L33t! Razer is bringing back the Boomslang, the original gaming mouse. Kinda...

Boomslang-20th-Anniversary-Edition
(Image credit: Razer)

20 years after the original launched as the world's first gaming mouse, at least according to its maker, Razer is back with a rebooted Boomslang. At a glance, the new mouse looks like much the same ambidextrous gaming rodent as the millennial classic. But, predictably, there's plenty of new technology on offer. Speaking of offerings, Razer is only offering 1,337—uh, huh—units of the Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition. So, if you want one, well, you know what to do.

Putting the FOMO aside for a moment, the original Boomslang offered 2,000 DPI mechanical ball tracking (actually, the original-original Boomslang was 1,000 DPI and predates 2005, more on which in a moment) that was ground-breaking at the time. The new model ups that to fully 45,000 DPI, then throws in 8,000 Hz polling and optical switches with claimed 100 million click lifespan for good measure.

Other niceties include nine-Zone Razer Chroma RGB Lighting with Underglow. That's a respin of the Boomslang’s original translucent glow, each customisable zone now supporting 16.8 million colours and dynamic effects that sync with over 300 Chroma-integrated games.

The not-quite-OG wired Boomslang and the not-exactly-20th Anniversary wireless reboot. (Image credit: Razer)

"The Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition is more than a mouse. It’s a tribute to the community who made this possible and a reaffirmation of our motto that continues to guide everything we do: For Gamers. By Gamers."

Razer says only 1,337 uniquely serialised units of this limited-edition gaming mouse will be available worldwide, "reserved exclusively for collectors who demand a piece of gaming heritage."

It's worth noting that the actual original Boomslang and its signature design actually dates to 1999 and had 1,000 DPI tracking. However, that mouse was made during the company's first phase as a purely US outfit.

Razer was refounded in 2005 as an American-Singaporean multinational corporation, dual-headquartered in Queenstown, Singapore, and Irvine, California. So, it's presumably that 2005 rebirth that's forming the yardstick for the 20th Anniversary of the Boomslang, not the mouse's actual birth date.

What's a bit odd in all this is that the current company has close links to its past. Current CEO Min-Liang Tan was co-founder of the OG Razer and also the co-designer of the original Boomslang. So, the total lack of acknowledgement of the mouse's actual history lands a little strangely.

Whatever, you can learn a little more about the history of the Boomslang here. In the meantime, it's not clear how much the Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition will cost. But you can keep track of developments and sign up for notifications here.

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Jeremy Laird
Hardware writer

Jeremy has been writing about technology and PCs since the 90nm Netburst era (Google it!) and enjoys nothing more than a serious dissertation on the finer points of monitor input lag and overshoot followed by a forensic examination of advanced lithography. Or maybe he just likes machines that go “ping!” He also has a thing for tennis and cars.

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