Razer Viper V2 Pro Review

It’s been a while since the Razer Viper Ultimate came out, which was Razer’s first real attempt to crown itself as the king of wireless competitive gaming mice. Since then, the world of gaming (mice) has been evolving quite a bit, and so it was only a matter of time before people started speculating about Razer’s flagship wireless mouse and its successor. That speculation only got more intense as leaks started appearing all over the internet, and that all resulted in what we believe is the most leaked major product release in recent memory, so much so that Razer representatives were making jokes about it on social media.

Today it’s finally officially here: the Razer Viper V2 Pro. Razer has given their wildly successful Viper the ultralight treatment, along with another bunch of other interesting upgrades, and so the competition for the best wireless gaming mouse continues.

Is the Viper V2 Pro a worthy contender in this battle, or is it too little too late? Find out everything you need to know in our Full Razer Viper V2 Pro review!

At A Glance

Razer Viper V2 Pro

Used by 59 players (Apr, 2024)

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Staff’s Choice

Pro’s Choice

All in all, the Razer Viper V2 Pro is an impressive release, and if you’re looking for a very lightweight wireless ambidextrous mouse you should take a look at this one. It’s packed full of exciting tech, performs flawlessly, and it feels rock solid despite weighing less than a tennis ball.

Lars

4.5 of 5

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Pros

• Grip tape included
• Lightweight
• Gen 3 optical switches feel and perform great
• Flawless wireless performance
• Removed right side buttons make for a more consistent grip, but makes the mouse unusable for lefties
• Capable of 4KHz polling rate in wireless mode (with separate dongle)

Cons

• A bit too much post travel on the main buttons
• High price
• Loses the dock functionality that the V1 had
• 4KHz polling rate not achievable out of the box (you need a separate dongle)

Specs

Sensor	Focus Pro 30K
DPI	50-30000, in steps of 50
Polling Rate	125 / 250 / 500 / 1000 / 4000 Hz
Button Switches	Razer Optical
Button Force	75g
Connection	Wireless
Shape	Ambidextrous
Length	12.57cm
Height	3.77cm
Weight	59g
Width	6.14cm

Usage Over Time In The Pro Scene

First Impressions

One thing that I immediately noticed about the V2 is that there’s no more dock, and that he V2 also isn’t compatible with the Razer charging dock. That was one of the things that I absolutely loved about the Razer Viper Ultimate, so I’m a bit sad to see that it’s gone. Of course I can live without it (and given the fact that the V2 has a battery life of around 80 ingame hours it’s not as if I’m going to have to be charging it very often) and Razer has said that most people were in favor of removing it if that meant having the mouse be a lower weight so all in all I’m not too miffed about this change.

A change that does annoy me somewhat is that there’s nowhere to store the USB receiver on the mouse itself. You could do that with the Viper Ultimate, so it’s not as if Razer had to invent some new tech or designs in order to make this happen, and given the fact that these receivers are so small (and so important; no receiver is no wireless gaming) it’s nice to know that your receiver is safely tucked away inside your mouse if you’re traveling to a LAN or what have you.

Another thing that has been changed after community feedback are the side grips: these rubberized portions of the mouse are now completely gone, but as a compromise Razer have added grip tapes to the packaging for people who want some additional grip. The side buttons on the right have also been removed, making this newest version of the Viper V2 no longer a truly ambidextrous mouse. Under the hood we’ve also seen some changes, but I will talk more about those (and expand on some of the aforementioned changes where necessary) further down in the review.

The Viper may have seen some changes, but at its core it’s still the same product: it’s a gaming mouse aimed at competitive gamers who don’t want to make any compromises when it comes to their aim. This is also evident by the lack of RGB. Its predecessor still had a small RGB element, here that’s all gone and replaced by a printed Razer logo.

Packaging

Inside the box of the Viper V2 Pro you’ll get the mouse, the usual documentation, some custom cut grip tape (for the main buttons and the sides), the USB receiver, a charging cable, and an extension piece that allows you to put the receiver closer to your mousepad. You can also find some Razer stickers hidden within the manual.

I do think that it’s a bit of a shame that Razer hasn’t included a pair of replacement mouse feet. Given the popularity of this line of mice I expect aftermarket feet to be made pretty much from the moment it officially releases, but for a mouse that’s this focused on hardcore gamers I think it would’ve been a nice extra if there was a pair of replacement gliders in the packaging.

Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet

The Viper V2 Pro has the exact same shape as its predecessor. This means that it’s a flat and rather long feeling ambidextrous mouse with similarities to the ZOWIE FK (and its various clones such as the Glorious Model O and the likes). Something that’s also a bit of a trademark here are the very pronounced comfort grooves on the main buttons. I don’t really have an opinion on those (I am mostly neutral about comfort grooves) but if you’re someone who dislike them it’s good to know that they’re noticeable on this mouse.

