Razer’s Basilisk V4 Pro is comfortable as well as competitive. Here’s why it’s earning a spot on my desk
My seemingly never-ending search for a gaming mouse that won’t give me carpal tunnel or destroy my K/D ratio in online multiplayer matches now has a new top candidate. Razer has just unveiled the Basilisk V4 Pro, the latest take on its most ergonomic wireless rodent, with improvements pretty much across the board.
It’s lighter, more customisable, has an uprated sensor and gains a few FPS-friendly features that promise to speed up my (increasingly lacking) reaction times in games.
Razer has kept the Basilisk’s ergonomic shape the same, with a sizeable thumb rest at one side and an asymmetrical angle great for a palm grip, but made the whole thing 10% lighter. 100g really isn’t very much for a mouse with this many buttons and features. I’ve got one in for testing and immediately appreciated the way my hand naturally rested around it.
It’s practically a Naga V3 Pro without the customisable side panels, but a lot more RGB lighting. Seven zones give a Need for Speed-style underglow effect, illuminating your desk while you play. They can react to in-game events and double as a music visualiser too.
You’re getting the Naga’s fantastic Hyperscroll tilt wheel gen-2, which can whizz through spreadsheets at lightning pace then swap to precision notch-by-notch 48-step scrolling in games. The 3+1 side button arrangement also strikes a great balance between the two found on most regular gaming mice and the Naga’s 12-button layout, which I maintain is overkill for all but the most hardcore of MMO gamers.
There are still 14 buttons total, with Razer’s wonderfully responsive Optical Mouse Switches Gen-4 behind the most important. The multi-function trigger button has been made smaller and easier to reach than the last-gen Basilisk, and a new edge button cut into the left mouse button. Razer’s Synapse software lets you customise the lot, including the ability to assign one to an instant 180-degree flick turn.
It’s got tri-mode connectivity with Bluetooth 6.2/LE as well as USB-C wired and Hyperspeed 2.4GHz Wireless options. On-device Bluetooth switching lets you quickly jump between three separate systems without re-pairing each time, while multi-dongle support means anyone with a Razer wireless keyboard can piggyback on the mouse’s adapter, freeing up a precious USB port.
There’s been no skimping on speed, with a true 8kHz polling rate for both wired and wireless play. The Focus Pro 50K Optical sensor Gen-3 can handle 50,000 DPI sensitivity and up to 90G of acceleration force without a hit to tracking accuracy, while France Sync ensures the mouse is only sending signal data when needed to maximise battery life.
Stick to 2.4GHz wireless and you could get up to 200 hours between charges; use Bluetooth and that climbs to a ridiculous 275 hours.
For convenient recharges without fishing for a cable first, Razer also has the Mouse Dock V2 Pro. Fit the magnetic puck into the Basilisk and it’ll perch on top for wireless charging. The dock has 8-zone RGB illuminations that can show charging status as a glance, and replaces the mouse’s Hyperspeed wireless gen2 dongle so you’re not doubling up on occupied USB ports. It’s still got wireless bandwidth to add a Razer keyboard into the mix too.
The Basilisk V4 Pro is on sale now for $170/£170/€190, in black and white colours, direct from Razer. There’s also a pared-back Hyperspeed version available for $109/£109/€119. The Mouse Dock V2 Pro will set you back $70/£70/€70.
