“For the professional,” says Razer’s advertising line. “The GOAT of wi-fi esports mice returns to reshape the aggressive scene.” If you already know what any of which means, you will know precisely what you are getting right here. A mouse that is extraordinarily gentle and has a really excessive sensitivity and polling charge. The factor is, that is not precisely uncommon amongst excessive gaming mice, so what precisely is Razer providing that is totally different in its new Viper V3 Professional?
Maybe extra vital are the modifications that Razer has applied over its predecessor, the Viper V2 Professional, as that provided all of the above options. Properly, the primary shell and buttons have been barely redesigned, the optical sensor has been up to date, and some grams of weight have been shaved off.
Beginning with the design, the place the V2 Professional had raised sections simply behind the left and proper buttons, the V3 Professional has been fully smoothed in and out basic, the general design is now very conservative. The buttons are nonetheless Razer-styled however aside from that, the Viper V3 Professional would not precisely look prefer it’s a cutting-edge mouse. Given the truth that it is $158/£155/AU$279, it isn’t instantly apparent as to the place Razer has spent its cash on updating the design.
I am unable to say I am a fan of the fabric used for the shell, both—the plastic attracts fingerprints like a grease magnet and the mouse wanted to be furiously cleaned, repeatedly, earlier than any footage might be taken. It additionally feels a bit on a budget facet, though that is largely right down to Razer’s resolution to make the Viper V3 Professional as gentle as potential.
Viper V3 Professional specs
Buttons: 6
Toes: PTFE
Connectivity: wired (USB-C), wi-fi (USB-C dongle)
Sensor: Focus Professional 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2
Max DPI: 35,000
Max acceleration: 70 g
Max pace: 750 IPS
Polling charge: as much as 8,000 Hz wi-fi | 1,000 Hz wired
Battery life: 95 Hrs (1,000 Hz) to 17 Hrs (8,000 Hz)
RGB lighting: none
Guarantee: 2 years
Value: $158 | £155 | AU$279
At 54 g (55 g for the white model), it is 4 g lighter than the V2 Professional, although that mouse may hardly be classed as being heavy. It feels exceptionally featherweight, a lot in order that I am satisfied a powerful fan may blow it throughout a mouse pad. Okay, I am exaggerating considerably, however when you want a mouse with minimal mass, the Viper V3 Professional is actually one to contemplate.
Whereas the entire thing has a really ethereal (learn: skinny and hole) really feel to it, not less than the buttons and wheels are correctly strong. Optical switches beneath the primary buttons assist with speedy clicks however they’d be for nothing if the motion was horrible. It is completely not and all the things has a reassuring positiveness to it, particularly the wheel.
You possibly can actually really feel the notches as you spin it round, and when you favor to flick the mouse wheel to alter weapons in the course of a heated battle, you will be glad about Razer’s design. Exterior of gaming, although, it isn’t so scorching—scrolling by webpages or lengthy paperwork is fairly tedious, and the Synapse software program has no choice to customize this motion.
What you’ll be able to alter in Razer’s software program is the sensitivity and polling charge. The previous could be cycled by 5 phases through a small button within the mouse’s base, and you’ll configure what DPI every press jumps to in Synapse. I do want there was a second button, although, to make it a lot simpler to cycle backwards and forwards by the sensitivity choices.
That sole button additionally acts as the facility swap, with an extended press being required to energy it on and off.
The utmost DPI supported by the Viper V3 Professional is 35,000 dots per inch, which is 5,000 greater than the V2 Professional, because of the second-generation Focus Professional optical sensor. Mere mortals corresponding to myself would by no means discover the distinction, although it’s fairly enjoyable making an attempt to play a spherical of Counter-Strike 2 at max sensitivity.
A easy twitch of a single muscle fibre can have your crosshair flying about; blink a little bit too firmly and you will be server kicked for pleasant fireplace. Such excessive sensitivity is clearly solely there for those who actually need it and I used to be more than pleased with 3,200 DPI.
One thing else that is just for the choose few is the 8,000 Hz polling charge. Peripherals corresponding to mice and keyboards cannot interrupt the CPU to problem a brand new command; as a substitute, the working system checks for inputs at a set charge. For many wi-fi mice, this charge is 1,000 Hz.
Razer’s Hyperpolling system will increase this and the Viper V3 Professional now helps 2,000 and 4,000 Hz, along with the all-out 8 kHz setting. Simply as with the sensitivity, tremendous excessive polling charges aren’t going to be of a lot use to the typical PC gamer, even for individuals who are eager on aggressive shooters.
The place I may discover a distinction between 1 kHz and a pair of kHz in Counter-Strike 2, something greater produced no perceptible enchancment for me. What I did discover, although, was that leaving at a excessive polling charge critically chomped by the battery’s cost.
It is rated to 95 hours when utilizing the usual 1,000 Hz polling charge nevertheless it drops to simply 17 hours at 8,000 Hz. These claims appear about proper, because the Synapse software program confirmed round 12% of battery cost use from 2 hours of gameplay when utilizing 8 kHz polling.
