WHEN I first dabbled in PC gaming back in 2012 (when Battlefield 3 was all the rage), the very first peripheral I can recall purchasing alongside my freshly built PC was the Razer DeathAdder, a gaming mouse that I absolutely adored. As a result, Razer peripherals became commonplace in my setup, and I’ve always had solid experiences with the brand.
Despite that fact, I haven’t owned a Razer product in years, so when the opportunity to test the Razer Viper V2 Pro Ultra-Lightweight Wireless Gaming Mouse came along, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to see how one of Razer’s latest mice would perform.
Available in Black and White colourways, the Razer Viper V2 Pro is a relatively safe and simple-looking gaming mouse. It has a standard right-handed symmetrical shape, the usual buttons (with only two additional buttons present on its left side), and it lacks Razer Chroma RGB support, meaning that the iconic triple-headed snake insignia doesn’t emanate the typical bright-green glow one expects from a Razer mouse.
While the lack of additional programmable buttons and RGB lighting could be seen as a drawback, their absence is directly responsible for the Viper V2 Pro’s greatest strength: its ultra-lightweight form factor.
Most lightweight mice manage to trim the fat by implementing a honeycomb shell: a design choice that, while attractive to some, isn’t as aesthetically pleasing to others. Much like another highly regarded lightweight mouse, the Logitech Pro X Superlight, the Viper V2 Pro manages to retain a traditional, fully enclosed shell, while also being wonderfully light in hand.
Much like my initial experience from the Superlight, I was initially quite shocked by how lightweight the Viper V2 Pro felt when in use, to the point where it almost felt too light. After some acclimatisation however, it becomes clear how great the Viper V2 Pro feels to use, whether it be during a gameplay session, or just navigating casually on your PC.
Alongside its glorious weightlessness, the shape and feel of its matte textured plastic shell also make the Viper V2 Pro a joy to use. In addition to the 2.4GHz connection dongle and the USB-C charging cable in the box, the Viper V2 Pro also comes with some optional grip tape, for those who are so inclined.
After spending plenty of time with the mouse in its default form, which felt brilliant enough, I decided to apply the grip tape, and it’s a decision I’m glad I made. As expected, it makes the mouse far, well… grippier, and hence more viable for users with less conventional mouse-grip styles. It also just feels nicer, as the tape provides a grittier texture than is afforded by the default shell.
All in all, the Viper V2 Pro mouse feels fantastic to use. It glides effortlessly across a variety of surfaces: it performs best on a mousepad of course, but also surprisingly well on wood or glass. Its shape always manages to feel comfortable in hand, with easy access to all buttons. The left and right buttons also provide some of the most satisfying clicks that I can ever recall feeling from a mouse.
Present on the underside of the mouse is a single button that serves as both the power and DPI-adjustment button. The ability to shift between five DPI levels without launching any additional software is definitely appreciated here, however I do wish the button wasn’t on the bottom of the mouse. A single LED that sits below the scroll wheel shows a colour corresponding to the currently active DPI mode, with each DPI level also configurable through the optional but recommended Razer Synapse 3 software.
The Viper V2 Pro charges via USB-C (like most modern mice), and the product box boasts a battery life of up to 70 hours. Having used the mouse for just over a month now, this seems fairly accurate to me, as I’ve found the mouse to have ample battery life despite constant usage most days. While I’ve seen gaming mice last longer, the battery life of the Viper V2 Pro is more than adequate.
For those wanting to tinker with the mouse’s more detailed settings, the Razer Synapse 3 software will help you get the most out of the Viper V2 Pro. You can adjust the values across its various DPI modes (the Razer Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor affords a max DPI of 30,000), or implement power-saving methods if necessary.
You can also customise each button on the mouse, assigning windows shortcuts or launching particular programs to name some of the options. The lack of many additional buttons (other than those on the side and underneath the mouse, which all have handy functions to begin with) does make the allure of customising them slightly less appealing, however the Hypershift feature does a great job to compensate.
Assigning one button as the Hypershift key and holding it down grants access to alternate keybind for every other button on the mouse, essentially providing an additional set of customisable buttons.
Although perhaps less elegant than dedicated macro buttons, this process at least does a good job of providing similar functionality with a limited array of buttons. Ultimately, the Razer Synapse 3 software is a solid tool that provides welcome customisation options for the Viper V2 Pro, as well as for any other Razer accessories in your setup.
The Razer Viper V2 Pro is one of, if not the greatest gaming mouse I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It’s insanely lightweight, comfortable in hand, and has USB-C charging and a reliable battery life to boot. Though certainly pricey at roughly AUD$259, I do feel that the price is quite fair, particularly in view of other premium offerings such as Logitech’s Superlight at AUD$299. I will always love my Logitech Pro X Superlight with all my heart, but I think the Viper V2 Pro has what it takes to finally dethrone it as my daily PC gaming mouse.
#gameonAUS
Written by: @GrumpyGoron
