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Are you interested in cutting the cord in favor of a wireless mouse? That’s where the Razer Viper Ultimate comes in. It takes the same crowd favorite design of the Viper and integrates Razer’s super-fast wireless technology. The result is an astonishingly lightweight, fast and accurate gaming mouse that might just be the best mouse available today. Yet, with only subtle lighting and a simplistic look, you’d be forgiven for wondering what’s so special about it and, indeed, why its $149.99 price tag is justified. Let’s dig in.
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Razer Viper Ultimate Technical Specifications
- Razer Focus+ Optical Sensor
- 20,000 DPI
- 650 IPS
- 1000Hz max polling rate
- Razer Optical Switches (mouse one and two)
- 8 programmable buttons
- 70 hour battery life
- 74g weight
- Razer Chroma RGB
Confidently Say Goodbye to the Wire
Core gamers – myself included – have traditionally shied away from wireless mice. This is primarily due to concerns about input lag and the potential for signal interference normally associated with wireless technology. However, the most recent wireless mice have vastly improved in these areas, making them truly viable for use in intense gaming scenarios. And Razer has sought to lead the charge in wireless innovation.
The company says its trademarked ‘HyperSpeed Wireless’ tech uses “ultra fast radio frequency” protocols to achieve connection speeds that are 25% faster than any other wireless technology available. Razer also claims that HyperSpeed Wireless is capable of seamless on-the-fly frequency switching, which alleviates any issues with interference.
While we can’t verify the accuracy of those numbers, I can say that after dozens of hours of testing, I absolutely could not detect any delay in my inputs when in wireless mode (even when gaming in excess of 120fps). And I never once experienced any tangible interference spikes or stuttering.
For all intents and purposes, the Viper Ultimate performed every bit as good as my wired Razer Mamba Tournament Edition (itself a high-end mouse), but with the added benefit of being untethered. We are effectively at a point now where you can replace your trusty wired mouse with confidence that the Viper and others of its ilk will deliver the speed and reliability you need during intense gaming sessions.
And if you ever find yourself in a room full of Razer mouse users and interference becomes evident, you can simply switch to wired mode, supported via a conventional USB micro port on the top of the mouse.
Impressive Specs
The Viper Ultimate’s impressive wireless performance is backed by a frankly ridiculous list of internal hardware specifications. The mouse one and two buttons house Razer’s proprietary optical switches, which use an infrared beam of light to detect actuation.
A response time of 0.2 milliseconds – apparently the fastest in the industry – is the first of the immeasurable-but-much-appreciated statistics. A durability rating of 70 million clicks is the other. Basically, if you don’t have an issue with wear on conventional mechanical mice, you certainly won’t have an issue here.
The main sensor is Razer’s new Focus+ Optical Sensor, which runs at up to 20,000 DPI with an accuracy rating of 650 IPS (inches per second) and a maximum polling rate of 1000Hz.
It’s highly unlikely you’ll ever run the mouse at 20,000 DPI, which would be so sensitive it’d be unusable. And if you can move your hand at a speed of 650 inches per second and maintain accuracy in-game, you should be in a science lab for studying.
So yes, those numbers are just a bit ridiculous. However, what all this represents is a mouse with such lofty capabilities that you can expect absolute precision when deployed in more practical, human-friendly scenarios. And if you care about such things, those numbers stack up favorably in comparison spreadsheets against competing devices, offering tech spec fans that extra sense of satisfaction.
One Size Fits All
For all its insane internal tech, externally the Razer Viper is not much to look at. But for many, that’s a good thing. Void of any pointless gimmicks or edgy ‘gamer’ styling, the understated Viper is a sleek, comfortable mouse that, from an ergonomics standpoint, focuses on the fundamentals.
All of the buttons, including the mouse wheel, are satisfyingly clicky and perfectly weighted. There’s textured rubber for grip in all the right places. And the feet on the underside of the mouse are made from 100% PTFE (apparently the same material used to coat non-stick pans), for the smoothest surface glide I’ve ever felt.
As you’d expect, all eight buttons are programmable via Razer Synapse, with on-board memory for up to five configuration profiles (more can be stored via cloud storage).
It’s a conventional design and size that fits a wide range of hand sizes. Additionally, it’s perfect for those who grip the mouse with their fingertips, while also accommodating full palm-grip users. It’s also an ambidextrous design, with side-mouse buttons on both sides of its symmetrical frame. And at just 74 grams, it’s also the lightest high-end gaming mouse available.
My only gripe with its design is a tendency for me to accidentally hit the side-buttons intended for left-hand users. But disabling these buttons in Synapse solved this issue completely.
Effortless Charging
Being a wireless mouse obviously raises concerns over battery life, but the Viper Ultimate has it covered. The lightweight internal battery will keep the mouse powered for up to 70 hours. And it can pick up several hours of charge in just a few minutes if you find yourself in a pinch.
Charging is handled via a dock that connects to your PC through a lovely braided USB cable. The dock itself is really nice. It’s a small and unobtrusive device, with magnetic connectors onto which you can easily drop the Viper Ultimate when a charge is needed.
The snazzy RGB underlighting is as functional as it is pretty, serving as a color-coded battery life indicator when the mouse is charging. When not charging, the dock, along with the illuminated Razer logo on the mouse, can be controlled via the Razer Synapse software suite, which offers the usual array of programmable RGB light show effects.
The dock also has a USB port where you can plug in the wireless dongle. So even if your PC is under your desk or obscured in some way, you can rely on a solid wireless connection to the dongle.
Should You Buy the Razer Viper Ultimate?
The wired Viper is a new superstar in the world of gaming mice, and the Viper Ultimate is basically a perfect wireless implementation of that device. And its super lightweight and conventional form factor make it an incredibly versatile mouse that could even appeal to non-gamers looking for a high-end wireless option.
At $149.99 (or $129.99 if you opt out of including the charging dock), the Viper Ultimate costs $70 more than its wired counterpart, and there are cheaper wireless alternatives out there as well. But the Viper Ultimate justifies its premium price with a slew of cutting-edge technologies that make it arguably the best all-round wireless mouse on the market right now.
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Be sure to set a Deal Alert so you don’t miss out on any price drops as soon as they become available. Additionally, find all of the currently available deals on mice by browsing our Mouse Deals page. Finally, check out Razer Coupons to find a working promo code or current sale.
