Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed review

OUR VERDICT

The Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed mouse delivers top-notch wireless gaming performance with impressive battery life in a solid design with an even more solid price.

FOR

Two connection options
Long-lasting battery
Excellent performance

AGAINST

No wired backup
No DPI indicator
Two Minute Review

Razer is rounding out its Basilisk family of high-performance gaming mice with the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed. This gaming mouse takes some elements of the original Basilisk’s design and converts it into a wireless version while reducing the price to $59 (£59, AU$109).

That puts the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed into an impressive spot, as it can compete with the best gaming mice on price and performance while many of those mice are wired. Meanwhile, the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed has dual-mode wireless with 2.4GHz or Bluetooth (LE) connections, akin to the $49 (about £40, AU$70) Corsair Harpoon RGB Wireless.

The Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed takes the shape of the original Basilisk, with its sweeping thumb grip, angular front design, and sloping surface. But, it makes some changes. For one, it’s simpler, and has a more basic grip design. The left side has two thumb buttons. The notched scroll wheel doesn’t have any special adjustments. There’s no RGB, and the DPI switch just has one light. It also uses Razer’s own mechanical switches, which are rated for 50 million clicks. These are nice and clicky, with a consistent feel and no mushiness for the thumb buttons.

This new design also appears to take some cues from the Logitech G502 Hero, with glossy stripes cutting across the otherwise matte black plastic of the mouse.

The mouse measures 130mm x 60mm x 42mm and weighs 83g without its AA battery, but the battery will easily bump that up to a little over 100g. The palm rest comes off to reveal a cavity for the battery and small USB dongle. It’s only a shame Razer didn’t include any custom weights, as there’s a bit of room available.

There is room to customize the DPI settings and buttons using Razer Synapse, though. However, given the limited number of buttons, we found it simplest to just leave the bindings at their default.

Underneath, there’s the Razer 5G Advanced optical sensor, which offers up to 16,000DPI and tracking at speeds up to 450 IPS and accelerations up to 40G.

That’s when we get into how the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed performs. To put it simply, it’s excellent.

The Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed offers the high-end tracking performance you’d expect from a quality gaming mouse, with capabilities that can keep up with the twitch reflexes of elite gamers.

Many gamers may still worry about wireless connections for gaming mice, but they’ve come a long way. The 2.4GHz wireless available to the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed offers no noticeable latency in our experience, and that’s while gaming at upwards of 100 frames per second. The mouse also comes out of sleep mode from both clicks and movements, making it easier to avoid shooting an NPC in the face right after a long conversation.

While playing through the second half of the Outer Worlds, the Razer Basilisk X never struggles to snap our aim on targets. Tracking proves consistent whether we’re making small adjustments to keep a distant target in our sights or whipping around to turn on an enemy approaching from behind us.

Through all that gameplay, the battery isn’t the slightest issue. Razer claims the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed can run for up to 285 hours using the HyperSpeed Wireless connection and 450 hours using Bluetooth (LE) all from a single AA battery. We haven’t played that long, nor has the battery drained more than a few percentage points.

Gaming isn’t the whole story with the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed. The Bluetooth connection makes this mouse viable on the go as well. We’ve used it for a bit of work, pairing it with a laptop using Bluetooth. The tracking smoothness is reduced, but it’s convenient to be able to leave the USB dongle plugged into our gaming PC at home and still be able to use the Razer Basilisk X Hyperspeed elsewhere.