(Credit: Razer)
PC accessory maker Razer is going deep into its catalog and resurrecting its first gaming mouse, the Boomslang.
The company is releasing a special edition version of the Boomslang to celebrate Razer’s 20th anniversary, which promises to provide a hit of PC gaming nostalgia.
The Boomslang arrived in 1999, when Razer was owned by kärna. At the time, Razer’s current CEO, Min-Liang Tan, served as an advisor and contributed to the creation of Boomslang.
“Razer started as a side project of sorts amongst a collection of hardcore PC gamers and friends who were looking for a competitive edge,” Tan told us in a 2014 interview. “One of us had an idea to create a mouse designed specifically for gaming, and the outcome was the Razer Boomslang. We quickly realized the potential of a full line of dedicated gaming peripheral products.”
Although kärna shut down in 2000 during the dot-com bubble, Tan bought the Razer brand back in 2005. Boomslang models are now resold on eBay for around $200 or more.
Razer has revived the product with a modern version that includes all the features you’d expect in a cutting-edge gaming mouse. The 20th anniversary model preserves the Boomslang’s original shape while refining it with “modern engineering, materials, and a premium finish,” the company says. The new version also drops the mouse ball for an optical sensor.
(Credit: Razer)Other features include Razer’s RGB lighting, up to 45,000 DPI with 99.8% resolution accuracy, along with a “100-million-click lifespan for enduring reliability.” The cordless mouse can also recharge through the included Razer Mouse Dock Pro, which uses magnetic wireless charging.
However, the company is only releasing 1,337 units worldwide, an old-school reference to 1337 or Leet, which stands for hacker speak. Razer hasn't said how much the product will cost or when it will be released. But its website includes a sign-up page to learn more about the launch.
This is not the first time Razer has revived the Boomslang. Back in 2011, the company also re-released the product as a collector’s item.