Razer Basilisk V3 gaming mouse now has a fancier scroll wheel

Razer is releasing another Basilisk. This version, the Razer Basilisk V3,This one’s wired 11-button right-handed mouse with a “thumb wing” support that keeps your digit from dragging on your mousepad even if you don’t grab it tight. It measures 2.97 x 5.19 x 1.56 inches (WDH), slightly larger than the 2019 Basilisk Ultimate, and weighs 3.67 ounces, which is notably heavier than the Basilisk V2.

Its latest right-handed gaming mouse featuring a wide range of customization options. In addition to programmable buttons, one of the big new features in the Basilisk V3 is its scroll wheel with tilt support. The best aspect of the Basilisk V3 is the thing that Razer never changes—its shape. It’s high-humped base and curved click panel guides your hand into a very comfortable position that allows your hand to drape over the mouse.

Whether or not you need all the gaming-focused bells and whistles, the Basilisk V3 (and all of its predecessors) are excellent general-use mice.

Razer's new feature is the HyperScroll Tilt Wheel, is you can now scroll in four different directions by tilting the scroll wheel to either side.

For vertical scrolling, you can choose whether you want a textile feel, smooth scrolling, or an auto mode that adapts to your scrolling speed. If you scroll slowly, you’ll feel each step with a click, but when you speed up, the wheel will spin smoothly, similar to the MagSpeed wheel on Logitech mice.

In games, it’s a great fit for secondary fire, cycling through weapons or controllable units, or other important functions. Outside of games, it’s great for hotkeys like opening tabs or refreshing a page in Chrome.

 

The Basilisk V3 has 11 buttons. On top, you’ll see two click panels, a scroll wheel, and two buttons in the center column just underneath it. The wheel actually accounts for three “buttons:” Like all mice, the wheel’s clickable, but you can also tilt it left or right to scroll horizontally. All 11 inputs can be remapped using Razer’s Synapse configuration app.

 

On the left side of the mouse, you have the usual “back” and “forward” side buttons and the so-called “sniper” button at the front, waiting for the tip of your thumb. Last but not least, if you flip the mouse over, there’s a button on the underside of the mouse for switching among the Basilisk V3’s five onboard profiles. Putting the profile swap button underneath the mouse is an esports-friendly choice: Competitive players prefer not to have the ability to accidentally reset all their buttons mid-match.

The second really substantial addition to the Razer Basilisk V3 is a heaping helping of Razer’s signature RGB lighting. In addition to the usual piping on the scroll wheel and light-up logo in the palm, the Basilisk V3 has an RGB light that goes all the way around the base of the mouse, which creates a reflective underglow effect on your mousepad or whatever surface you’ve got it on. While it is a single lighting element, the rim is customizable in nine places, so there’s a lot you can do if you like tinkering with RGB patterns.

Then there’s the optical sensor, and Razer is using its Focus+ sensor with a 26,000 DPI, which should be able to track on just about any surface. You can adjust the sensitivity on the fly, and you can even customize the lift-off and landing distance for the mouse, so it stops tracking when you lift it above a certain distance from the surface.

With Razer’s Synapse software, you can also enable virtual acceleration, which increases the scrolling speed when you spin the scroll wheel quickly. If you’ve used a touchpad, this should feel similar to when you quickly swipe the touchpad to scroll.

There’s also an optional feature within Razer’s Synapse software that automatically switches between the two modes depending on the inertia of your scroll, engaging the free-spinning mode with lots of power or keeping it notched during more relaxed line-by-line scrolling.

Other features of the Basilisk V3 include Razer’s optical mouse switches that are rated for up to 70 million clicks, and a 6-foot Speedflex cable, which should prevent snagging while moving the mouse around. The Razer Basilisk V3 is designed for right-handed users, and it weighs in at 101 grams, so it’s not the lightest option out there.

• 10+1 independently programmable buttons
• 4-way Razer™ HyperScroll tilt wheel with electronically actuated notched and free-spinning modes
• 11 Razer Chroma™ lighting zones with true 16.8 million customizable color options
• True 26,000 DPI Focus+ optical sensor with 99.6% resolution accuracy
• Up to 650 inches per second (IPS) / 50 G acceleration
• Advanced Lift-off/Landing distance customization
• Razer™ Optical Mouse Switches Gen-2 rated for 70M clicks
• On-The-Fly Sensitivity Adjustment (Default stages: 400/800/1600/3200/6400)
• Ergonomic right-handed design with injection molded rubber grips
• Hybrid On-board and Cloud Storage (4+1 profiles)
• Razer Synapse 3 enabled
• 1.8 m / 6 ft Speedflex cable
• Approximate size: 129 mm / 5.1 in (Length) x 62 mm / 2.44 in (Grip Width) x 43 mm / 1.70 in (Height)
• Approximate weight: 101g (Excluding cable)

Razer certainly can boast having one of the best mice in their arsenal: a pretty comfortable grip for those with bigger hands, yet not too heavy thus not requiring much exertion, and a very ergonomic design when it comes to button placements.

The button clicks also feel good, and the extra features in the HyperScroll and Tilt are more than welcome. Granted, the Tilt in particular might need more force than you’re used to, but overall, this does not detract from the general great experience in using the Razer Basilisk V3.