Razer Viper Review eSports Ultralight Gaming Mouse

Razer Viper Review Gaming Mouse

8

DESIGN/QUALITY

10.0/10

PERFORMANCE

8.0/10

BUTTONS

8.0/10

CONNECTIVITY/CABLE

6.0/10

PRICE

8.0/10

Pros

  • Nice Shape
  • Good Sensor
  • Good Skatez
  • Nice Weight
  • Low Latency

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Needs a better Cable
  • Stiff Clicks On The Front

Razer Viper Review

Is finally here – the Razer Viper review. I love the name right off the bat as it reminds me of  TopGun. The gaming mouse is designed from the ground up with eSports in mind, boasting a weight of 69grams (although we will check this in the tests later to confirm).

We have some new tests to help show movement and button latency using a new 1000fps camera.

I’ve also created a separate YouTube video just dedicated to how to interpret my measurements in order to shorten these reviews (given that the measurements are generic across all of my reviews). In this review we are going to take the mouse button force actuation measurements using a force gauge meter, multiple dimensions using a calliper, latency tests with software and the 1000fps cameras, glide tests, aim tests with Kovaac Aim Trainer…the list goes on!

If you want to be more involved, there is the Voting system or, if something isn’t on there, you can fill out a request to it.

Below is the full YouTube video doing the Razer Viper Review showing all the tests and detail, or below that is the full write up.

 

Price – Click to jump to YouTube video location

I purchased this Razer Viper gaming mouse directly from Razer’s GB website, where it’s listed for £79.99 UK. On the Razer US website, it’s $79.99. This puts the Razer Viper into the higher price bracket for gaming mice but we know that Razer’s gaming gear isn’t cheap, so it’s no surprise.

Design – Click to jump to YouTube video location

When you unbox this mouse, it looks stealthy as there is no visible branding on it. The main key design/shape features are:-

  • It’s a matte black finish with a rough texture,  complemented with a few glossy accents;
  • It’s a true ambidextrous gaming mouse with side buttons on both the left and right side;
  • It uses a three skate combo with the front and rear skatez being a decent size;
  • There are eight buttons with the main left and right buttons being separate from the main shell;
  • The profile button is located on the base at the rear so no accidental presses. It also has an LED to allow quick confirmation of which DPI profile it’s set to;
  • Both sides are fully covered in a firm textured rubber;
  • The scroll wheel has a dotted texture which has been seen on most Razer mice. This is to ensure there is no slippage;
  • The left and right buttons have comfort grooves;
  • It’s using the new Razer Optical Mechanical Switches, which are rated at 70m clicks;
  • All of the side buttons are flush to the body;
  • The Razer logo is nicely hidden and is only visible when you enable it in the software. It’s then fully customisable for the colour or profile you want from within Synapses 3;
  • Razer has introduced a new cable over the normal Razer braided cable we have become accustomed to. It’s called the Speedflex, and we will see how flexible it really is.

Shape – Click to jump to YouTube video location

My hand is 18x9cm, and you can see how it fits my hand in the YouTube Review, @ 04:00. The mouse is a nice shape but I personally would prefer a higher rear hump. I found that I do use more of a relaxed claw on this mouse and my clicks are in the middle of the main buttons, the impact of this can be seen in the force gauge reading. The slide buttons are in a nice position for my hand, and I didn’t dislike the rear as I did with the Endgame Gear XM1 flared rear. We will find out the true dimensions later on when we do the measurements using the calliper.

Shape comparisons against other mice can be found here https://www.beardedbob.com/mouse-shape-comparison/

Build Quality – Click to jump to YouTube video location

I found the build quality was impressive, with it being made from a nice, high-quality plastic. It’s solid as a rock, with no rattles, creaks, squeaks or weak sides (which a few recently lightweight mice have suffered from). Overall, I can’t see any quality issues out of the box.

Onboard memory

Yes, it has some which can store up to five DPI profile settings for your console. To configure these from the default, you will need to install Synapses 3.

