Razer Viper V3 Pro review: FINALLY a Viper that will be a daily driver in my mouse rotation
After so many iterations, Razer finally got the shape right, apparently with the help of professional gamers.
The Razer Viper V3 Pro is Razer's latest iteration of their signature symmetrical mouse line. But they have finally changed what was super polarising with the previous versions of the Viper - its shape.
Introducing a departure from the flat, almost no-hump design of its predecessors, the Viper V3 Pro offers a more ergonomic shape with the addition of the hump that improves grip and comfort.
One could say that it is a symmetrical version of the Deathadder V3 Pro.
In my Viper V2 Pro review, I stated that the mouse is pretty flawless in terms of its internals and specs. The only thing that stopped me from attempting to use it as a daily driver is its flat shape.
The Razer Viper V3 Pro specifications
Similar to the V2 Pro, the V3 Pro supports a high polling rate.
However, with the V3 Pro, there is no need for a separate dongle purchase. The inclusion of Razer's Hyperpolling Wireless Dongle in the box supports up to an 8000Hz polling rate.
Its sensor is also an upgraded version of the Viper V2 Pro's, the Focus Pro 35K Optical Sensor Gen-2.
Trying to research for this part yielded no results; it may be a new or modified sensor by Pixart.
It's also pretty lightweight for a medium to big sized mouse, at 55 grams.
What I like about the Viper V3 Pro is its mouse clicks. While they may not have the same switch crispiness found in models like the Logitech G Pro X Wireless 2 or Razer's earlier optical mouse switches, they offer a muted yet distinct feedback.
It's akin to experiencing the satisfying crispness of a click without the reverberating sound typically felt at the bottom of the mouse shell.
As mentioned earlier, the Viper V3 Pro includes a Hyperpolling Wireless Dongle in the box, and is also white to match the colour of the mouse.
It also comes with a USB-C cable, mouse grips and some Razer stickers, as usual.
However, one minor gripe I had was the inclusion of black mouse grips for a white-coloured mouse.
Why would you include black mouse grips for a white coloured mouse, when all the other included peripherals are matching the white of the main product?
After using the mice for a week or so, I found that the battery life at a 4000Hz polling rate is actually pretty great. On paper, Razer says that the Viper V3 Pro can last up to 95 hours at 1000Hz, 62 hours at 2000Hz, 40 hours at 4000Hz, and 17 hours at 8000Hz.
I have used the mouse from a full 100 per cent charge at 4000Hz for the past seven days, at about six to eight hours a day, and it still retains a 35 per cent charge at the time of this writing.
And that is even without using one of its main features: the ability to tune its polling rate based on the applications that are open on your PC.
You can set the Viper V3 Pro to ramp up its polling rate based on the games you open and play. Once you close the game or application, the mouse defaults to a lower polling rate to save battery.
Like the V2 Pro, it's a great mouse internally, and I have not encountered any glaring issues with it. It's responsive, does what you need it to do and is a great buy if you like the shape.
The Viper V3 Pro's shape: The main course
The main thing that Razer really changed with the mouse is its shape.
Gone is the flat shape that you can find in its previous iterations like the Viper Ultimate and Viper V2 Pro. It is now sporting the shape that was present on the Viper V3 Hyperspeed (yes, it's a different mouse).
There is now a substantial hump in the middle of the mouse, which provides much more support for your palm. It is a very similar hump present in the G Pro X Superlight and also the Deathadder V3 Pro.
Because of this hump as well, the sides of the mouse are much easier to grip. It gives you a lot of space for your fingers to grab the sides, while the high hump supports the palm much more than its previous iterations.
It's akin to gripping a ball.
This shape undoubtedly is more ergonomic for claw-grippers and palm-grippers.
Conclusion
Is there anything I don't like about this mouse?
No. None at all. In fact, I may even use the Viper V3 Pro as my daily driver from now on because of how good it is, especially its shape.
Actually, I do have a major problem with this mouse. And this problem is present on any Razer product.
Synapse needs to burn in the depths of hell.
When I started reviewing Razer peripherals a good seven years ago, Synapse had one of the worst user experiences of any gaming product. Up till today, I still don't find any joy in connecting my Razer products to it. It feels like Synapse had been stuck in time.
I have no idea why it needs to hog so much RAM on the PC and take up so much installation space just to configure some simple settings on a mouse. Yet, even after all these years, it is still an unstable mess.
Yes, it crashes very often, even on the latest and greatest PCs. What's worse is that when it crashes, it takes out all peripherals currently connected and being operated by Synapse.
But that is the only gripe I have with an almost-perfect mouse.
You can now purchase the Razer Viper V3 Pro on Razer's website and from all authorised resellers.
Dominic loves tech and games. When he is not busy watercooling his computer parts, he does some pro wrestling.