All in all, this is a very safe shape, provided you’re not someone who wants to feel their palm get filled; you will have to look elsewhere for that. There is the fact that the mouse gets a tad wider at the back (more so than what you see on some other, more egg-shapes ambidextrous mice) but the very gradual slope at the back combined with the low height of the Viper V2 pro means that you won’t find a lot of palm support unless you’ve got really small hands.

I myself prefer a bit of palm contact (I have 18×10.5 cm hands, and I use a claw grip) so the shape isn’t necessarily for me, but of course it doesn’t have to be: there isn’t a mouse out there that suits every single person, and even though it’s not my preferred type of shape I managed to use the Viper V2 Pro just fine thanks to its safe shape and natural feeling curves.

The coating is matte and feels slightly grainier than what I experienced with the Viper Ultimate, and I really like it. My hands get moderately sweaty when gaming and I didn’t have any issues with grip or the surface of the mouse becoming nasty during my testing. I also tested out the included grips, and while I honestly prefer the integrated rubber sides of the Viper Ultimate over these grip stickers if I had to choose between ‘grip elements’, I do also know that a lot of people simply don’t like rubber side grips, and I feel like this is probably the next best option. People who want those rubber grips can apply these (they’re relatively thin, so they don’t change the shape of the mouse too much) and people who don’t want them can just keep ’em in the box. I myself am not a fan of the feeling of grip tape at all (it’s either integrated grips or no grips for me) so I left them off in the end, but it’s good to see that the option is there.

The side grips are also reusable, though you of course won’t be able to reuse them indefinitely. I put them on and subsequently took them off a bunch of times and I managed to reapply them without any problem pretty much every single time, and there was also no sticky residue that got left behind. They do use an adhesive though, and that will wear out after a while, so don’t expect to stick ’em on and tear ’em off dozens of times.

On the bottom of the mouse are four mouse skates (sensor ring included) and these glide just fine. Their speed falls somewhere in that ‘medium speed’ category for me and they’re nicely rounded, providing a pleasant gliding experience straight out of the box. Do note that these feet aren’t the same as on the Viper Ultimate, so don’t go out and order a pair of aftermarket skates meant for the Viper Ultimate: those won’t fit. All in all the Viper V2 Pro glides nicely and without any issues on all of the surfaces that I tested it on.

Recommended Grip Styles

I’ve already mentioned it earlier on in my review, but I wouldn’t recommend the Viper V2 Pro for palm-dominant grippers unless you have really small hands. Other than that I can see this mouse being used by pretty much all grip types thanks to the safe shape, so long as you don’t want a filled palm. Do note that this is a rather long feeling mouse: if you want something small and nimble this may not be it for you.

As always I want to add a little disclaimer: this section is merely a guideline. Us reviewers don’t know your preferences, so these grip/size guidelines are to be taken with a grain of salt. Use them as a baseline to determine whether or not a shape is right for you.

Buttons and Scroll Wheel

Whereas a lot of gaming mouse manufacturers are switching over to switches like the Kailh GM 8.0, Razer is still using their own Razer Optical switches. These were first introduced in the Viper Ultimate, and while those first iterations of the Razer Opticals would be eviscerated these days it has to be said that Razer has made some real progress with these. They’re still not as snappy or crispy as something like a Kailh HM 8.0 but they’re absolutely not something you can call mushy or subpar feeling. You get a pleasant actuation feeling that perhaps sounds a little bit hollow but feels as it should, if you ask me.

These Gen 3 optical switches feel miles better than what I experienced with the first two generations, and while you’re making some trades when it comes to click feeling you do get a lot in return: these switches won’t double click and they offer the lowest click latency in the business. They also last longer than traditional mechanical switches. Worthy tradeoffs if you ask me, though I should say that I am someone who isn’t super particular about how a click feels as long as it’s implemented nicely.

The clicks are implemented decently, but not perfectly. On the right main click there is some post click travel along with some sideways travel that can get annoying, and I really notice it while using the mouse normally too. The left mouse button has the same issues but to a much smaller extent, meaning that I don’t notice that when gaming. Still, it’s a bit disappointing to see on a top tier mouse (both when it comes to specs as well as price) such as this one. The clicks could’ve been a bit tighter, and side play is a no-no if you ask me.

The side buttons, then, are nearly perfect. They’re a little bit mushy upon actuation (but not in a very annoying way: most side buttons have this problem where there’s a bit of a difference between the main clicks and the side buttons) but there is virtually no post- or pre travel present on either of the side buttons and I also love how thin they are so that they stay out of the way unless you need them. They’re conveniently located and easily distinguishable so that I can just roll my thumb over the button that I need to press. That’s also something that they changed: they made the side buttons easier to tell apart by making them protrude more. Mission accomplished.

The scroll wheel is rather tactile but it doesn’t make a whole lot of noise. If you’re spamming the wheel while trying to bungee jump you will hear the steps but it’s not as if you’re going to be annoying a roommate with your scrolling, which is nice. I don’t mind tactility in a scroll wheel (though there is a limit of course) but I dislike loud wheels, so for me this is a great wheel. The middle mouse button is also easy enough to press and it actuates with a reassuring click upon doing so.

