Razer Viper Ultimate wireless gaming mouse review
The word 'Ultimate' promises a lot. Let's see if Razer can live up to that promise
Razer claims that they were the very first company ‘to create a mouse dedicated to gaming’. This claim shows us Razer’s dedication to making quality products. We’ve been taking the Razer Viper Ultimate gaming mouse for a spin, let’s see if it can live up to the ultimate reputation the Singaporean peripheral giant has promised.
- Lightweight
- Tactile left and right click
- Convenient charging dock
- Easy setup
- Side buttons are prone to accidental presses
Unboxing and setup
The Viper Ultimate comes in a robust and rigid box that opens with a satisfying magnetic clasp, giving the experience that immediate ‘premium’ feeling that you’d expect from a brand such as Razer. After flipping the lid open, you’re greeted instantly by the mouse and the magnetic charging dock nestled cozily in dense, form-fitting foam padding. The underside of the lid also has a layer of padding so your precious new products are protected on all sides during their journey all the way from China and to your desk.
Setup was as simple as plugging the 2.4ghz receiver into the charging dock and plugging the charging dock into a vacant USB port on the PC. The mouse instantly lights up and starts working, with no required software. We’d still recommend downloading Razer’s Synapse software as it allows for further customization and more granular adjustment than is available using the buttons on the mouse alone.
Design
As per usual with pretty much any product from Razer, the mouse has the classic 3-headed snake logo on its palm section. The Razer Viper Ultimate supports Razer Chroma, so if you dislike the logo, you’re able to turn the lighting off and it disappears almost entirely. Other than the logo, the mouse appears to be basic, with a professional look. Razer touts the Viper Ultimate as an ambidextrous mouse, so there are no alarmingly over-designed ergonomic aspects that we’re so used to seeing on other gaming mice. The design is relatively stealthy, with no overt ‘gamer’ design hallmarks aside from the RGB lighting.
The included dock is also a nicely designed piece of kit. The design easily blends into any desk setup. Additionally, the perimeter of the base can light up, highlighting its outline with diffused light downwards.
Two small copper charging pins are visible but they don’t tarnish the overall design. Additionally, the dock has a pass-through for the Viper Ultimate’s wireless receiver, meaning you only need a single USB port on your PC, which is a good example of conscientious design, which is one of those little things that so many other brands just seem to miss.
Build quality
The Viper Ultimate feels solid despite its 2.6oz/74g weight as usually lighter mice can fall victim to feeling cheap. The shell exhibits very little flex and feels like it’ll withstand a fairly long period of use before experiencing any issues due to the premium lightweight materials and construction. When subjecting the mouse to a quick shake, there is a single rattle produced by the slightly loose mouse wheel. But, while gaming, the mouse wheel doesn’t seem to exhibit any strange behavior or feel loose. Instead of what we expected, the wheel instead has a pleasingly grippy knurled texture and smoothly bumps as you scroll.
The left and right clicks are satisfyingly clicky, though we’d like to have seen more tactility here as we saw on the Glorious Model 0-. The side buttons are less nice and have a slightly squidgy feeling to them, they are also annoyingly easy to actuate during general use and while lifting the mouse itself. This is an irritating issue for an otherwise nice-feeling mouse.
The charging dock is lovely, with a grippy rubber lining on the underside to adhere it to your desk, however, the magnetic connection between the mouse and the dock is too strong, and sometimes slightly displaced the dock as you remove the mouse. A heavier dock would eliminate this issue without impacting utility. Other than this, the dock is very well-designed and reliably connects the mouse with a satisfying magnetic snap. Additionally, the deep-set keyed micro USB connection makes the removable cable disappear into the dock for a clean look and can be hidden behind your desk very easily.
The included Micro-USB cable offers robust braiding and reasonable flexibility. A more flexible cable would be preferable, but given the effortless charging process, the cable will be rarely used to directly connect the mouse to your PC, and plugged into the dock instead. Regardless, we would have liked to have seen a slightly more malleable cable.
Gaming performance
The relatively light weight of the Razer Viper Ultimate, combined with a high-performance sensor and the very reliable 2.4GHz connection makes this mouse a delight to game with. The grippy texture along the sides of the mouse helps it stay in your hand even during the most rapid of flick shots in a competitive shooter. The aforementioned side buttons can be accidentally pressed which can be incredibly irritating, especially if you utilize these in games as it can lead to rogue grenade throws or attempting to punch an enemy who is 500ft away.
The Razer Focus+ 20K optical sensor has been very accurate during our testing and has a far higher maximum DPI than most gamers will ever need. But, the additional capacity is more than welcome.
The included PTFE skates provide an almost frictionless experience after a wearing-in period. It would have been nice to see some beveling like the Glorious Model O and O-, as this eliminates the breaking-in period and allows you to start playing to the best of your ability straight out of the box.
The Viper Ultimate also includes a DPI cycle button on the underside of the mouse to switch DPI settings on the fly, though the decision to position it on the underside undercuts the idea of switching DPI while gaming. This button should ideally be positioned in between the mouse buttons, as it does on many other competing mice from manufacturers like SteelSeries or Logitech.
Final verdict
With its convenient magnetic charging dock, reliable connection, and mostly excellent build quality. The design of both the dock and Razer Viper Ultimate is inoffensive and reserved, with just enough small bits of flair to remind you of its gaming pedigree. The sensor is accurate and combining this with the slim weight makes this an excellent mouse for competitive FPS or any other button-light, movement-heavy gaming application, though we did have a few issues with the side buttons.
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