1000fps Camera Movement Latency – Click to jump to YouTube video location

I’ve taken some initial measurements of the Logitech G Pro Wireless and Endgame Gear XM1 to allow some comparison here against the Razer Viper as this is the first time we have used it.

To understand the measurements, watch this video.

  • 1st Logitech G Pro Wireless
  • 2nd Endgame Gear XM1
  • 3rd Razer Viper 3rd

The full detail of all of the tests is in the YouTube video, and these are only some of the tests performed to give you a snippet.

Sensor Test – Click to jump to YouTube video location

The Viper uses Razer’s own version of the 3389 which they call the 5G Optical sensor. I have now swapped my older Razer Scarab hard mousepad for the Glorious Helios, for testing alongside my faithful Logitech G640.

The 5G sensor is nice on 400, 800 on the G640 but I found this sensor on the Glorious Helios to be hard to control and on both surfaces at a DPI of 1600 I struggled, as I do with most. I prefer the Logitech Hero 12k senor or the PMW 3360 over this personally. And yes, I used Synapses to calibrate each surface independently 😊.

Mouse Senor Slam Test

Nothing to report on both Cloth and Hard surface it performed as expected.

Kovaak Aim Training Tests – Click to jump to YouTube video location

https://store.steampowered.com/app/824270/KovaaKs_FPS_Aim_Trainer/

  • 1st run sum 92 – final 77.7 – 84% accuracy
  • 2nd run sum 89 – final 72.7 – 82% accuracy
  • 3rd run sum 85 – final 68.8 – 81% accuracy

This means I got a sum average score of 88.6, with an average accuracy of 82.3, meaning the final score average was 73. That’s not great.

This means the high-score is still being held by my 60g Logitech G Pro Wireless with 92.7 and 91.87% accuracy.

It sometimes felt that I was clicking at the back of the button and that this wasn’t always registering, but I suspect that I was missing my shots due to some tracking differences in this 5G sensor, compared to my daily Logitech G Pro wireless with the 12k Hero sensor that I’m used to. Over time we shall see if my suspicions are correct.

Note: At this time, this is a new test and I need to run this test across all of the mice I have.

3d Aim Trainer – Click to jump to YouTube video location

https://www.3daimtrainer.com/

  • 1st run score of 84897 with an accuracy of 84%
  • 2nd run score of 82517 with an accuracy of 84%
  • 3rd run score of 87235 and an accuracy of 86%

This means an average Score of 84883 with an average accuracy of 85%

The same outcome here as I got in Kovaac, which puts it at the bottom of my scores with 3d Aim trainer and it felt like it. Something isn’t working for me with this mouse.

Buttons feeling – Click to jump to YouTube video location

If there is one thing that stood out as soon as I tried this mouse, it was how snappy these buttons are. They do not feel mushy at all, they do feel firm to press, so the force test will show if I’m right or wrong here. There is a small amount of pre-travel, and there is some post-travel, but nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, the pre-travel is very good.

The side buttons for me is where this could be improved as they are hard to press. Again, the force test will be interesting to see how stiff they are. They respond with minimal travel and feel solid. The side buttons are flush and not hard to locate.

 

Human benchmark – Click to jump to YouTube video location

Well, this Viper is off to a lightning start here with an awesome 167ms Avg putting it as the fastest mouse so far to be tested using this method. Maybe my low aim scores are because it’s too darn fast for me and I need to adjust.

Button Latency Test with Bloody PK

http://www.bloody.com/pk/

  • The left had an Avg of 151
  • The right had an Avg of 160

These means the Viper comes in with the fastest average response time on the left click across the all mice I’ve tested thus far using this method.

Bump Test

Well, we bring out the reigning champion. Granted, we have only tested a very small amount so far, but the Endgame Gear XM1 is the fastest so far and I’ve put it head to head against the Razer Viper to see how they compare.

The Endgame Gear XM1 takes the first test with its right button being faster than the Razer Vipers left. Swapping over the buttons, the Endgame Gear XM1 left vs Razer Viper right it was, in my opinion, a draw.

This means that, for me, the Endgame Gear XM1 is still just in the lead as the champion, with the Razer Viper close on its heels.

