Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsNear perfect top-tier mouse
Reviewed in Singapore on 29 December 2020
This is my review after using the viper ultimate for about a year - coming from a Logitech G703 previously. I pay a lot of attention to tiny details about mice and my perspective is from that of a heavy competitive mouse user.
Mouse buttons/Clicks: 8.5/10
One thing I particularly hated with mice I’ve used in the past is the fact that they all use mechanical switches, which eventually start showing double-click issues due to debounce and wear and tear. The VU will no longer have that problem (supposedly) as it uses optical switches.
The trade off is that the buttons feel less crisp, like there is some post-travel after the click. Also, not sure if this is a common issue but my mouse buttons seem to be ‘grinding’ on the plastic shell of the VU and you can hear a sound of it when you depress the button slowly (not an issue when clicking normally)
Scroll Wheel: 8/10
Nothing much to say about the scroll wheel. It functions as it should. It’s not as great as a SteelSeries Rival 610, but it doesn’t feel as rigid between steps like the original DeathAdder I have used in the past. One thing I have noticed is that it ‘rattles’ a bit more when scrolling up than down but I’m guessing it’s just a wear and tear issue.
Shape & Body: 9/10
It’s an ambidextrous mouse and is fairly low in height. The ‘bump’ on the mouse is slightly towards the center-back of the mouse. I mainly use palm and claw grip about 60/40% of the time respectively and have no issues with the shape. The ambidextrous shape also didn’t give me any issues gripping the mouse as there is a rubberized surface on the sides. Grip is entirely preference-based so go with what you think is suitable for you. There is a small tear in the rubber grip but that is due to me putting a lot of force and accidentally cutting it while cleaning. Also, I am right handed and the side buttons on my ring/pinky finger side have never once been accidentally pressed.
Tracking & Weight: 10/10
These are the things the VU excels at. The tracking is as expected from a top tier mouse with one of the best sensors. No issues even after playing countless hours on FPS games (I play on a low sens so I do a lot of mouse movement). The weight is incredibly light as well. Coming from a G703 which weighs at around 90-100g, the weight difference was immediately noticeable and your wrist/arm will thank you for less fatigue over longer gaming sessions.
Charging dock: 7/10
This is one of the add-ons that the VU is actually pretty neat to have. The fact that you can seamlessly place it on the dock to start charging after use is so handy when you don’t have to fiddle with cables into a small jack on the mouse. The dock is also angled and makes the VU appear aesthetic when charging, almost like a display piece similar to the Mamba Wireless.
A major drawback of this is the two charging pins on the dock that lose connectivity over time. Apparently, this is a common issue all VU users encounter where the dock seemingly stops charging the mouse. After playing around with it, it appears that the connectivity is greatly affected by dust on both the mouse and the dock pins. Cleaning the pins and the holes on the VU proved to work, but there are also ‘sweet spots’ where you can position your mouse (usually towards the front of the dock) that it begins to charge. If you don’t mind doing some maintenance to your mouse than this shouldn’t be an issue.
The dock does however come with some rgb that can be useful for displaying battery levels when in use.
Additional note:
I know many people dislike the Synapse software from Razer (I personally don’t really care too much), but you’d be glad to know that the VU has onboard memory. This means that you can set up the mouse on Synapse before uninstalling it and you can use your mouse like a typical Plug and Play device.
Overall: 9/10
The VU is honestly the best mouse I have used so far. It is near perfect for casual and competitive use especially if you can work around/overlook the issues mentioned above. One of the top tier mice right now and I would highly recommend it to anyone, even with so many lightweight wireless (and wired) mice that are on the market in the recent year and a half. I’ve used the VU for almost a year now and actually see myself using it for quite a long time to come.
