If you’re a Razer Basalisk fan or are in the market for a Logitech G502 X alternative, you might be interested to find out that the Razer Basalisk V3 X Hyperspeed packs more than a punch… it also packs a AA battery.
Razer opted to keep most of the Basilisk V3 the same as the V2. The few changes that they have made may be slight, but they add a little bit of quality of life that most fans of the series may approve of. For one, there is now an extra thumb button alongside the other two that are usually there, which adds to more options when gaming or even working. They’ve also added a little bit of RGB through the scroll wheel that obviously syncs up quite well with the rest of your Razer gear should you be using the Razer Synapse software.
The shape of the mouse tends to favour those who prefer a full palm grip. The long buttons on top allow for your whole hand to hold onto the mouse and still have a comfortable position for your index and middle finger, and the bulb shape fits just right into my palm. When holding in this grip, I also have the best access to all three of the thumb buttons. Those who use more of a claw grip will still find the mouse comfortable to use, but the newly added thumb button might be just out of reach.
The scroll wheel offers a decent amount of tactical feedback without being too clunky and choppy, but you are no longer able to free-wheel like in previous versions. Whether the RGB in the scroll wheel makes up for it is up to you.
The clicks feel nice and responsive, and I wasn’t able to pick up any delay while gaming, being a wireless mouse and all and it is reported that the mechanical switches have been upgraded for more durability; however, only time will tell how true this is.
While most mice that run on a AA battery tend to last quite a while, when they do finally die, there is never a spare AA battery around. I’ve not once had the foresight to keep a spare battery nearby, and I have a suspicion that most people out there are just like me. That’s my major gripe with this mouse, that it runs on a AA battery. Now, I know that may sound like nit-picking, and in a sense it is, but if you’ve ever been in the middle of a high-stakes Age of Empires game and your mouse suddenly stops working, being able to quickly plug it in versus running to the ol’ man drawer to find a battery that’ll work, could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
On paper, the Razer Basilisk V3 is lighter than the Logitech G502 X when you have the battery in the mouse, and it definitely has a lot more heft to it. Of course, the weight of a mouse is more about personal comfort, but as someone who enjoys a lighter mouse, I didn’t find the Basilisk too heavy and even though it sits nicely on the mousepad, it also glides quite well too.
While the Razer Basilisk V3 doesn’t pack all the features of the Logitech G502X Lightspeed, it comes with almost all of them, and for almost half the price, it’s quite an enticing option for a great gaming mouse.