The Razer Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition is a celebration of where it all started for Razer. It takes the company’s first gaming mouse design and, 20 years on, packs it with the latest cutting-edge tech to create what should be an ultra-desirable collectors’ edition. However, Razer then put a price on it.
Never one to shy away from an aspirational price, Razer has gone all out with the Razer Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition. Despite not being built from solid gold, it costs an eye-watering $1,337. Or should I say cost, as all 1,337 of these limited edition mice are already sold out. Nonetheless, having tracked it down at Razer’s booth at Dreamhack UK – where the $1m ESL One Dota 2 tournament is taking place – I had to give this truly bonkers new mouse a try.
If you haven’t got the joke yet, ‘1337’ was part of the l33t-speak parlance of the time, used to acknowledge elite skills. Oh man, typing that made me feel old…
Presented in a very swanky, leatherette-bound circular box, the Razer Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition comes with a wireless charging dock that’s ideal for really showing off your elite purchase on your desk.
However, like its recent Phantom Green collection, the mouse only comes in a love it or loathe it translucent green plastic finish. It’s an interesting look in and of itself, but once lit up with RGB lighting… we’ll let you be the judge.
What you probably won’t be able to judge and fully appreciate for yourself, however, is just how wide this mouse is. Despite being of prime age to have owned one of the original Boomslangs, I’ve never held one before, and it’s quite the odd experience. The left and right buttons area is not far off twice the width of a normal mouse, and it feels really strange.
The buttons themselves, too, have a peculiar faux leather surface that is actually slightly soft to the touch. It certainly provides a good grippy feel.
The side buttons will be very unfamiliar to modern hands, with one each side of the mouse and tucked in behind the protruding front section for five-fingers-at-once mousing fun. It also makes for a truly ambidextrous design, which is something we don’t see enough of these days.
Inside, you really do have the latest top tech. There’s the company’s Focus Pro 45K Gen-2 optical sensor, fourth-gen optical switches, and it can poll at up to 8kHz. Battery life is also an impressive 145 hours, but you’d hope so given it weighs 110g! A Viper V4 Pro alternative, it isn’t.
Ultimately, it should come as no surprise that such an old design hasn’t quite stood the test of time. A 20th anniversary edition of the Viper, though… Now we’re talking.