SITTING ON its charging stand like the
sought-after artifact on a pedestal in
an Indiana Jones movie, this Basilisk
Ultimate certainly has the looks. This is a
wireless gaming pointer with no expense
spared, from the 20,000dpi sensor and
100-hour battery life to the RGB dock,
the luxurious materials forming the body
around it, and a host of subtle design
touches that all combine to make life a
little easier.
It’s a gorgeous mouse. While the
standard Basilisk model is bogged
down in unsightly grooves along
its inner side panel, this features a
textured, rubberized finish at either
side, which functionally improves grip
and aesthetically preserves a clean,
professional look.
Only the asymmetrical ergonomic
shape jumps out as an obvious through-
line between Basilisk models, in fact. It’s
a body best used in palm grip, but also
comfortable in claw or fingertip style—
though not quite as naturally suited to the
latter as smaller ambidextrous models
such as Razer’s own Viper Mini, the Zowie
FK2, or the Glorious Model O Minus.
Forward and back buttons sit perfectly
integrated into the lines of the left-hand
side, and further toward the front sits a
removable DPI clutch, ready to kill your
sensitivity when you need total precision
in FPS games. If you don’t like the sound
of that, a rubber stay can be plugged
in instead.
Elsewhere, there’s a pair of DPI
switches to cycle between up to five
modes on the fly, a mouse wheel with two
additional inputs by nudging it sideways
left and right, and two beautifully
scalloped oversized mouse buttons
covering Razer’s mechanical switches.
If you have any reservations about
dropping this much dollar on a mouse,
its appearance alone will assuage them.
We just wish it was easier to play
competitive shooters with. This beingRazer’s flagship FPS
mouse cuts the cord
Razer
Basilisk
Ultimate
8
VERDICT Razer Basilisk UltimateRAZER THE BAR Supremely
comfortable; wireless charging
dock; looks magnificent.
LISKY BUSINESS Not for competitive FPS.
$220, http://www.razer.comSPECIFICATIONSSensor Type Optical
Sensitivity 20,00cpi
Programmable Buttons 11
Battery Life Up to 100 hoursLighting 14 RGB zones
Dimensions 130mm/5.11 inches
(length) x 60mm/
2.36 inches (grip
width) x 42mm/1.65
inches (height)a wireless model, it just can’t look
wired mice in the eye when it comes
to response time, and has an almost
ethereal “feel” when you’re in game. Yes,
the wireless receiver is subtly elegant,
as much as a small lump of plastic
can be, and yes, it’s nice that there’s a
recess on the underside of the mouse for
storing the receiver when you take your
setup on the road. But when the bomb’s
down on A, and you’re 1v5 with low HP,
you’d trade it all for a simple cord. Razer
says its own wireless tech is 25 percent
faster than any of its rivals, but there are
still occasional moments of noticeable
dropout or latency.DAMAGE LIMITATION
Maybe it’s the wireless, the weight, the
small PTFE feet, or some combination
of all of them, but we actually noticed a
consistent drop in K:D when using this
versus a wired Viper in CSGO. So, sadly,
it’s not ideal for your competitive shooter
of choice where marginal gains matter. In
that setting, Razer’s much cheaper Viper
Mini is a better pick, benefitting from
massive and super-smooth PTFE feet
and a super-light 68g total weight, which
combine beautifully when you’re making
big movements across the mouse mat—
especially important for low-DPI players.
Where the Basilisk Ultimate does
shine, though, is in, well, everything
else. Offline shooters, strategy games,
workstation use, whatever you generally
click in day-to-day life, it all feels a bit
more luxurious with this under your
hand. Ultimately, the high-end peripheral
market is about treating yourself more
than seeing tangible benefits in gaming
performance or functionality, and inthe field of treating yourself, Razer
is king.
Enter the RGB options and feature-rich
(to the point of bloated) software. Both the
mouse and dock are fully customizable,
the former over 14 individual zones
via the Chroma app. Synapse, the meat-
and-potatoes software component,
allows for DPI tweaks and button
behavior mapping. Having to create an
account (and thus share social media or
email details with Razer) is a drag, but
you can’t knock the functionality.
It’s a heart over head purchase,
then. It might not be esports-grade in
performance, but the look and feel are
very seductive. –PHIL IWANIUKin the lab
72 MAXIMUMPC MAY 2020 maximumpc.com