In terms of premium wireless gaming mice, the Logitech G Pro Wireless dominated most of 2019. Right before the end of the year, Razer ushered in a ton of hype with it’s announcement of the Razer Viper Wireless. Razer had already been making strides in their latest releases by appealing to the niche enthusiast gaming market. The Razer Viper checked a lot of boxes for anyone who wanted a fast responsive mouse that was lightweight without the typical cut-out honeycomb construction. The Razer Viper Ultimate was supposed to improve on that initial design in several ways, the most meaningful of which was the wireless capability. The Razer Viper Ultimate was released to rave reviews and a lot of online fanfare but does it live up to the hype?
Dimensions (L x W x H)
123 mm x 58mm x 37 mm
Weight
74grams
Packaging and Presentation
The Razer Viper Ultimate comes nicely packaged in a premium feeling box. All the items inside are neatly arranged and the mouse and stand itself are protected by black foam. Inside there’s some printed materials and the paracord-like cord that can connect both the dock and the mouse to the computer. The mouse itself has a compartment for the USB dongle which is a thoughtful touch.
Design and Shape
The first impression I had removing the mouse from the box was incredibly positive. The shape feels instantly familiar in hand, owning it’s shape to the lineage of the Zowie FK1/2. The coating in particular stood out as it had a slight graininess that reminded me of PBT plastic and there’s really nice feeling rubber grips on the side. If the G Pro Wireless felt too slippery for you, this is a nice opposite approach ensuring that you’ll find a good grip instantly.
There are side buttons on both sides of the mouse and a DPI button and LED indicator on the bottom side of the mouse. The mouse is low profile with a bit of a hump towards the middle of the mouse. It should fit small to medium sized fingertip and claw grippers perfectly. It’s also notable that there are 2 side buttons on both the right and left side of the mouse, making this one of the rare mice on the market that is a true ambidextrous design.
Build Quality
The build quality felt really solid throughout and the Viper Ultimate Wireless kept surprising me with how it still felt as light as it is. From the coating on the sides to the feet and the grainy plastic coating the Razer Viper Ultimate feels like a unique mouse throughout. Battery life was also seemingly great and rated at a solid 70 hours of usage with the RGB off. Let’s look at the individual aspects of the mouse below.
Sensor and Skates
The Razer Viper Ultimate showcases their new proprietary sensor which is the Razer Focus+. It goes to 20000 DPI but more relevant are the features that are enabled in the software. The settings you can adjust inside the Razer Synapse software which includes the ability to customize the LOD and what distance the mouse should resume tracking after you’ve picked it up. There’s also Smart Tracking, which allows the software to calculate the ideal LOD automatically after adjusting to your mouse surface. In terms of actual usage, the sensor performed really well and you’ll be hard pressed to tell the difference from other top sensors like the 3360. In terms of the wireless performance itself, I didn’t notice any issues and it was just as fast and responsive as the GPW. You won’t notice any latency on this compared to your typical wired mouse either.
The skates here are a step up from what Razer has done in the past and do a great job of replicating what after market feet like Hyperglides offer. They are one of the best stock skates I’ve encountered on any mice lately and I definitely applaud Razer for using these. Also worth noting is that the dock for the mouse is well thought it. It can house the USB receiver and double as a wireless extender. It also has a grippy base that won’t move on your desk and of course full customizable RGB.
Buttons
One thing you’ll notice about this mouse right away is how comfortable it is to hold in claw or fingertip grip. The coating and finger grooves make it comfy as long as you like low profile mice. That being said there are some issues I ran into with this mouse. The M1/M2 buttons use Razer’s new optical switch which offers better durability in the long run but has a different feel than the Omron type switches that are commonplace in gaming mice nowadays. Rated for 70millon clicks, these switches won’t be giving out anytime soon. According to Razer, the optical switches are also suppose to reduce the response time of the mouse itself, resulting in a lowered response time of 0.2 milliseconds. This wasn’t something I really felt in game.
In terms of feel, the clicks on the Razer Viper Ultimate remind me of a Tactile Cherry MX Brown style switch, in that they feel a bit duller and not as crispy as many mice out there. There is little pre-travel although I felt a bit of noticeable post travel after the switch activates. That being said my main gripe with the switch is that there is a bit of wobble when I held the main mouse buttons down which along with the post travel was a bit distracting for me. The side buttons are on both sides of the mouse and that should be great news for left handed players. The downside of the side buttons however is that they are really recessed inside the shell and are in a harder to reach position. I don’t personally use the side buttons too often in-game but if you do really rely on them, you might want to look elsewhere.
Mouse Wheel
The mousewheel is nice and tactile and low profile with a good amount of tension. I think it could stand to be a little higher but it’s really intuitive to use in game and has a nice satisfying click that you won’t activate by accident. It’s a pretty quiet wheel but if you’re coming from the G Pro Wireless, you’ll really notice how low to the shell it feels in comparison. I don’t have too many complaints about the mouse wheel per say but it’s not the best on the market either. There was a bit of rattle in the mouse wheel when I shook the mouse which was the only build quality issue I experienced with it.
Performance and Software
I got the much dreaded Razer Synapse software with this mouse and I didn’t really have any problems personally with it. One thing I did notice however is that the DPI feels about 50DPI higher than what you’ve selected. In other words, playing at 800DPI felt more like 850. Apparently this is a known issue with this mouse and I had to compensate by lowering my DPI to 750 in the software.
In-game, the Razer performed just okay for me. I prefer mice with a bit more of a hump , especially towards the back of the mouse and the Viper Wireless is a very flat feeling mouse. That being said, the skates really helped me hit some flicks and my tracking aim was pretty on point with it. The only thing that was really distracting was the wobble on the main mouse clicks which made it harder for me to control spray patterns in CS:GO. I’m not sure how common this issue is on the Razer Viper Ultimate but it’s definetly something to take note of.
Conclusions
The Razer Viper Ultimate succeeds in most categories that matter but I can’t shake the feeling that it falls just short of it’s lofty potential. Certainly when it comes to a lightweight (<80gram) gaming mouse with great skates and extras there is no competition. That being said some QC issues on the Razer Viper Ultimate that could impact your enjoyment of this mouse. With the dock included, I think you get a bit more value with this compared to the G Pro Wireless at retail price but it’s definitely not the right shape or feel for every gamer out there.
Pros
- Great feeling plastic coating and rubber side grips
- Great battery life
- Excellent stock skates
- Lightest premium wireless on the market
- Dock looks cool and makes charging easy, paracord style cable is included if you do need to plug in
Cons
- QC considerations on my copy rattling scroll wheel
- Post Travel M1/M2 clicks and there is a bit of button wobble
- The side buttons feel quite recessed and aren’t easy or quick to access
Bottom Line and Rating
The Razer Viper Ultimate makes immense strides and deserves it’s place at the top of the Razer product line. I would recommend picking it up especially if it’s on sale or if you’re left handed. That being said this is not a perfect choice for everyone due to the inconsistent QC and low profile shape.
Rating 8.5/10
Where to Buy
USA