Black Friday Purchase Review: Razer Basilisk X HyperSpeed Wireless Gaming Mouse
This past Black Friday, which occurred almost a month ago, has yielded great deals on tech gadgets and hardware. So the tech enthusiasts in me had to take full advantage of the great discounts offered by various vendors. My Black Friday purchase, you ask? Razer's Basilisk X HyperSpeed wireless gaming mouse. Since my purchase, the mouse has endured the rigors of daily computer tasks and gaming. Oh, if you're interested, the mouse still retails for just $34.99 on Amazon. Here's a fun fact about Razer's Basilisk mouse product line made its debut in 2017. The primary target, of course, is the casual or staunch gamer.
There is so much to cover in this review; let's begin by addressing the design. Scroll down.
Design
The Logitech MX Master 3 is by far the best and the most comfortable mouse I've purchased to date. So understandably, it would not be easy to find a mouse that comparatively comes close to the MX 3 regarding design, comfort, and performance. Yet making the transition from the MX Master 3 to the Basilisk wasn't difficult; at all, the mouse offered the same level of comfort during prolonged use. In addition, the mouse is surprisingly light when held in the hands.
Overall the design of the Basilisk X HyperSpeed is typical of what you'll find from any of Razer's products; it's simplistic, sleek, and aesthetically pleasing with a matte black color scheme. And, of course, there's the iconic South African Boomslang snake logo engraved on the removable mouse cover. In addition, the mouse is very light in weight which lends to overall comfort in the hands.
Beyond that, you have the standard right button, and a left button, the scroll wheel, and an LED illuminated DPI button. If you open the mouses cover, the compartment stores the battery ( 1 single AA) and wireless dongle. Next, flip the mouse over; on the bottom, you'll find the power switch that also converts between 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth signals.
Overall I'm satisfied with the mouse design, but there is one glaring issue. The Basilisk X only has one DPI button. Unfortunately, it's relatively uncommon for a gaming mouse. As a result, users cannot randomly adjust the DPI level bidirectionally at random.
The Features
Several features stand out to me on the Basilisk X HyperSpeed. Firstly, the DPI button, located just below the scroll wheel whose DPI settings you can adjust using the Synapses 3 software. In addition, the Windows-based software allows users to access and set up five sensitivity levels, choose polling rates and assign six programable buttons. Finally, it's worth noting that the mouse doesn't have a protruding button that makes it easy to slow down first-person shooters into a lower-DPI "sniper" mode. Minus that feature, the mouse loses its luster.
Beyond that, the most underrated feature is the power button which I mentioned already alternates the mouses' connectivity between 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth modes.
Overall Performance
Admittedly, I do most of my gaming on a console, mainly because I still haven't grasped the concept of using a mouse and keyboard to play games on a PC. Unfortunately, using the mouse to surf the net or engaging in other PC tasks does not push the mouse to its limit regarding performance. So to thoroughly test the Basilisk X HyperSpeed performance, I had to play a video game, so I installed Doom Eternal. After hours of gameplay, the mouse held up well, accurately responding to a series of commands.
I want to add that a high DPI set at 16000 is ideal for large displays or a multiple monitor setup. The mouse cursor moves fluidly across the screen. After putting the mouse through a battery of tests, thus far, I haven't experienced any glitches or performance lag.
Epilogue
Even though Basilisk X HyperSpeed wireless gaming mouse is considered the low-end option of its product line, the mouse still yielded satisfactory performance during my usage. However, avid gamers will struggle with gaming due to the peripheral last-Gen technology and minimal features. As a result, you'll likely opt for the Basilisk Ultimate. But, all and all, this wireless gaming mouse is a buy.
