Razer has rolled out the Viper V3 Professional, its newest high-end wi-fi gaming mouse. What makes a gaming mouse “high-end,” you would possibly ask? Primarily, it’s tremendous light-weight and filled with spectacular wi-fi and sensor tech, all of which makes it extraordinarily responsive in aggressive video games. I’ve had one available for about two weeks now and have felt subsequent to zero delay flicking by means of rounds of Halo Infinite and Apex Legends.
The opposite factor is the value: The Viper V3 Professional is accessible in the present day for $160 within the US or €180 in Europe. That isn’t extraordinary — Razer’s personal DeathAdder V3 Professional, the highest wi-fi choose in our gaming mouse shopping for information, prices the identical — but it surely’s actually not low-cost.
In the event you sustain with the gaming mouse market, right here’s the quick model: The Viper V3 Professional has nearly the identical form and soft-touch coating as final 12 months’s midrange Viper V3 HyperSpeed, but it surely’s far lighter at 54 grams, plus it has optical switches, a technically superior sensor and some small design tweaks. It’s the follow-up to the favored Viper V2 Professional from 2022 and the ambidextrous complement to the aforementioned DeathAdder V3 Professional, which has a extra dramatically contoured ergonomic form.
For everybody else, the principle factor to learn about mice like that is that they’re constructed for aggressive gaming above all else. As such, the Viper V3 Professional intentionally excludes options that’d make it extra handy for day-to-day use: There’s no Bluetooth and solely two aspect buttons, whereas the DPI swap is positioned on the underside of the mouse. The scroll wheel cannot tilt left or proper, and there’s no lighting, both. However these omissions make sense when you view the mouse as a software for esports: They maintain the load down and make it tougher to hit buttons accidentally.
Crucial factor with any gaming mouse is its form, and the Viper V3 Professional’s ought to match most hand sizes effectively. It’s extremely much like Logitech’s G Professional X Superlight 2, its chief competitor, however barely longer and flatter. A modest however noticeable hump within the middle rests naturally in your palm, whereas the edges are gently contoured in then out to welcome the tops of your thumb and ring finger (or pinkie). The principle click on buttons are grooved, barely flared and amply sized. Not one of the angles are aggressive. Razer says it really works greatest with a fingertip or claw grip; I’ve few points as somebody who makes use of the latter. However the design isn’t so quick or flat that it’s horrible for palm grips. In complete, it measures 5.0 x 2.51 x 1.57 inches.
The mouse’s coating is pleasingly smooth and easy. It’ll choose up fingerprint smudges over time, but it surely needs to be grippy sufficient for most individuals out of the gate. (Razer contains some pre-cut grip tape within the field if it nonetheless feels too slippery.) The machine as a complete is sturdily constructed, with no signal of flex or creaking in my two weeks of day by day use.
The Viper V3 Professional isn’t absolutely the lightest gaming mouse, however calling a 54g machine too heavy to maneuver round could be splitting hairs. Notably, it achieves this weight with none cutouts in its prime or backside shell. Rival gaming mice just like the Pwnage Stormbreaker or Pulsar X2V2 are equally mild however depart their interiors extra open to mud and detritus.
The mouse’s most important click on buttons are quick, not sticky and on the softer aspect for a tool that makes use of optical switches. They aren’t as loud because the clicks on the G Professional X Superlight 2, although the right-click panel on my check unit sounds rather less full than the left-click one. (That’s extra of a nitpick than a dealbreaker.) As with most optical mice, the principle buttons will not be as satisfying to press nearly as good mechanical switches, however they’re extra prone to keep away from sturdiness points over time. I’d additionally give the Viper V3 Professional the sting over Logitech’s mouse on the subject of the aspect buttons and scroll wheel. The Viper’s wheel is tighter, quieter and has grippier ridges on its exterior, whereas its aspect buttons are a bit much less mushy by comparability.
When it comes to efficiency, the Viper V3 Professional makes use of Razer’s new “Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2.” It may possibly attain a most of 35,000 DPI, and you may modify that sensitivity in 1 DPI increments. A max velocity of 750 IPS and max acceleration of 70 G accompany that. Per regular with gaming mice, these larger figures are partly advertising and marketing fluff: Many older gaming mice have few points on the subject of sensor accuracy and consistency.
Alongside these traces, the mouse comes with Razer’s HyperPolling Wi-fi Dongle, which prices $30 by itself. It advertises a most polling fee of 8,000Hz, which technically permits for extra exact actions however has a negligible impact on real-world efficiency. Largely, it saps battery life: Razer says the Viper V3 Professional can last as long as 95 hours at a 1,000Hz polling fee, which is okay, however that dips to only 17 hours at 8,000Hz.
Nonetheless, whereas I’m removed from an pro-level participant, I can’t foresee many complaints concerning the Viper V3 Professional’s responsiveness or connection high quality. The form, weight and sensor all play a task in that — as do the big PTFE toes, which let the mouse glide easily throughout surfaces. Considerably much less agreeable is the included cable, which is cleverly angled to scale back drag however isn’t the thinnest or most versatile wire I’ve seen. The dongle nonetheless requires operating the cable from a PC to a desk, too.
However, the Viper V3 Professional is effectively value a glance when you take aggressive gaming critically, choose an ambidextrous form and have cash to burn. To be clear, there are nonetheless a number of gaming mice that’ll really feel snug and carry out effectively for much less money, particularly when you’re OK with a wired mannequin. And when you personal an older Viper you’re nonetheless pleased with in the present day, there’s no urgent have to improve. A mouse like that is nearer to a Ferrari, when most individuals can reside simply high quality with a Subaru. That stated, Ferraris are fairly good, proper?
