T
he Viper is Razer’s direct response
to the new trend for ultra-light mice.
Considering the style hasn’t been
around all that long, we’re impressed to see a
peripheral juggernaut such as Razer respond
so quickly to it. Weighing in at just 69g, the
Viper ticks the first box for being classed as
truly ultra-light. What’s more, Razer has
achieved this weight while still managing to
add a thin layer of rubber to the sides to aid
grip. Most alternatives have done away with
rubber as it adds to the weight of the mouse.
Another key feature that’s present and
correct is an ultra-flexible cable. The one here
looks just like a conventional braided cable,
but the inner core of the cable is very thin-
walled and flexible, so it provides very little
resistance. It’s a joy to use even without a
cord bungie.
Another key feature of this mouse is its true
ambidextrous design. It doesn’t just sport a
symmetrical shape, but it also has thumb
buttonsonbothsides.Razer has done a reasonable job of balancing
the accessibility of the buttons for your
thumb, as well as keeping them sufficiently
out the way so you don’t trigger them
accidentally with your little and ring fingers.
However, they still aren’t the easiest thumb
buttons to hit. As for the other buttons, the
Viper is as bare bones as the rest of the mice
on test this month, with just left, right and
scroll wheel/middle buttons, plus a DPI
switch on the underside.
In terms of styling, Razer has done its usual
top job, with the RGB illuminated logo on the
rear providing just enough colour to elevate
the stylish all-black design. Build quality is
largely good too, although the feel of the
main two buttons isn’t brilliant. They use
Razer’s new optical switches, which
theoretically have a quicker response time
than normal switches. However, they require
a notably firmer press than most mouse
buttons, and each button’s surface sits
loosely on its switch (the front edge can be
lifted a millimetre or so off the switch itself),
giving it a rattling quality.
We also found that if you press the right
button towards its outer edge, it catches
on the body of the mouse, failing to trigger
the switch. This latter point is potentially a
manufacturing error, as the same doesn’t
happen on the left button, but it’s still a
potential problem nonetheless.
Meanwhile the shape of the mouse is
excellent. The comfort curves on the buttons
feel great, with just enough undercut to the
sides to aid grip without your fingers sliding
down the mouse. It’s also brilliantly balanced,
and the low-slung design suits a wide variety
of grip styles – we could comfortably use all
three grip styles on this mouse.
Likewise, performance is superb. The
16,000DPI optical sensor works flawlessly,
and the combination of the light weight,
excellent shape and flexible cable makes it
effortless to use.Conclusion
Superb performance, incredibly low weight, a
truly ambidextrous design and a fantastic
cable make the Viper a seriously impressive
piece of design. However, the loose left and
right buttons and slightly awkward side button
placement dent its appeal a little, especially
given is high price.RAZERVIPER /£80inc VAT
SUPPLIER razer.comVERDICT
A fantastic first attempt at an ultra-lightweight
mouse, but it has one too many niggles to
justifyitshighprice.DESIGN
16 / 20
PERFORMANCE
24 / 30FEATURES
14 / 20
VALUE
20 / 30OVERALLSCORE
74
SPEC
Weight
69g
Dimensions (mm)
127 x 66 x 38
Sensor
Razer optical 16,000DPI
Buttons
Seven (left, right, scroll wheel, 2 x back, 2 x
forward)
Cable
2.1m, ultra-light speedflex
Extras
DPI button on baseSNAKEBITE
+ Very light
+ Very flexible cable
+ True ambidextrous
design
+ Fast optical switchesSHANDY- Rattling buttons
- Button reliability issues
- Expensive