94 PCWorld MAY 2020REVIEWS RAZER VIPER MINI
yours for just $40. That had us asking, “What’s
the catch?” Is there a catch? Read on to find
out.TINY TERROR
Okay, caveat number one: It’s very small.
Obviously that’s by design. It’s the Razer Viper
Mini. I am not a small person though, and I
find the Viper Mini too narrow for all-day use.
The original Viper’s faux-ambidextrous
(symmetrical, but not intended for left-hand
use) chassis measured approximately 2.6
inches left-to-right. The Viper Mini is just over
2 inches across. It’s enough of a difference
that I find not just my pinky but my entire ring
finger dragging across the mousepad.
The Viper Mini is shorter too, at 4.6 inches
to the original’s 4.9. Nevertheless, it’s the
width that causes me the most trouble. It’scomfortable enough in short bursts, but after
an hour or so my hand starts to cramp.
Let me be clear: I’m not penalizing the
Viper Mini for its size. The majority of mice
cater to my big mitts, while very few suit
people with smaller hands. I can think of a few
friends who might be excited by the Viper
Mini. But it’s an important caveat, as we dig
into discussions of weight. The Viper Mini is
Razer’s “lightest mouse yet,” but it’s not
exactly standing toe-to-toe with Razer’s
full-sized DeathAdder (go.pcworld.com/rzdt)
or the Basilisk (go.pcworld.com/rzbs).
It’s a hell of a lot lighter than either of
those though. By contrast, the DeathAdder
weighs in at 3.7 ounces and the Basilisk at 3.8
ounces. My beloved Logitech G502 is 4
ounces. The Viper Mini is definitely
lightweight.
That said, so
was the original
Viper, which
weighed in at 2.4
ounces. That
renders the Viper
Mini’s 2.1 ounces
slightly less
impressive, insofar
as the Viper is a
full-sized mouse
and the Viper Mini
is 3/4-scale. It’s
not as if Razer
trimmed