Verdict

For £50, the Razer Abyssus Essential is a satisfactory bit of kit for PC players, but seldom pushes the boat in terms of exciting features.

Pros

• Minimal yet effective RGB lighting
• Fast and responsive movement
• Ambidextrous support is welcome

Cons

• Basic set of features
• Cable feels cheap and flimsy

What is the Razer Abyssus Essential?

The first thing you’ll notice about the Razer Abyssus Essential gaming mouse is how normal it looks. Razer is famed for its series of bright, positively extravagant products that will immediately catch the attention of gamers. By comparison, the Abyssus is the shy kid too scared to ask for a dance at the school disco.

Despite its underwhelming appearance, this is still a formidable gaming mouse with an impressive range of features for the price. It won’t blow your socks off, but as an entry-level peripheral it’s definitely worth considering.

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The Abyssus Essential is a tiny little mouse, but it packs a decent punch

Razer Abyssus Essential – Design, build and features

The Abyssus Essential is a tame peripheral, coated with a simplistic black colour with two distinctive uses of RGB lighting. The first is Razer’s distinctive logo at the bottom-centre, shifting between a variety of different hues once plugged in.

You can find the second highlight on the underside of the Abyssus, snaking around the bottom so a myriad of colours can be seen illuminating your desk. This results in some cool effects, enhanced further once I made the effort to customise it with Razer Chroma.

It isn’t anything extraordinary, but it maintains the brand’s identity in a mouse that’s undeniably cheaper than its usual fare. It’s a base aesthetic I can appreciate, and the small portable size makes it an even easier sell. The Abyssus Essential is a tiny little thing, dwarfed by my hand and suited well for both left- and right-handers. This small size makes maneuverability a breeze, resulting in wonderfully accurate feedback, despite a low DPI rating for this price range.

I’m not entirely happy with the build quality, since its budget identity shines through in a flimsy wire and USB cable that lack the brilliance of the HP Omen Reactor, which isn’t that much more expensive. You won’t find any additional bells and whistles beyond the most basic of buttons on the Abyssus Essential. It’s rudimentary to a fault, lacking in customisable keys in favour of a back-to-basics design. 

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The Razer logo is as striking here as it is with other products

Razer Abyssus Essential – Performance

There really isn’t much to the Razer Abyssus Essential. For once, what you see is what you get. With only three buttons on the body, don’t expect any bespoke customisation of dynamic DPI switching, unless you dive into Razer Synapse for a few minutes.

Face buttons are Omron switches boasting a rating of 10 million clicks, giving them an enduring lifespan despite the a lack of meaningful feedback. It’s perfectly fine, but like everything else, it isn’t anything overly fancy.

In terms of DPI, the Abyssus is a 7200 optical model that proved sufficiently accurate in Apex Legends and Anthem, making the act of taking potshots at enemies from a long distance a breeze. But then again, competitive players will almost certainly want something more responsive. 

Razer Abyssus Essential – Software and lighting

While its own display of RGB is comparatively underwhelming compared to Razer’s other products, it still find a comfortable place in the Chroma ecosystem.

By this I mean it’s incredibly easy to to download Razer Synapse and create profiles that link a bunch of different things together. After plugging in the Cynosa Chroma keyboard and Abyssus Essential, they both began to emit a matching glow of changing colours that looks wonderful. You can even sync up the lights to your Philip Hue lights so your bedroom lights can join in on the fun.

The Razer Synapse software also has a feature called Hypershift. This gives every button a secondary command, which can be activated once you hold down your assigned Hypershift button. However, the Razer Abyssus Essential’s lack of inputs means you’re really limited to how much you can play around with this handy feature.

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The underbelly is gorgeous, boasting a lovely variety of RGB colour profiles

Why buy the Razer Abyssus Essential?

For £50, the Razer Abyssus Essential is a satisfactory bit of kit for PC players wanting a mouse that does what you expect, but seldom pushes the boat in terms of exciting features.

That isn’t to say it’s bad; this a nifty little gaming mouse with the benefit of being ambidextrous. But if your wallet has room and you want a competitive edge, perhaps aim for something higher.

Verdict

The Razer Abyssus Essential is one of the company’s cheaper gaming peripherals, yet still packs a hefty punch. A decent option for those who like to keep it simple

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