The best gaming mouse just got a performance upgrade, but existing owners need not worry

The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K is a subtle upgrade over the original to keep it competitive.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

What you need to know

I’ve used a lot of gaming mice, especially during my time at Windows Central, but my favorite of the bunch has by far been the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro. This wireless gaming mouse is comfortable, performant, and packed with awesome features — and now gamers can buy something a little better.

The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K is a new, upgraded variant that’s available starting today for$159.99 at Best Buy, but I stress “a little better” because not a whole lot has changed. The new version boasts stronger performance and longer endurance for those looking to upgrade their mouse, but owners of the existing Basilisk V3 Pro probably won’t feel the burn to replace it.

Still have questions? Let’s dive in.

🎃The best early Black Friday deals🦃

Hard to improve on perfection

When wereviewed the original Razer Basilisk V3 Pro and its Mouse Dock Pro companion, we named it the “best mouse of 2022” and it hasn’t really been decidedly de-throned since. There are lighter, faster, and more premium mice on the market now, but the Basilisk V3 Pro is still a wonderful mixture of performance, comfort, aesthetics, and features. It’s so close to perfection that I wondered how Razer might attempt to improve upon it, and apparently the company agrees with me.

• Price:$159.99 at Best Buy|Razer• Sensor:Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2, 35,000 max dots-per-inch (DPI), 750 max inches-per-second (IPS), 70G max acceleration,• Switches:Optical Mouse Switches Gen-3, rated for 90 million clicks• Connectivity:Razer HyperSpeed Wireless up to 1,000Hz polling rate w/ USB Type-A dongle / up to 8,000Hz polling rate w/ Razer HyperPolling dongle or Mouse Dock Pro, wired via USB Type-C up to 1,000Hz• Features:Five onboard DPI profiles, 1 DPI granular adjustment w/ DPI Sensitivity Match, 4-way HyperScroll wheel w/ three modes & Smart-Reel, 13 remappable buttons, 13-zone Razer Chroma RGB lighting, Razer Mouse Dock Pro Qi wireless charging support, up to 210 hours battery life• Dimensions:130 x 75.4 x 42.5mm (5.11 x 2.96 x 1.67in)• Weight:112g (3.95oz)

The brand-new Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K is, to be completely frank, almost entirely indiscernible from its two-year-old predecessor. The design, dimensions, and even weight are all identical, as are many of the extra features and capabilities. Really, all that Razer has changed here is the core mouse sensor.

The Razer Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor of the original has been replaced by the Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2 thatdebuted with the Razer Viper V3 Proearlier this year, and that brings a handful of improvements. For one, the mouse is overall smarter, smoother, and more responsive; it can automatically detect and adapt to whatever surface it’s used on, for example. You can also adjust the dots-per-inch (DPI) by increments of1, which helps users make the transition to the new mouse by perfectly adopting the settings of the old mouse.

Razer Synapse 4, Razer’s newly upgraded software hub, brings some quality-of-life improvements to the returning HyperScroll wheel, too. Now you can customize the Smart-Reel Mode that can automatically switch between tactile and smooth scrolling, as well as configure the scroll acceleration.

Get the Windows Central Newsletter

All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.

Endurance has also improved across the board. On average, users can expect an extra 30 hours of playtime via Razer HyperSpeed Wireless and 1,000Hz polling rates (up to 140 hours from 110) and an extra 60 hours via Bluetooth (up to 210 hours from 150). Razer strangely claims that battery life has actually gone down to 28 hours from 32 hours when pushing the new mouse up to an 8,000Hz polling rate, but that may be because the new mouse sensor is more power hungry at the extremes thanks to the higher performance ceiling.

Honestly, that’s about it! The Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K shares the same overall design, dimensions, weight, 13-zone Razer Chroma lighting, 5 onboard DPI profiles and 13 remappable buttons, and Razer Mouse Dock Pro Qi wireless charging support. It’s still a heavy mouse designed strictly for right-handed users (with no left-handed version in sight), and you’ll still have to purchase the Razer HyperPolling Wireless Dongle or Mouse Dock Pro separately to obtain 8,000Hz polling.

•Best Xbox/PC headsets•Best Windows laptops•Best laptops w/ num pads•Best Xbox storage•Best sim racing PCs•Best ROG Ally accessories•Best gaming laptops

It’s because of all of this that existing owners of the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro (myself included) really don’t need to upgrade. Sure, the performance and quality-of-life improvements are sweet, but it’s not exactly worth shelling out another$159.99 at Best Buyto obtain. I’d instead suggest you splash a little cash and pick up the Razer Mouse Dock Pro for$69.99 at Razer. It’s a luxury accessory to be sure, but once you get used to not needing a wire at all, even to charge, you’ll never want to go back.

If you’re in the market for a new mouse, though, the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro was already one of the best — if you just want the best version of it, this is a no-brainer. Of course, you can also look around for the older Razer Basilisk V3 Pro in an attempt to save some money and get 98% of the same experience. Razer itself has already discounted it, so you can pick up the original for$129.99 at Razerand consider if that extra $30 is worth it for the 35K upgrades.

Finally, I can’t forget to mention that there’s a new wired version of this mouse, too. The Razer Basilisk V3 35K is now available for$79.99 at Best Buyand shares the same foundation as the Pro variant. Simply put, that $80 price cut is the cost of losing the Bluetooth and Razer HyperSpeed wireless connectivity.

Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K | $159.99 at Best Buy

My favorite wireless PC gaming mouse is now better than ever thanks to a new sensor and some other minor quality-of-life improvements. It’s a no-brainer for anyone looking for a new mouse, but existing Basilisk V3 Pro users like myself don’t need to upgrade.

👀See at:Best BuyorRazer

🖱️Alse see:Razer Basilisk V3 35K (Wired) for$79.99 at Best Buy

In other Razer news, theRazer Kraken V4 Pro was recently released,Razer made its vibrating haptic seat cushion a reality, thenew Razer Laptop Cooling Pad aims to improve your gaming laptop’s performance, and Windows Central just released our reviews for theRazer Kraken V4andRazer Firefly V2 Pro. Razer has certainly been busy lately.

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter@BoddyZachary.