Razer Basilisk: a cutting edge mouse for FPS

Ergonomics

Reserved exclusively for right-handers (unlike the Lancehead), the Basilisk logically takes advantage of this ergonomic limitation to offer a particularly comfortable shape for right hands. No madness in the design, although Razer has taken care of his model. Moving away from its usual aesthetic codes, the manufacturer is trying to offer a new mouse different from those it has been renewing for several years now.

The result is a mouse probably a little closer to what the competition offers, but perhaps also suitable for a larger number of morphologies. The shell is thus clearly tilted to the right to better follow the natural orientation of the hand, and sufficiently curved to properly accommodate the palm. The manufacturing quality is very good and the materials appear to be of high quality, with in particular for the shell a slightly rough black plastic which has the good taste of not being too covered with fingerprints.

Medium size (124 x 75 x 43 mm), the Basilisk can be used on most hands: the smallest will gladly place their entire palm, while the larger will bend their fingers more or less for a slightly more nervous grip. In all cases, it is easy to hold the mouse securely thanks to the elastomeric inserts of the edges which ensure good adhesion of the fingers. The thumb is also well accommodated, supported by the left edge which protrudes a little to support it, so that it does not drag on the carpet.

On this same section, there are two buttons, associated by default with the "previous page" and "next page" functions in office automation (modifiable in the software). These are very accessible, it's a pleasure to use them. Be careful, however, with large thumbs, as they are also very sensitive.

Since it is a mouse designed for FPS, we are not surprised to find on this left edge a third button, which can be similar to what is sometimes called a "sniper" button. Indeed, it is used by default to use the mouse with a lower sensitivity when it is pressed, making the movements of the viewfinder slower and thus allowing to gain in precision. However, this type of button is often criticized for being poorly placed, either too far from the thumb and therefore difficult to handle quickly, or conversely too close and too sensitive, causing involuntary activations. Razer has found the parade and offers two small triggers of different length, to be chosen according to the length of our thumb. The change is very fast, this small part being simply held by a magnet. Users preferring to do without this function will be able to condemn the housing hosting the trigger with a small rubber piece.

Otherwise there are five other more classic buttons. The main click buttons are associated with Omron switches guaranteed for 50 million activations. They are reactive as desired, and there are no games to report on our test copy. Two other buttons located above the wheel are used to increase or decrease the sensitivity of the sensor. As often, they are difficult to access in the heat of the action, but it is not too annoying when you have a button "sniper" under the thumb. Finally, the wheel button is also convincing. We simply regret the absence of horizontal scrolling of the latter.

The wheel, precisely, let's talk about it. Razer wanted it adjustable in hardness. We can thus make the notches more or less marked by simply rotating a small wheel under the mouse. The wheel can thus become completely smooth, without any notch, or on the contrary very hard, to be sure not to pass a notch when it is rotated in full action. Convenient in an FPS when you have to change weapons, for example, or on the contrary if you want a more fluid zoom by removing the notch. However, there is no question of taking advantage of an ultra-fast scrolling similar to that offered on certain Logitech mice (G502, G900 ...), the wheel cannot turn on its own axis, even with a large pulse of the finger.

On the sliding side, we appreciate the quality of the 3 large PTFE pads which ensure particularly fluid and silent movements, even on hard surfaces. The 110 g of the Basilisk (cable placed next to our scale, Razer announcing 107 g for its part) are thus easily forgotten, even if one might have expected even more lightness at a time when the competition drops below 100 g.

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Precision

Razer again uses the very good "5G" optical sensor introduced with the DeathAdder Elite and also used in the Lancehead Tournament Edition. Produced by Pixart, like many other optical sensors of competing mice, this PMW3389 ensures the Basilisk high performance. It therefore operates at speeds of up to 11.43 m / s, supports accelerations of 50 g and its sensitivity can reach 16,000 dpi. Enough to ensure flawless reactivity for the mouse, whether playing at high or low sensitivity.

For its part, surface recognition is entirely satisfactory for an optical sensor. We simply avoid transparent and reflective materials like glass. However, we always recommend a good mouse pad to both improve accuracy, fluidity of movement and reduce wear on the pads. Razer also offers in its software a surface calibration to optimize the recognition of the sensor according to the carpet used.

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Conclusion

Well finished and equipped with a high-performance optical sensor, the Basilisk mouse from Razer proves to be versatile and pleasant to handle. Its "sniper" button and its adjustable hardness dial effectively make it well suited to FPS in particular.

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