The Razer Viper has for a long time been deemed as the esports-aimed range from Razer. Being given a V3 to the end of its name means this is the third iteration of the very popular, lightweight and mostly ambidextrous mouse. At the time of writing, there is no Viper V3 Pro, In the past the V2 was a stripped-down, “budget-friendly” version of the V2. But in this case, the V3 Hyperspeed is a complete redesign.
We spent some significant time with the Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed and this is what we experienced, putting it up against a host of Logitech G mice that we have for review at the same time.
Design
The Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed has changed up its design slightly from the outgoing V2. The most noticeable is the change in finish. The V3 Hyperspeed has a smooth untextured finish which they first showed to the world on the DeathAdder V3. The other most noticeable change is the hump which which is slightly higher than the V2. With the single AA battery installed, the V3 Hyperspeed weighs in at 82g which in lightweight terms, is on the heavier side.
Razer says the Viper V3 Hyperspeed is semi-ambidextrous, the semi-part being because of the two thumb buttons that sit on the left side. These thumb buttons have been redesigned to prevent accidental presses. When having the Viper V3 Hyperspeed in hand the most noticeable change is the hump that now has a more rear-orientated peak, which in my opinion, makes it a lot more comfortable for long sessions.
The Viper V3 Hyperspeed has six programmable buttons, the left and right click, two left-side thumb buttons, a centre DPI button, and a clickable scroll wheel. A nifty feature that Razer provides is the ability for you to program the directional scroll of the scroll wheel.
Flipping the Viper V3 Hyperspeed over, you will find the battery compartment which doubles as the USB dongle storage, and a power switch. Something that I did not realize is that there is an “ideal” sensor position depending on which grip style you prefer. The V3 Hyperspeed has its sensor more forward than the V2 and therefore lends itself to be more suited to fingertip grip users.
Looking inside the box of the Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed, the only other items left inside it are the 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle and one AA battery. Razer says a single AA battery should give you 280 hours of play thanks to the lack of RGB.
| Sensor Model | Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor |
| Max Sensitivity | 30,000 DPI |
| Max Speed (IPS) | 750 IPS |
| Max Acceleration | 70G |
| Polling Rates | 4,000 Hz (with HyperPolling Wireless Dongle) / 1,000 Hz / 500 Hz / 250 Hz |
| Programmable Buttons | 6 |
| LED Zones | 0 |
| Cable | N/A |
| Connectivity | 2.4GHz wireless |
| Measurements (L x W x H) | 127.1 x 63.9 x 39.9mm |
| Weight (excluding cable) | 82g |
Performance
The Razer Viper V3 hyperspeed is fitted with the current version of Razer’s Focus Pro 30K optical sensor which provides a maximum sensitivity of 30 000 DPI, maximum sensitivity of 750 IPS and will manage 70G’s of acceleration. It is the same sensor as is fitted to the Viper V2, but why change, it is a very good sensor and has wonderful tracking ability.
The Viper V3 Hyperspeed has been given the Gen-2 mechanical switches which Razer says will last a staggering 60 million clicks. Personally, I preferred the Viper V2 pro which has the Gen-3 optical switches. The differences are quite noticeable but it certainly doesn’t make the Gen-2 mechanical switches bad by any means. The mechanical keys feel stiffer and certainly louder and obviously they are slower than their optical counterparts, but this also reminds you that the Viper V3 Hyperspeed is aimed at a more mid-level gamer whereas the Viper V2 Pro was aimed at a high-level gamer.
Software and Wireless Performance
With recent reviews, I have made a point to see how well mice work straight out of the box, without getting the manufacturer’s software involved and tweaking it. And the Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed does not disappoint in its “stock” form. The Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed uses Razer Synapse 3 software, Synapse 3 allows you to not only remap your buttons and change your DPI steps, it allows you to adjust lift-off and landing distances as well. Asymmetric cut-off allows you to have different cut-off and lift-off distances. Hypershift allows two layers of customization, Razer also allows you to pair multiple devices on a single Hyperspeed dongle.
The Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed has only 2.4GHz wireless connectivity. Hyperspeed provides the industry standard 1 000 Hz polling rate but the Viper V3 Hyperspeed is also compatible with the HyperPolling wireless dongle from Razer which allows for polling rates of up to 4 000 Hz.
Battery life from a single AA battery is said to be around 280 hours, although, it is not very easy to get an accurate measurement of how much power you have left and the only visual representation is a battery icon that will run down, without a percentage. The mouse has only one LED indicator in front of the scroll wheel to indicate whether it is connected to the dongle.
Verdict
The Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed is a not-so-light, lightweight wireless gaming mouse for those who don’t want to fork out a premium price for the flagship mice in the Razer stable but don’t want to go out and buy something super cheap either. There are multiple other options of which some are cheaper and some are slightly more expensive and come with a few more goodies in the box.
But the Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed still manages to maintain the high-quality for which the high-end Razer products are known while cutting away some of the more expensive features of the upper-tier products and keeping what is the most essential. Yes, you can find lighter mice but to find a mixture of comfort and features is tough to find.
special thanks to Apex Interactive for providing the review products
