Razer is offering their latest and greatest line of mice and keyboards with a particular focus on eSports and high-level gamers. Their new mouse, the Razer Viper, is something else entirely.
Boasting a super light build, programmable buttons, a smartly positioned DPI toggle, and super precise and fast optical switches, this mouse should be on your radar whether you’re into eSports or just casually gaming in your spare time. Read my full review to find out why!
When I first started using the Viper, it immediately felt extremely light and yet sturdy. To be honest, it almost felt too light – a testament to the engineering on the mouse.
While most mice will have a honeycomb design on the outer build for lightness, the Viper has that on the inside. I never felt like the mouse was cheap or fragile, though, this is just a way Razer got the Viper super light.
Furthermore, the mouse being corded-only had me worry that it would have some drag, something I’ve come to live with when it comes to corded mice.
However, the Viper has the “Speedflex” cable, which really does make the thing feel like it’s actually wireless. It’s so damn light I never feel cord.
The side of the Viper has a slightly rubberized underbelly that highlights the lightness of the mouse. It’s a subtle accent that makes your finger placement just feel right, and overall is the right amount of grip for this kind of mouse.
A big thing for myself and others is the loudness of the mouse – the Viper is extremely quiet and with its new switch technology, it’s still a very quiet click.
The two main left and right buttons, the scroll wheel, and the side buttons are all very satisfying feeling and in my opinion, will last a long time.
The overall lightness and great feeling of the Razer Viper has made it my go-to mouse for both gaming and all-around use. I just love the feel of the mouse and its lightness and external feel provide a very comfortable experience.
The DPI toggle is intelligently placed on the bottom as well, meaning every bit of this mouse has been planned out.
All in all, the form factor of the Viper feels perfect for my hand I feel like my hand simply rests on top while I’m using it, with no extra placement or adjustment needed.
I think my only gripe with the Viper is the gap between the palm rest and the main two buttons. At first this wasn’t an issue, but as I took the Viper around with me and used it quite a bit, it got a little funky due to the spacing. Also, the entire mouse looks great, but the gap sticks out.
The Razer Viper has eight programmable buttons that are all configurable with your preferred macros and secondary functions. The main optical mouse switch is new tech that forgoes mechanical contact for an optical laser. Every time you click, the laser instantly actuates your clicks.
This may not sound like a big deal, but the instant actuation eliminates the debounce traditional mice have had, which can create unintended clicks. While I did no side-by-side comparison with click performance, my gaming overall has seen a dramatic increase in how accurate my commands are.
What’s more, the physical speed of the mouse combined with the 0.2 millisecond response time made my gaming across a number of PC games feel that much faster. The 5G optical sensor combined with the optical switch make the Razer feel insanely accurate and fast.
Going back to the DPI toggle button on the bottom, this allows you to store up to 5 custom DPI stages via the company’s Razer Synapse 3 software. You can then load and set the perfect settings for any type of game, anywhere you go.
The Razer Viper comes with the company’s signature Chroma lighting, which lets you use 16.8 million customizable color options. This can also be synced with their accompanying keyboards, laptops, and so on. At first I didn’t care for it, but I kind of like its pulsating neon color accent.
Having used the Razer Viper for a few weeks now, I haven’t noticed any performance issues or driver issues. Whether I’m using the Viper for my day-to-day gaming or just regular computer use, the Viper has been a fantastic mouse and I can see it lasting me a long time.
The Viper’s optical switches are rated at 70 million clicks as an overall lifetime span, and with how quiet yet satisfying the main two buttons feel, I can believe this mouse will last an insanely long time. Most competitors rate their mice at shorter lifespans, mostly due to the older mechanical switches.
The Viper has a suggest retail price of $79.99, which for a premium mouse built for the truly hardcore gamer, feels pretty reasonable. Most competitors and similarly marketed mice are around the same price point, but I’m already looking to pick up a second one just to bring with me.
Overall I really love the Razer Viper, and as I said before – it has become my go-to mouse for all-around use and gaming. With an expertly made form factor, crazy fast optical switches, and a wireless feeling cord and lightness, the Viper is a mouse you should definitely consider looking at.
The Razer Viper is now available, worldwide – for $79.99. You can check out the store page for the Viper here, and order it here via Amazon, and here via Best Buy.
The Razer Viper was reviewed using a retail unit provided by Razer. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
