Razer Viper V2 Pro Review – A Lightweight Mouse for eSport Gaming

Razer has come up with its new model in the Viper series – the Viper V2 Pro. Like its predecessors, the Viper ultimate, the latest iteration by Razer delivers for what it promises. Built for eSports gamers in mind, the design makes gaming smooth and easier. Though the grips and side buttons have been optimized, it still needs a few improvements that I was expecting from this Viper series. 

On the major downside, you’ve to sacrifice for the RGB fascination because the RGB has been remvoed from this model to make it lighter and comfortable. Apart from that, I’ve seen improvements in its battery life, mouse switches and sensor as compared to the previous models. And, to make this gaming mouse even more appealing, multiple innovative features have been introduced in Razer Synapse software.

Ideally everything seems perfect and fine about the Viper V2 Pro from performance and design point of view, although there are some downsides, which obviously every hardware has, the Viper V2 Pro is ultimately the best gaming mouse for Fortnite, and can be used as the best drag clicking mouse, or a fingertip mouse due to its unique lightweight shape.

Specifications Of Viper V2 Pro

Design And Features of Viper V2 Pro

Considering its appearance, it is much like the Viper Ultimate Wireless excluding the RGB lighting which this model is lacking. It seems the color has been picked from the DeathAdder series. Like said earlier, the RGB lighting and a few buttons have been skipped to make it feel lighter and comfortable in use.

With only two buttons on the right side, and removing the other two from the left side, the mouse is now lacking its ambidextrous shape. Apart from that, the bottom space for the 2.4GHz dongle has been abandoned and is now replaced with an adapter to hold the USB-dongle. The surprising part is that the VIper V2 comes with a button located underneath which serves dual functions of adjusting 30K DPI and as a power button.

Sadly, the mouse lacks built-in grips on its sides, but this feature has also been replaced with different pieces of grip tape available in the box to customize the mouse according to your own taste. Among those grips include two bigger grips for each side, and two smaller grips. After adjusting the grips the mouse resembled a batman shape. I really liked it while using it for Overwatch, and Apex Legends. I felt that the grips are really worth adding due to extra comfort and higher grip. 

However, the plastic build is really annoying, and the rubber grips peel off very soon. Plus, at the start, the mouse gives off a foul smell of rubber tyres and the grips become slippery and sweaty which made me rub my hands with a towel to keep the mouse in proper positions. Yet, the good part is that after continuous use for a few hours, the smell went away.

I feel that the missing part of Viper V2 Pro is the ergonomics due to the poorly built grips, and plastic build that doesn’t let the mouse remain stable and secure in the hands. On the other hand, its predecessor, DeathAdder V2 comes equipped with quite premium grips that are easy to hold and provide greater level of ergonomics. 

The 1.49 inches height is what makes it a good mouse for gamers with small hands, or a perfect companion for those who like palm grip mice. But gamers with big hands looking for a claw grip mouse should avoid using this mouse due to its small shape and less height. In terms of weight, 16g has been reduced and the total weight of Viper V2 Pro is kept at 58g. While its featherlight design makes it best for eSport gamers, the mouse is not too good to be used for routine work. 

Like other optical mice, the Viper V2 Pro comes with an LED indicator below the wheel to indicate the status of the mouse. The good part is that the LED blinks red twice repeatedly when the battery level reaches below %5. Once it is plugged in for charging, the light changes colors from orange to yellow and then the green color light indicates that the battery is now fully charged. Apart from that, the LED lighting also changes between different DPI levels like that: Red: 400 DPI, Green: 800 DPI, Blue: 1600 DPI and so on. (See, What is mouse DPI, and how to check mouse DPI on windows 10?)

Performance And Use Of Viper V2 Pro

Although the Viper V2 Pro comes equipped with USB-C to USB-A cable to charge, you can connect it wirelessly using its 2.4GHz USB-A dongle. The programmable buttons in Viper V2 Pro have been reduced to seven, while its predecessor Viper ultimate has eight buttons and the first Viper 8K has ten buttons. The best part is that the Razer has enhanced the 5G Advanced optical sensor to 70G sensor which is quite impressive improvement. 

As per Razer claims the Viper boasts as the first gaming mouse to track precisely on glass. Though the claim is yet to be proved, the good thing is that, in my experience, the mouse tracked accurately on any surface without a problem or performance lags. I even used it on bedsheets and rough cloths, and on every surface the mouse performed flawlessly.

