Razer Synapse 3
While Razer has a veritable plethora of software applications to go with their diverse hardware offerings, the Razer Viper Mini only needs Razer Synapse 3 for configuration.
Razer Synapse 3 allows for the assignment of just about any imaginable function to any mouse button. As shown below, the customization options run deep, and including the ability to set a button to ‘Turbo’ where the bound function may be set to execute between one and twenty times.
The performance tab is home to the sensitivity and polling rate adjustments. The Razer Viper Mini allows for up to five sensitivity presets ranging from 200dpi to the rated 8500dpi, while the polling rate may be adjusted between 125Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz. Note also that multiple profiles may be used and switched between, and that these may also be synced to a Razer account. Also on this tab is a handy shortcut to the Windows Mouse Properties.
Last for the Razer Viper Mini in Synapse 3 is the lighting tab. Razer Synapse 3 provides five quick effects for the Viper Mini which apply to both the Razer Chroma™ RGB Underglow and the RGB illuminated Razer logo on the back of the mouse. Users may also choose colors from a forty swatch color pallette, and additionally, may assign up to sixteen custom colors using the built-in color picker, RGB values, or a six-digit hex color code.
Razer also includes options for turning the RGB lighting off completely, fading the intensity of the illumination, along with toggles for turning the lighting off when the display is turned off as well as an idle toggle that can be set between one and fifteen minutes. There’s also an Advanced Effects button for use with Razer’s separate Chroma Studio.
The last Synapse 3 tab for Razer mice involves surface calibrations. There are quite a few calibrations available for Razer’s own gaming surfaces and an option to run a calibration routine on one’s own non-Razer surface. Be warned here, though: the Razer Viper Mini is quite well-tuned out of the box and any adjustments are likely to negatively affect that tuning!
Razer Chroma
Finally, under the upper Connect tab, Chroma Connect can be enabled and synchronized with supporting third-party RGB control software, as seen below with ASRock and G.Skill connectors for a motherboard with RGB lighting zones and RGB memory, respectively. Razer Chroma Connect boasts an impressive number of connectable devices both inside the computer and out. For those looking to wrangle a wide variety of programmable illumination devices under one control scheme, Razer’s Chroma ecosystem is a good place to start.
Conclusion
Today we took a look at Razer’s latest ultralight wired gaming mouse, the Razer Viper Mini. The Razer Viper Mini has an MSRP of US$39.99, putting it on the lower end of the pricing spectrum, and for the duration of our review has been available for US$29.99 at Best Buy and Amazon. Frankly, this is a steal for a high-performance ultralight gaming mouse. At just US$39.99 MSRP or US$29.99 on sale, the Viper Mini brings a high level of quality at an extremely affordable price.
Generously sized PTFE feet, surprisingly crisp optical switches and an easy-to-grip shell all in an ultralight body with no rattle and no give help the Viper Mini punches well above its weight. The reasons not to pick up Razer’s Viper Mini are, in our opinion, reduced to not including the very best sensor Razer makes or their updated optical switches, or that it isn’t wireless – or perhaps that the mouse isn’t the preferred shape, size, or weight. It certainly won’t be a fault of the mouse itself.
FPS Gaming
Razer is no stranger to gaming, and the Viper series is their love letter to FPS gamers. Lightweight, solidly built, with great ergonomics and all the features that FPS gamers need, it’s a home run for the company, with the Viper Mini bringing Razer’s lightest, most compact entry yet.
General Use
When rating a gaming mouse for desktop use outside of gaming, one of the main things to note is not how good a mouse is for spreadsheets and the like – but whether or not a focus on gaming performance inhibits desktop use.
With the typical six-button layout common to most gaming mouse entries, the Razer Viper Mini doesn’t stand out as being overly more or less suited for desktop work than the typical Dell, HP, or Lenovo OEM mouse, which makes it a perfect gaming upgrade for those used to such mice.
Final Points
With its MSRP, and especially its sales price, one would expect there to be some limitation or less than a perfectly executed feature that holds back the Razer Viper Mini. After several weeks of use in games and on the desktop, digging through Razer’s software and switching between the Viper Mini and other mice, we couldn’t find one.
If you need a new mouse for gaming, especially something flickable for twitchier FPS games, the Razer Viper Mini should be at the top of your list. For the combination of quality and value, Razer’s Viper Mini earns The FPS Review’s Gold Award.
Discussion