Ought to that be a priority, then the Synapse software program has the choice to modify to a better polling charge when gaming and use a decrease, power-friendly charge when utilizing Home windows and different apps. That function is effectively value enabling, because the Viper V3 Professional’s battery does cost as quick as different mice I’ve used and examined of late.
The 2nd-gen Focus Professional 35K Optical Sensor and 8K HyperPolling are all effectively and good, however they’d be for nought if the precise monitoring efficiency of the mouse wasn’t as much as spec. So I ran by benchmarks through MouseTester to see how the Viper V3 Professional really fares—what you are on the lookout for is how unfold out the dots are within the graphs beneath. The extra tightly packed they’re, the higher the mouse is at reporting motion.
Ignore the varied spikes within the above charts (that is my wonky mouse motion) and deal with how a lot and the way usually the factors are vertically separated from the general curve. As you’ll be able to see, the Viper V3 Professional tracks very effectively and the interval charts (those with the flat strains) show that Razer’s optical sensor and wi-fi system haven’t any problem in holding tempo with all the things.
Polling charges above 1 kHz do add a bit extra load to the CPU so when you want the very highest body charges in your video games, you then’ll have to seek out the suitable steadiness between polling charge and recreation efficiency. Simply slapping it to eight kHz body charge and hoping for the very best is not wise.
Purchase if…
✅ You will need to have hyper-sensitivity and ultra-high polling charges: Whether or not it is for bragging rights or precise gaming profit, there’s nothing to the touch the Viper V3 Professional by way of sheer pace.
✅ You desire a mouse that seems like air: At simply 54 g, this mouse is ideal for individuals who hate rodents with mass. It is laborious to think about how a lot lighter Razer may make it.
Do not buy if…
❌ You are not a critical esports competitor: What makes it nice for ultra-fast gaming, the place actual cash is on the road, additionally makes the Viper V3 Professional uncomfortable and awkward usually use.
❌ You hate consistently charging a tool: The Viper V3 Professional’s battery life is fairly good with an ordinary polling charge however drops to disappointing ranges when maxed out.
It is also value noting that when you use the equipped high-quality, braided USB Sort-C in order that the Viper V3 Professional is in wired mode, then the utmost polling charge on supply is the usual 1 kHz. After all, utilizing a cable vastly interferes with how gentle and straightforward the mouse is to maneuver about, and the wi-fi connection is exceptionally good, so that you’re solely going to be doing this to cost it.
After spending every week of gaming and dealing with Razer’s Viper V3 Professional, I got here to understand that I used to be confronted with a conundrum, almost about how greatest to overview it. On the one hand, it felt like I had been given one of many newest Method 1 automobiles to check drive round a circuit after which evaluate it to different F1 machines.
Whereas I’ve completed circuit racing a bit, a few years in the past, I am merely not able to pushing such automobiles to anyplace close to their limits to discern any variations between them.
It is the identical with the Viper V3 Professional. I am not an expert esports competitor; heck, I am not even remotely good at Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, or Valorant. So how may I presumably know what’s good or unhealthy, on the subject of gaming mice which are particularly focused at such folks? I merely haven’t got that stage of talent, precision, and necessities of accuracy.
Then again, neither do the overwhelming majority of PC Players to whom Razer is advertising this mouse. Certain, tens of millions of oldsters are manner higher than me at competitor shooters and the like, however that does not imply they’re going to be capable of inform the distinction between a 4 kHz and eight kHz polling charge.
They will type the bulk of people that might wish to purchase and use this mouse, although, and on that foundation, I can type a conclusion as as to if the Razer Viper V3 Professional is nice or not.
I discovered it to be too small and too gentle for my tastes; I did not like how the shell felt in my hand, both. I additionally felt the DPI biking system was a bit too fiddly. Oh, and it is very costly for a mouse that is exceptionally slim in focus. It’s extremely a lot a Ferrari in a area of Fords, albeit a quite bland-looking one.
Nonetheless, I do have one other Razer mouse that will get used rather a lot in my workplace, the wired DeathAdder V3. In comparison with that, the Viper V3 Professional was quite a bit nicer to recreation with—partly, that is right down to its wi-fi nature (I am of the opinion that wired mice are the spawn of the Satan) but in addition as a result of it was extra correct and tracked higher on totally different surfaces.
It’s extremely effectively constructed, with optimistic actions to each button and the wheel. The large PTFE ft imply it glides effortlessly throughout most supplies. Razer’s packaging is top-notch, with a surprisingly respectable USB cable. However then once more, it needs to be at this value.
As as to if one should purchase the Viper V3 Professional, that is finally a matter of want (expense apart). Do you want one of many lightest mice round? Do you want 8 kHz polling? Do you want as much as 35,000 DPI? Or put extra merely, do you want the final word esports mouse? If the reply is sure to any of these, then Razer’s newest Viper needs to be critically thought-about.
But when the reply isn’t any, then there are extra appropriate decisions on supply and it’s best to try what we expect are the very best gaming mice on the market.