Can you believe it? It’s finally here. Razer has just unveiled its Pokémon collection, and as a massive fan of all Pokémon games, I couldn’t be more thrilled. While this isn’t the first time Razer and The Pokémon Company have made a collab, it’s the first time that these products will be readily available outside of Asia. The lineup is focused on four of the most popular pocket monsters that Game Freak has to offer. How fitting, because there are also four products to sink your teeth into.
Although I don’t mean to wax poetic about stuff I have yet to try myself, be warned: I’m a huge fan, so I might let the excitement get the best of me at times. With that said, here’s what you can now get your hands on (globally, for once).
Razer BlackWidow V4 X
I’ll start by saying that I’m overly enthusiastic not just about Pokémon, but also about fun-looking peripherals. I currently own the Razer BlackWidow V3 in Quartz, which is a fancy way of saying “pink,” and I recently bought the Razer Seiren V3 Mini in the same colorway. I’m a PC builder with 20 years of experience, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t choose those two products chiefly for their looks. With that said, I’m also happy with their performance, so it’s a win-win.
Much like the rest of the lineup, the Razer BlackWidow V4 X doesn’t add anything in the way of features. If you already own the base model of this keyboard, you won’t suddenly get anything better here. But who could resist that mix of Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander combined with some RGB lighting?
This is a mechanical keyboard equipped with green clicky switches, six dedicated macro keys, a roller button for volume, and the usual media keys. The bling action is per-key, so you can fine-tune it to your heart’s content. For the pleasure of staring at Pokémon while you type, you’ll have to pay $170; the regular model can now be picked up for $130.
Considering that I own an older version of the BlackWidow keyboard, I expect this one to be solid. I put my keyboards through the wringer a lot more than most users do, and this one’s handling it like a total champ. Plus, I absolutely love how clicky it is.
Razer Cobra
I love the color theme of this Razer Cobra mouse. While all the gear is yellow and black, the emphasis on yellow here is pleasing to me. But, you know, it’s like I said — I’m into fun-looking peripherals.
This mouse is pretty lightweight at 58g, although the 8,500 DPI sensitivity puts it well under some of the best gaming mice. As much as I love Pokémon, I’m not sure that I would buy this mouse — I’m too used to wireless now, and my Razer Naga V2 Pro serves me well. However, at $60, it’s an alright midrange option. Mind you, the Pokémon tax adds an extra $25 here, as the base version is currently on sale for $35.
Razer Kraken V4 X
Razer has its fair share of unusual headsets — those kitty-cat ears come to mind — but none of them speak to me the way this one does.
This is a wired headset with a retractable cardioid microphone. It’s also equipped with Razer’s 40mm Triforce drivers, memory foam cushions, and Chroma RGB lighting. Razer priced this one at $100, and if not for it being wired, I’d be taking my chances and buying it for the Pokémon-themed headband alone.
Razer Gigantus V2
So, I may have just bought myself this mouse pad. I’m not at all ashamed. It’s $30 at Amazon, and it’s money I’m willing to spare for having even more Pokémon stuff on my desk.
Covered in the same collage of Kanto starters, this mouse pad is made out of thick rubber foam and covered in a micro-weave polyester surface. Razer promises to deliver “pixel-precise accuracy” and responsiveness, but honestly, it could be made out of sandpaper and I’d probably still buy it. It’s very easy to sell Pokémon merch to me.
This medium-sized mouse pad is far from the biggest that Razer has to offer, measuring at around 14.1 inches wide and 10.8 inches long. I would have liked to see a bigger version, but hopefully, if this lineup does well, Razer could still release one someday.
More to come?
I’ve been eyeing Razer’s various Pokémon-themed collabs with increasing jealousy over the years. Every single one of them was limited to Asia, including the Gengar headset you can take a peek at above. To say that I wanted to throw my money in Razer’s general direction was an understatement, so it’s good to see the company finally making that possible, with the range available in the United States, but also in Europe, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Better yet, there might be more Pokémon goodies still to come. Razer has teased that Gengar gear might also be on the way, responding to a few comments with a fitting emoji. If and when this is going to happen is a mystery, but I sure hope that it will.
If you already own any of these products, remember that they’re all the same on the inside. However, if you’re looking for an upgrade and you’re into Pokémon, then you just might be as hyped as I am right now.
