Ambidextrous mice have not ever been much of a thing, so if you are a left-handed mouse user you have never had too much of a choice when it comes to picking up a gaming mouse. Logitech did a great job when they brought us the near-perfect G903. For a very long time, I myself thought that the magnificent G903 could not be beaten. Then Razer sent me the Razer Viper Ultimate. Can the Viper Ultimate dethrone the legendary G903 or does it just fall short? Let’s find out!
Design
As I have mentioned in previous reviews, Razer has certainly evolved. They are no longer the RGB focused company that sell their product with RGB crammed into every nook and cranny. No, they have matured and the latest range of hardware that has been launched in recent years truly is remarkable. Not only has Razer forced the established names to take notice they have also driven development within the market. Making it better for us as consumers. Whether you are an entry-level gamer or consider yourself a hardcore gamer, Razer has a product to suit your budget, without the product feeling budget!
When it comes to the Viper Ultimate it’s well priced in its competitive range. The first thing you will notice when unboxing the Viper Ultimate is just how light it is. For those who prefer more weight to their mice, unfortunately, the Viper Ultimate does not come with addable or removable weights. Usually, mice that are really lightweight can sometimes feel flimsy in-hand. Somehow Razer has managed to make the Viper Ultimate feel sturdy and strong while being extremely light. The design is much more minimalist and only an RGB Razer emblem adorns the Viper Ultimate right on the spot your palm will normally rest. While the smooth plastic on the top feels nice to the touch. The grippier sides make sure the Viper won’t slip out of your hand anytime soon.
The Viper Ultimate, as the name suggests, is the top tier Viper. It is wireless thanks to Razer’s own Hyperspeed technology. I was skeptical at best, of the wireless technology having, as they say, the same performance as wired. I first went wireless on my own G903, so logically i will compare the Viper Ultimate to that. And I am pleased to tell you the statements are correct. I cannot distinguish between wired and wireless with the new tech. It is simply astounding.
Performance
Let’s get to the important bits, how does the Razer Viper Ulitmate truly perform? Firstly, Razer claims it to have a battery life of around 70 hours with heavy use. The lockdown has given me the chance to truly push the Viper with a lot of extra gaming hours. And I am confident in saying that it can go the distance! I went roughly a week without charging and I still had juice left in the tank. Charging is also really simple, just place it on the extremely good looking docking station, which also serves as your wireless hub and stores the USB dongle for when you do want to skip the dock.
Razer has really taken it to the next level, the new sensor, called the Razer Focus + Optical sensor, that is being used in the Viper is rated for 20 000DPI. Personally I think its no need to have a sensor that can go higher than even 10k DPI. I have never played on DPI settings higher than 1600, but that might just be personal preference. Another spec that Razer brags with is the 650inches per second tracking speed. It is really tough to describe what it feels like but when taking the Razer Viper out of its cradle and you start to use it. The accuracy level is un-rivaled. At times it felt like my cursor was attached to my eyes rather than my hand…
Features
This is where the Viper might run a little short for some. Although the battery life of the Viper is really good, the problem comes with the dock. As beautiful as it looks it only charges the Viper when the PC is on. And when it is charging it takes around 4 hours for a full charge. This would be easily fixed with an option to plug it straight into a wall socket so that it would constantly be able to charge.
The Viper also makes use of the Razer Synapse software which can take some time to get used to and for newer users, the software can be rather daunting! With a little bit of tinkering though, it works really well and allows for tremendous customization especially if you use more Razer products. Another of the features that should be mentioned is the fact that you can calibrate your Viper for the specific mousepad you are using. This lets the sensor know what type of surface it is being used on and therefor adapts and tracks better.
Verdict
The Razer Viper Ultimate can easily be compared to the near-flawless Logitech G903, and for good reason. It can match the Logitech in nearly every step. The Viper Ultimate is nearly a no-brainer in its price range. The G903 ultimate trumps it not due to it being a better mouse, but simply because it has the powerplay feature. Which lets you charge on the mousepad while playing, wirelessly. But taking into account the amount of money you need to spend to use this feature, I would whole-heartedly recommend getting the Viper Ultimate! Value for money and the tech that you will receive will simply blow you away!
The Razer Viper Ultimate is arguably the pinnacle of the Razer mouse stable! Go on, get one, you won’t be disappointed!
Special thanks to Apex Interactive for supplying the review content