mouse is not for all games or gamers, but overall the Basilisk Ultimate offers a great experience.
Using this mouse for the last week, playing various games, from fast-paced shooters like Roboquest to slow-paced casual games like Dredge, as well as just day-to-day use, we put this mouse through the wringer. This mouse has been tricked out with a new sensor, new switches, and upgraded mouse feet from its predecessors. So is this really the ultimate version of the Razer Basilisk?
Razer Basilisk Ultimate Wireless Gaming Mouse
With a high-speed transmission, extremely low latency, and seamless frequency switching in the noisiest environments, players won't even realize that they're gaming with a wireless mouse. Gamers can have a greater arsenal of commands at their fingertips by mapping their favorite macros and secondary functions via Razer Synapse 3. Like its wired variant, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate includes the signature multi-function paddle and RGB charging dock.
- Weight
- 107 g
- Sensor and DPI
- Focus+ 20K Optical Sensor
- RGB Lighting
- 14 Zones
- Programmable Buttons
- 11
- Connectivity
- Razer HyperSpeed Wireless
- Wireless
- Yes
- Battery Life
- Up To 100 Hours
- Compatibility
- Dock Charging
- DPI
- 2600
- IPS
- 650
- Polling Rate
- 4000 Hz
- Acceleration
- 40 g
Contents of The Box
- Razer Basilisk Ultimate mouse
- USB receiver
- Charging cradle
- USB to micro-USB cable
- Manuals
- Stickers
- Sniper Button plastic cover
Design
While the Basilisk Ultimate looks quite different from other gaming mice, it does look pretty similar to other Basilisk mice from Razer, like the Basilisk V3. By no means is that a bad thing. Razer continues to use high-quality plastic, and the thumb wrist on the left-hand side adds some ergonomic grip. RGB-wise, this mouse can range from lighting up your desk to an understated mouse that can be acceptable in an office setting.
Being a rechargeable wireless mouse, even with a 100-hour battery life, it does have to charge occasionally. Razer put a lot of thought into this, which is nice compared to other wireless mice, looking at you, Apple. The included charging stand also doubles as a USB-A slot to plug in the wireless dongle. It was easy to keep this mouse charged with the stand. When we were done with a gaming session, the mouse could just go back onto the stand and be at 100% when the next session rolled around. The included USB cable, despite being micro-USB, is excellent quality and has the classic Razer green connectors.
Basilisk Ultimate Layout and Buttons
Key Information | |
|---|---|
Buttons | 11 Total Buttons 3 Side Buttons 24 Total Programmable Inputs |
Switches | Optical |
Dominant Hand | Right-Handed |
DPI Button | Yes |
Sensitivity Clutch | Yes |
Store and Swap Configurations Button | Yes |
One of the biggest selling points of this mouse is the sniper button or sensitivity clutch, which comes included. This extra little button comes disconnected in the box, but after removing a small rubber cover on the mouse, this button slots in easily. You can change this button to pretty much whatever you want through the software, but by default, it will drop the DPI to a set number while it is being held down.
For people with smaller hands, this sensitivity clutch sits very far up front on the mouse and tends to be hard to reach. It is nice that this button is optional because if you want the button, it is easy enough to put in, and if you don't want it getting in your way, the rubber cap sits fairly flush with the rest of the mouse.
The scroll wheel has a nice feel to it, the grip is pronounced enough, but not overly so where it gets poky. On the bottom of the mouse is a wheel to dial in the amount of resistance the scroll wheel has. For most of the time reviewing this mouse, we kept the resistance towards the middle, but it was nice to have the customization option.
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The two side buttons can be programmed to pretty much whatever you want through the software. They are nice and clicky, which is nice to see, but at times they are kind of easy to press accidentally, but that might be a case of sausage fingers and not a fault of Razer's design.
Finally, there are two different DPI or Dots Per Inch buttons, which makes jumping from DPI settings much more manageable. There are some preset levels, but just like the rest of the buttons, you can customize the levels through Razer's software.
Comfort
The Basilisk Ultimate is very comfortable in hand, and the knurling on either side reduces the sweaty plastic feel, especially for those stressful PVP gaming sessions. Overall the shape of this mouse is ergonomic and should be comfortable for most people despite their hand size. That being said, if you have smaller hands, the sensitivity clutch might feel a little out of reach, especially using the claw grip.
By no means is this a lightweight mouse, but it is not incredibly heavy, either. Weighing in at 106.2 g this is a chunky mouse compared to Logitech's Superlight mouse, which weighs 63 grams, but when using the Basilisk, it didn't feel overly heavy.
This is a right-handed mouse. However, if you are looking for a left-handed mouse, check out the best left-handed gaming mice.
Sensor Performance
Razer is very proud of their new Focus+ Optical sensor and proud they should be. This is a flawless sensor, and that is the technical term, meaning that it has no smoothing or acceleration, and it goes all the way up to 20,000 DPI. Unless you have incredible control or a very tiny desk, 20,000 DPI is a bit overkill.
Besides the incredibly high DPI and the flawless performance, this sensor also includes a feature called Asymmetric Cut-Off, which allows you to change the landing distance of the mouse. This isn't a new feature for Razer mice, but the implementation of this mouse feels incredible. Even the quickest of flicks never felt like they were being registered late or the mouse had a loss in connection.
Software
Razer Synapse is an excellent piece of software. If you don't already have it installed, plugging the Basilisk Ultimate will automatically set up the software for you, as long as the computer is already connected to the internet. You can customize pretty much every button on this mouse and change the 14 RGB dimming zones all within this one app. Plus, this mouse has onboard memory, so you won't lose any customization regardless of what computer you have this mouse plugged into.
Finally, Synapse has this nice little pop-up notification when you are changing DPI, which is not necessary at all, but it is an incredible creature comfort feature. Other mice, like the Corsair Dark Core Pro RGB, have LEDs to tell which DPI setting you are on, but this is way easier to tell.
Conclusion
The Razer Basilisk Ultimate is an absolutely fantastic multi-genre mouse. It has outstanding performance, excellent ergonomics, and the number of creature comforts it has made the price well worth it. Of course, there are a lot of mice out there that are better suited to solely playing FPS or MMO games, but if you are looking for a solid all-around mouse that isn't terribly expensive, it's hard to go wrong with the Razer Basilisk Ultimate.
Razer Basilisk Ultimate Wireless Gaming Mouse
With a high-speed transmission, extremely low latency, and seamless frequency switching in the noisiest environments, players won't even realize that they're gaming with a wireless mouse. Gamers can have a greater arsenal of commands at their fingertips by mapping their favorite macros and secondary functions via Razer Synapse 3. Like its wired variant, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate includes the signature multi-function paddle and RGB charging dock.
Similar Products
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Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed | |
Razer Basilisk V3 |
FAQ
Q: Is Basilisk Ultimate worth it?
If you are looking for a wireless mouse with excellent performance, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate is worth it. If you want a cheaper option, the Basilisk X Hyperspeed is a good alternative, but you will get way better quality out of the Basilisk Ultimate.
Q: Is the Razer Basilisk Ultimate good for gaming?
The Razer Basilisk Ultimate is great for gaming. There are better genre-specific mice available, but for overall performance, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate is an excellent choice for most gamers.
Q: How long does Razer Basilisk Ultimate battery last?
Razer rates the Basilisk Ultimate battery for up to 100 hours before recharging. The included charging stand makes keeping this mouse charged easy as well.