Razer has taken its Basilisk gaming mouse from last year, cut the cord, and spun the resulting rodent into two separate models at two very different price points. The Basilisk Ultimate (shown above) is the pricier of the two at $159.99 (€169.99), while the Basilisk X Hyperspeed is comparatively affordable at $59.99 (€69.99). So, what's the difference?
At a glance, they look very similar, though there are some key differences (as you might expect, given the wide price disparity). Starting with the higher-end Basilisk Ultimate, Razer dipped into its bag of bells and whistles and outfitted the mouse with a 20,000 dpi optical sensor (same as found on the Viper Ultimate), a generous assortment of 11 programmable buttons, a scroll wheel with tension adjustment (just like the wired version), slick PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) feet, RGB lighting, and support for 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth connectivity.
A replaceable multi-function paddle is part of the package as well, and so is the ability to fine tune the lift-off and landing distance. You can store up to five customized profiles on the rodent itself.
Those are high-end specs, with a price tag representative of the premium features the Basilisk Ultimate offers. Some of them carry offer to the cheaper to Basilisk X Hyperspeed, though not all of them.
The Basilisk X Hyperspeed downgrades the optical sensor to 16,000 dpi, though really, that's still way higher than is needed for competitive gameplay. It has less buttons—six instead of 11, each one programmable—and lacks LED lighting.
This one also connects via 2.4GHz wireless or Bluetooth, but lacks amenities like tension adjustment on the scroll wheel, lift-off/landing distance tuning, and PTFE feet.
As for battery life, Razer says the Basilisk Ultimate can last up to 100 hours per charge (without lighting), versus up to 285 hours for the Basilisk X Hyperspeed (or 450 hours if using Bluetooth).
We have not tested either of these rodents so we can't say how they compare to one another in actual usage, or to the competition, some of which will undoubtedly be marked down soon as Black Friday deals arrive. If you simply can't wait, though, both the Basilisk Ultimate and Basilisk X Hyperspeed are available now.
