Razer Basilisk V3 35K Review

The defining feature of the Razer Basilisk V3 35K is its absolutely uncompromising performance. Equipped with Razer's proprietary Focus Pro 35K optical sensor, its polling rate and counts-per-inch (CPI) are lossless, allowing it to perfectly replicate your movements on-screen with no inaccuracies or variations whatsoever.

Comfort

The Razer Basilisk goes above and beyond in the comfort department by introducing ergonomic design elements that help reduce strain and fatigue through long gaming sessions. It has textured rubberized grips that help you maintain control with less exertion, as well as a shelf-shaped thumb rest that reduces drag and further complements your hold on the mouse. We greatly appreciated these features during our testing, and they are certainly strong points in the Basilisk's favor; however, its overall shape made it less conducive to certain grip types compared to other gaming mice we evaluated.

We tested the Basilisk in actual gaming scenarios using the fingertip, claw, and palm grip styles. Holding the mouse with a palm grip was exceptionally comfortable, especially for those with small or medium hands. Those with large hands can capably wield this weapon with a fingertip or claw grip, but those methods might feel slightly awkward with this mouse's shape. It didn't hinder our gaming experience, but the curvature of the mouse practically begs you to rest the entire length of your thumb on the shelf with a full palm grip. There is also an extra front thumb button that can be difficult to reach unless you are utilizing the thumb rest as intended.

Our tester described the clicking experience as “quick and clean.” He went on to say, “I don't think it's necessarily satisfying to press, but it feels like it's there to get the job done well and quickly.” We appreciate this no-frills approach to the tactile mouse buttons. The quick actuation ensures that your fingers won't become fatigued from pressing the buttons hard, but it still requires just enough force to prevent most misclicks.

Weight and Balance

Control is everything when it comes to the Basilisk. It has centered balance and more heft than the average gaming mouse, making it an excellent choice for precision-based games. For the sake of our testing, though, we awarded better scores to mice with a lighter weight. Some in our lineup weighed as little as 60g or less, making them much more preferable for most competitive scenarios and casual use cases. With that in mind, the Basilisk scored lower due to its 103g reading on the scale.

Where the Basilisk really shines is in the strategy gaming sphere. Competitive Real-time strategy (RTS) players will value the perfect balance and controlled weight that facilitates precise navigation of complex menus with natural ease. If you're looking to compete in a StarCraft tournament or climb the online ladder in Age of Empires, this is the mouse for you.

You're less likely to love the Basilisk if shooters are your bread and butter. While some first-person shooter (FPS) players certainly prefer a heavier mouse for greater control, that is the exception rather than the rule. Our tester reported that “I found it harder to follow targets in shooters” when he tested the Basilisk during actual gameplay. It simply doesn't feel as nimble as other mice, and it requires a greater amount of startup force.

Scroll Wheel

Many people overlook the benefits of a great scroll wheel, but the scroll wheel is one of the most impressive parts of the Razer Basilisk mouse. Not only does it feel great and function well, but it also includes both 4D and infinite scrolling. These advanced features are more than just productivity boosters or gimmicky novelties — they can help improve your gameplay if you use them cleverly.

Toggling the infinite scroll feature removes the resistance from your scroll wheel and makes it possible to continuously scroll for several seconds without any additional input from you. Removing scroll wheel resistance can be a very welcome ergonomic feature if you're playing strategy or simulation games that entail frequent zooming in or out, such as Cities: Skylines.

The 4D scroll wheel feature is even more impressive. This lets you tilt the scroll wheel left and right to horizontally scroll through web pages or spreadsheets, but gamers can put this to even better use. You can assign any function you want to the left and right tilts, such as weapon-swapping in an FPS or cycling through hotbars in a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. If you want some extra programmability without resorting to a complex MMO mouse that has a dozen extra buttons, this can be a great middle ground.

To top it all off, the scroll wheel is discreet. There's some slight clicking as you scroll, but you can eliminate this entirely by toggling the infinite scroll mode. Even pressing the scroll wheel is quiet and soft on the finger. If you tend to assign additional functions to your scroll wheel press, this is another big point in the Basilisk's favor.

Sensor Performance

There's not much to say about the Basilisk in terms of performance. Its sensor is simply flawless. It touts a polling rate of 1,000Hz and never dipped below that figure, even when we rapidly switched between quick and slow movements. It is a reliable performer with perfect consistency, giving you the precision CPI you expect from a top-of-the-line specimen.

If there's anything to complain about in regard to this mouse's performance, it's that it “only” reaches a polling rate of 1,000Hz. Some mice in this category, including other options from Razer, can go as high as 8,000Hz. However, a 1,000Hz polling rate is perfectly sufficient for practically every scenario, and only the most hyper-aware gamers on the planet will perceive the difference.

Should You Buy the Razer Basilisk V3 35K?

The Razer Basilisk V3 35K is the mouse for you if you want to always feel comfortable and in control while gaming. It has incredible customizability, too, with 11 programmable buttons and personalized lighting effects. It has the best form factor, ergonomics, and practical precision you are likely to find in a gaming mouse. While it may fall short of expectations if you prefer a lightweight speed demon of a mouse, the Basilisk will likely check off every other criterion on your wishlist.

What Other Gaming Mice Should You Consider?

The Basilisk looks, feels, and performs like a premium piece of hardware, and it has the price tag to match. If you want similar performance that costs almost 50% less, the HyperX Pulsefire Haste is a strong budget alternative. For those who prefer wireless mice, we strongly recommend the Logitech G Pro — another high-quality product and one that was neck-and-neck with the Basilisk for the top spot on our list.