1000fps Camera Button Latency Test

I’ve taken some initial measurements of the Logitech G Pro Wireless and Endgame Gear XM1 to allow some comparison here against the Razer Viper, as this is the first time we have used it.

To understand the measurements, they are detailed in this video on YouTube, and I will review all of the other mice shortly.

  • 1st Razer Viper
  • 2nd Logitech G Pro Wireless
  • 3rd Endgame Gear XM1

Clicks Per Seconds

https://clickspeedtest.com/

The Razer Viper scored an impressive 6.4 CPS, which puts it firmly at the top of this test with some rapid firing.

Left and Right Button Actuation Force – Click to jump to YouTube video location

These tests are done with a Force Gauge meter. If you recall I feel these to be stiff and this was confirmed when the front actuation force required was higher than the average, compared to other mice.

The combing average for these buttons was:-

  • Left average 79 grams
  • Right average 75 grams

The average means what, overall, these clicks are at the lighter compared to others.

Side Buttons Actuation Force

The results below confirm that my hunch was right, and these are indeed stiff. Personally, I would like them a little lighter, like the Logitech G Pro Wireless.

  • Left side front average 128 grams
  • Right side front average 141 grams

Scroll Wheel Actuation Force

The scroll wheel came in at a decent force to actuation of 191 grams so, no risk of accidental clicks here. As a note, the scroll wheel has 24 notches.

Button sound test- Click to jump to YouTube video location

See Razer Viper Review Video on YouTube

Weight

Razer says that the Viper weighs in at 69g, but they haven’t mentioned if this included some cable. I weighed the Razer Viper and it came in at 71g, which is fine. We, therefore, can expect 69g is without cable, and this will be confirmed in the full Teardown. If you are interested,  the mouse and full cable weighed in at 99g.

Glide Test on Stock Skatez- Click to jump to YouTube video location

The stock stakes do feel very slow on the up and down movement on the baseline Logitech G640 Mouse Pad. I am going to buy a new G640 as this is my daily and a bit worn, but still, this feels much slower compared to other mice we have tested recently.

  • NSW 26
  • NFW 41
  • RSW 28
  • RFW 43
  • Avg 35

Comparing these results to other mice we have tested the average of 35 is showing that this mouse on stock skatez has a slow glide compared to others and places it in the control category.

I’m due to get some new Tigers Arcs in the next few weeks so we can swap the stock skatez and re-test.

Dimensions/Size- Click to jump to YouTube video location

Razer says the Approximate size is 126.73 Length with a Width of 66.2 mm and a height of 37.81 mm.

I measured it as the following:

Shell

  • Length 125.3mm
  • Width
    • Rear 66.1mm
    • Mid-top 56.7mm
    • Mid-mid to include button profile 60.4mm
    • Mid bottom 56.8mm
    • Front 63.7mm
  • Height
    • Rear 34mm
    • Mid 37.8mm
    • Front 22.3mm

This makes the Razer Viper a mid to large mouse with a low profile, which helped it not feel massive. I felt that I was clicking farther back on these buttons than I would have preferred, and I’m blaming my low Kovaak Aim Trainer score on this.

Main Buttons

  • Left 26.3mm
  • Right 26.3mm

Scroll

  • Thickness 7.1mm
  • Length 24.7mm

Cable

The cable is a decent thickness at 2.4mm and a length of 2.1m but it still lacks flexibility compared to recent shoelace versions that other vendors are using. This Speedflex is an improvement from the current Razer cables, but it’s still disappointing given they have made some effort to upgrade it. A Paracord or bungee here is a must.

Software

The Razer Viper uses Synapse 3, which is filled with features that I’m sure everyone is aware of so we won’t go into detail here.

 

Conclusions.

This is a well-built mouse with a nice shape and materials. It performs well in latency tests allowing it to keep up or sometimes beat the top competitors.  The cable could be improved, and the current skatez configuration is tailored to the control side over speed. It uses Razers new Optical Mechanical Switches on the main left and right buttons and they feel nice and snappy, if a little stiff. The side buttons are on both the left and right side and are flush to the shell but are also stiff.