The late 1990s and early 2000s were dominated by gaming consoles, handhelds, and accessories clad in colorful, translucent plastic. Many of us fondly remember those purple and green hues, like the iconic original Xbox, and lament how drab and grey most modern technology has become.
The last few years have seen a resurgence in transparent technology, though, with companies embracing the "retro" vibes with throwback designs and even entirely new approaches, like the Barebones One Xbox Edition mobile controller we tested.
I'm all for the returning trend, and one of the biggest names in gaming has joined the movement to bring transparent technology back to the forefront. Yes, Razer has announced a new colorway to join its black, pink, and silver/white designs, cladding some of its most popular accessories in translucent green.
This is the Razer Phantom Green Collection, and I've gone hands-on with it all. Here's why this is more than a simple reskin.
What is the Razer Phantom Green Collection?
Most Razer products come in the iconic matte black, but the company also offers devices and accessories in "Mercury" silver (Razer claims its "White" designs are different, but you'd be forgiven for not noticing or caring) and "Quartz" pink. Now we have a fourth option, at least for a handful of products.
"Phantom Green" isn't just green-and-black instead of black-and-green, though. Razer took four of its accessories and spent many, many hours considering how to make them translucent in a thorough and tasteful fashion.
Adjusted internal components, varying material and texture choices, countless iterations moving through shades and designs, all of it came together to create the Phantom Green Collection.
First up, you'll find the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K Phantom Green Edition for $169.99 at Razer, a $10 upcharge over the black and white variants. We reviewed the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro wireless gaming mouse.
Next, we have the Razer Firefly V2 Pro Phantom Green Edition for $109.99 at Razer, once again a $10 upcharge. I reviewed the Razer Firefly V2 Pro mousepad.
Then you can get the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% Phantom Green Edition for $199.99 at Razer, the same price as the black and white versions. We reviewed the Razer BlackWidow V4 75% wired gaming keyboard.
Finally, we have the Razer Barracuda X Chroma Phantom Green Edition for $139.99 at Razer, also a $10 upcharge over the black and white models. I reviewed the Razer Barracuda X Chroma wireless gaming headset.
All of the Phantom Green products are functionally identical to their opaque cousins, with all the changes being purely aesthetic.
A gaming mouse and its best friend, a mousepad
I've reviewed a lot of gaming mice, but the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro (and now 35K) is still my favorite of all time. I was most excited to check this Phantom Green product out, and I was not disappointed.
The first thing I noticed is that the Phantom Green translucency is on the subtle side. It makes sense; Razer optimized the internals to look cleaner with the see-through design, but there's only so much Razer is able to change without compromising the quality, features, and performance.
On the other hand, I think the Basilisk V3 Pro wears the new translucent green incredibly well. The Razer Chroma RGB lighting is diffused through the plastic, spreading through the mouse for a considerably more dramatic lighting effect than the standard version.
The Razer Firefly V2 Pro, which is still my go-to mousepad, is even more subtle; Razer only made the top housing for the Firefly V2 Pro's components translucent, but it pairs great with the mouse.
A keyboard you can see right through
The keyboard I return to whenever I don't have anything new to test is the Razer BlackWidow V4 Pro 75% I reviewed, so I was already familiar with the foundation upon which the new non-Pro Phantom Green Edition is built.
This BlackWidow V4 75% boasts a wild aesthetic, and I love it. Almost every element is translucent in some way, and the keys more-so than anything else. That allows the full force of the per-key Chroma RGB lighting to shine through, once again increasing the punch.
Razer apparently put extra care into the appearance and feel of those keycaps, wanting to achieve a balanced translucent look without compromising performance or long-term durability. I can attest; the typing and gaming experience feels excellent with the Phantom Green Edition.
I actually recently built my own Razer BlackWidow V4 75% using the new Barebones base, which highlighted how you can take the Phantom Green Edition and do whatever you want with it. This is still a highly customizable keyboard, so you could create something crazy with it.
A headset to make your friends green with envy
The final product in the lineup is the only one that didn't earn my unreserved endorsement, but that's not to say the Barracuda X Chroma is a bad wireless gaming headset.
It's a fantastic product for those who want a balanced pair of headphones for gaming on their PC at home and listening to music or podcasts on their phone while out and about, and especially for those who highly value aesthetics.
With the Phantom Green Edition, the Barracuda X Chroma is even flashier, and the tasteful RGB lighting makes for a lovely accent that you can customize on the fly. The translucency is more subtle since we're talking about a densely packed headset, but it'll definitely catch some eyes.
I simply appreciate that — finally — Razer didn't pull from its most affordable, mass-produced offerings for a special edition collection. These are all high-quality accessories, and will make an awesome addition to any setup.
Now I just need Razer to do a Phantom Purple Collection.
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