Razer Basilisk

An FPS gaming mouse that’ll have you clutching for headshots.

Judging by the name, Razer really thinks its new ‘FPS mouse’ is the shizzle. European folklore holds that the basilisk — a mythological chimera-like creature — is the ‘king of the serpents’, able to kill enemies with just a glance. There’s just one problem with that ‘kingly’ identification: Razer arguably already has a top-dog gaming mouse in the form of the DeathAdder.

Razer claims that this is perfect for first-person shooters, largely thanks to a new thumb button called the ‘DPI clutch’. Hold it down and it’ll temporarily adjust your DPI sensitivity to whatever pre-determined setting you’ve configured. The theory is that you can use a higher sensitivity most of the time, but temporarily drop it down if you need fine-control over smaller movements — when you’re peering through the lens of a sniper scope, for example. And, somewhat surprisingly, that little button certainly seems to make it feel easier to quickly zero-in.

The Basilisk’s design is a little unconventional for a Razer mouse, using a more aerodynamic body profile than we’re used to, which incorporates a tapered front and back and a slightly taller rear — making this well-suited to palm-grip gamers. Large ridged-rubber sections on each side also help keep the Basilisk firmly in your hand.

In short, while we’re not quite willing to crown it as the definitive DeathAdder killer, if you play a lot of FPSes and want to pull off more headshots, this mouse may give you a slight edge — and we’re looking forward to seeing that DPI clutch used in other designs.