Quality and Cable

The Viper V2 Pro is about as solid as a mouse can be. Shaking or tapping it doesn’t reveal any sort of rattling or noise, and applying pressure on the shell did not cause it to budge even once. For a mouse that’s this light, that is some impressive engineering.

The USB-C charging cable that comes with the mouse is not extremely flexible but it can definitely be used while using the mouse if you happen to forget to charge it. The connection port also doesn’t have any proprietary bits and pieces to it so you can also use other USB-C cables. The connector part is a bit long and narrow though, so not every cable will fit, but that’s fine as it ensures that your cable won’t suddenly disconnect when you’re doing a large swipe while charging and using the V2 Pro. I used a variety of USB-C cables and most of them worked just fine, so I don’t expect many people to have an issue using aftermarket cables.

Sensor and Everyday Performance

Inside the Razer V2 Pro is the brand new Focus Pro 30K Optical sensor. Sensors these days are all flawless so don’t expect any big performance upgrades when switching from the Viper Ultimate (which had the already flawless Focus+ Optical) to the V2, though you can obviously rest assured that your every move will be translated to the game with pixel perfect precision. During my testing I saw no signs of sensor malfunction or DPI deviation, so this new 3395 seems to be yet another addition to the list of flawless mice sensors. One interesting little tidbit: this sensor goes to a whopping 30000 DPI. That’s way more than anyone will ever need, but I guess no harm is done by making sensors that go higher and higher.

Other improvements come in the form of it offering more granular control over the LOD and Asymmetric Cut-off  as well as having improved tracking speed and all of that. As I said before: sensors have come to the point where pretty much all sensors used by reputable manufacturers are flawless. That doesn’t mean that companies have to stop innovating, but don’t expect to see any huge performance increases when switching from the Viper Ultimate to the V2 Pro, for example. Unless if you’re using a glass mousepad: this new sensor tracks perfectly on all sorts of glass pads (as long as they’re thicker than 2mm) according to Razer.

The Viper V2 is remarkably stripped down. It even only has one button on the bottom that both controls the power and the DPI level in order to save on weight. This means that you can use the mouse straight out of the box, but if you want to do a bunch of configuring you can always download Razer’s Synapse software. There you can adjust the polling rate, set the LOD, rebind buttons, and do things such as configure when the mouse goes to sleep after a period of inactivity. This is all clearly laid out and very easy to understand, and aside from the fact that Razer’s Synapse software is a rather heavy piece of kit I don’t really have any issues with it. It has really gotten a lot better over the years if you ask me.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Razer’s wireless performance is pretty much flawless. This isn’t their first rodeo when it comes to wireless mice and if you’re looking to cut the cord you can be sure that the Viper V2 Pro is going to serve you well without any kind of lag or connection dropouts. The battery life of 80 ingame hours is also massively impressive. Battery life on top tier wireless mice has gotten to the point where you can get away with charging it for a night every once in a while in case you remember it, and that’s nice to see.

Razer Viper V2 Pro Review – Conclusion

The Razer Viper V2 Pro is without a doubt a version of the Viper that’s ready for the year 2022 (and beyond). It’s packing some impressive specs such as a new sensor and Razer’s Gen 3 optical switches, and all of that is bundled in a lightweight package. The weight savings are impressive, but in order to achieve that they did have to cut some corners. The dock is gone (and if you have an old Razer dock you won’t be able to use it with this mouse) and so are the side buttons on the right side, as well as the RGB. By popular request, Razer has also removed the rubber side grips, but these do make an appearance in the form of included grip tape. All of this makes the Viper V2 Pro feel more like a stripped-down sports car that’s made to break track records rather than a kind of mix between a luxury limousine and a sports car that I felt the Viper Ultimate was. Whether you think that’s a good evolution or not will depend on your preferences.

Much like with most products it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. On my copy, the right main button has too much post travel and sideways travel, for example, an issue that’s also present with the left button to a lesser extent. And then there’s the price. The Viper V2 Pro is very much priced at the top end of the spectrum when it comes to gaming mice. If you’ve got the money and you want to get a mouse that’s on the cutting edge of today’s mouse technology then the Viper V2 Pro is the one for you, but otherwise there are other viable alternatives to consider if you’re in the market for a wireless mouse, doubly so if you consider the fact that Razer had to cut some features in order to achieve this weight.

All in all, the Razer Viper V2 Pro is an impressive release, and if you’re looking for a very lightweight wireless ambidextrous mouse you should take a look at this one. It’s packed full of exciting tech, performs flawlessly, and it feels rock solid despite weighing less than a tennis ball. You will have to pay a price for all of this cutting edge tech, but if you’ve got the cash and you’re looking for a top tier esports mouse the Viper V2 Pro will not disappoint.

4.5 of 5

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Lars

Reviews, Community, FPS

Former semi-pro gamer turned writer, product reviewer, and community manager.