Razer Boomslang 20th Anniversary Mouse Review: For Collectors
The original Boomslang comes from the days of Xbox’s bulky Duke controller. We had only just gotten past the beloved three-pronged abomination of the N64. At a time when “ergonomics” was a new idea to explore rather than a defined concept, this design was much more acceptable.
In theory, it’s still a gaming mouse, although the vast majority will spend more time on a shelf than on a mousepad. So I have to discuss his ability to play. Surprisingly, it’s not that bad. The shape is unusual, yes. Compared to a standard mouse, the Boomslang is low and wide. We have the impression that it was designed for an Elite Halo to hold, their two central fingers and a thumb on each side. It’s a weird and old feeling, but it’s not bad.
When you get your hands on this mouse, you have to rethink where everything is happening. Your thumb curls under the main bump and your little finger mirrors it on the opposite side. There is enough space on the two main buttons for all three fingers to sit comfortably. If you’re like me and tend to rest your middle finger on the right mouse button, this is exceptionally strange. Instead, your middle finger really wants to rest on the mouse wheel. It feels natural after a few minutes, but you will have to adapt.
To properly test this mouse, I paired it with some of the heavy hitters of the era. HaloCE, Counter-strike, Earthquake 2And Half-life. To achieve some agility, your hand is pretty much forced into a fingertip grip, where your thumb and pinky slide into the crevices of the side buttons for stability. The mouse wheel is placed quite far back compared to a standard mouse, so placing your fingertips on the edge of the mouse means your middle finger cannot easily use the mouse wheel. Instead, with your fingertips resting directly next to the steering wheel, the palm of your hand remains hanging over the back. I imagine everyone who uses it will have a new appreciation for how far ergonomics has come over the years.
The biggest problem I had with this mouse was the fine controls. The large head and weight mean it’s slightly more inclined to maintain momentum than most models I’ve tested, wanting to swing like a battle ax when used accurately.
The strangest aspect of this mouse from a modern perspective is the side buttons. They sit in what I can best describe as the “armpits” of the mouse, curving under the front and sitting exactly where your thumb and little finger intuitively want to be. Both have an odd, creased shape that follows the lines of the two halves of the mouse and require a bit of force to press down, which means you won’t accidentally press them during regular use, but it also means they’re easy to forget about.