The Viper V2 Pro features the Gen 3 optical switches which are the best switches promising 20 million more clicks than its predecessors. The switches give a tactile feel and are comparatively larger to prevent any accidental misclick. 

While testing it on Fortnite and Battlefield V, I felt that every click was actually triggered precisely and no such shot was missed because the tactile feel and comfortable grip allowed me to have full control over its buttons. Apart from that, the scroll wheel was also quite impressive and delivered the greater level of tactile feel than offered by the DeathAdder V2. Switching the weapons in Fortnite and Battlefield V was fast and seamless due to smooth movement of the scroll wheel. 

Objectively, I got everything from the mouse which a first class gamer would crave from a high end gaming mouse, from snappy movements to responsive clicks. I never experienced misclicks or microstutters in my case. Subjectively, although the mouse has customizable DPI from 100 to 25000, the 6400 DPI of the mouse was pretty much good to run in most of the cases.

While testing it, what I found was that the 6400 DPI of this mouse lets you make precise movements all over the place, but you can’t focus or aim accurately. However, the selection of DPI is subjective, and you can customize it according to your liking and game requirements. 

The left-side buttons of the Viper V2 Pro are very sensitive. I agree the higher sensitivity is useful for most of the case especially in esport competitions, the high level of sensitivity is also the reason for the accidental misclicks of these side buttons. So, you’ll need some time to get used to them. These side buttons are thin and easy to click, whereas the DeathAdder comes with comparatively tough and large side buttons requiring more force to confirm inputs.

The lightweight design has both positives and negatives. On the positive side, the mouse delivers faster movements in-game. On the negative side, the lightweight hinders its use effectively on a regular basis. So, if you are a gamer looking for a fast responsive mouse with high DPI count, the Viper V2 Pro is what you need for your gaming needs, but you need to look for alternatives if you need a bulky mouse with some weight and built-in grips.

Battery Performance of Viper V2 Pro

To reduce the weight even further, Razer has put in a lighter battery, which can be appreciated. But, in my opinion, the better thing is the 80 hours of battery life which is 10 hours than Viper V1. Though this is much better than the previous version, the SteelSeries Aerox at $100 offers 200 hours of battery life. So, right here, you have to miss the best of the best battery life, in this price range, when compared to the competitors. The only thing here to notice is the low weight battery to produce as higher cost. So, improvements are needed in Razer V2 Pro if you need a wireless gaming mouse with best battery life.

Razer Viper V2 Pro – Software

To use the mouse at its full potential and to gain all the features, you’ll need to install the Razer Synapse 3 software. The software has been improved a lot from its first version and new features and bugs improvements have been made to use it conveniently. The Hypershift function lets you use the mouse conveniently by making shortcuts to use dual functions of the seven programmable buttons.

Besides, you’ll need Synapse 3 to enable Hyperspeed multi-device pairing. This feature ensures a stable connection wireless connectivity and improves latency for higher performance.

The Synapse 3 also has a performance tab for V2 Pro to change DPI by using any of the five buttons that you choose in the settings. Changing the polling rate from default 1000Hz to any of your choice can also be done from the same settings tab. Apart from that there are multiple onboard settings which you can use to make the mouse customizable and convenient as per your liking. 

For calibration and to use it on multiple surfaces, the Synapse 3 has a special tab that allows you to adjust the tracking distance of the optical sensor. To cut story short, the mouse is completely customizable and lets you adjust sensitivity, polling rate, tracking distance, lift and landing sensitivity. Then comes a power tab to customize the mouse for power-saving, sleep time when it is idle for some time. Even more than that, the low-power mode automatically enters the power saving mode when the battery reaches a specific level that you’ve set. 

Testing Takeaways

Finally, the Razer Viper V2 Pro is the best choice for gaming purposes. From its use for esports gaming to the strategy or FPS gaming, the mouse won’t disappoint you in any case. Since the mouse is built for gamers in mind, I recommend using it for gaming only to notice reasonable improvements in your gameplay and to get the real benefits that the mouse offers. 

Bear in mind, this mouse isn’t recommended for practical use. For those not in competition and need a best ergonomic mouse for regular use, this might not be the option they are looking for. If you need an all-purpose gaming mouse that can serve all the needs other than gaming, the DeathAdder V2 can be the right choice you should look for. The second downside is the plastic build in an expensive price tag. Though the separate grips are good to go, they are comparatively cheaper and wear away after some time of continuous use.