Razer Viper 8K Review

An unmatched combo of 20,000 DPI sensor and 8000Hz polling rate mean that you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more complete esports package than the Viper 8K. In addition, that 71g weight makes it ideal for competitive gaming, although the ability to customise it physically gives Razer the edge over the competition.

With the introduction of the Razer Viper 8K gaming mouse, Razer looks to be kickstarting a polling rate battle with other manufacturers, as opposed to the more traditional DPI conflicts that have been the focal point of mouse development for many years.

Razer’s Viper 8K brings with it the landmark innovation of an 8000Hz polling rate that trumps the competition. And along with its Focus+ 20,000 DPI sensor and lightweight 71g design, it might just be the best gaming mouse for esports yet.

Price and availability

The Viper 8K, even with its raft of incredible features, doesn’t actually cost an arm and a leg. With an RRP of £79.99/$79.99, it stacks up well against rivals from Logitech, Corsair and more.

It’s available from most outlets and can actually be found on Amazon at the time of writing for an incredible £52. You’d be silly not to pick it up at that price.

Design

• Sturdy plastic construction
• Properly ambidextrous
• Comfortable, with rubber side grips

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more comfortable gaming mouse to hold than the Viper 8K, thanks to its contoured shape and robust plastic and rubber material combo. This makes it an ideal companion in long gaming sessions, and perfect for a hard day’s work too.

What’s more, the 71g weight ensured it didn’t feel like I was lugging around a brick in my hand; the Viper 8K has to be one of the lightest mice I’ve ever used, and the performance benefits it offers really do become clear once you get the hang of it.

Its buttons feel nice and firm, and placement is largely sensible. The Viper 8KHz is ambidextrous, too, not only featuring a symmetrical design, but also easy-to-reach buttons on both sides of the mouse upon which you thumb can rest. This is a big deal, with some rival units providing buttons only on the right, which are of little use to left-handers.

I do have one minor issue when it comes to button placement, however. The button to cycle through the five stages of different DPIs isn’t all that intuitive, having been placed on the underside of the Viper 8K. To some, this may look like a good decision, given the fact it now prevents the ability to accidentally mishit the button when you’re in the heat of battle.

However, as someone who welcomes any convenient measures to make the user experience better, Razer appears to have taken a step backwards with this decision. In addition, it would have been nice to see the ability to make the mouse either wider or heavier with some physical customisation options to create the ultimate esports package.

For a mouse designed with esports gaming in mind, it’s hardly surprising that the Viper 8K’s ability to glide is utterly sublime. Thanks to its PTFE pads on the bottom, the Viper 8K won’t feel clunky through big swipes across the surface and will move with little effort.

Performance

• 20,000 DPI sensor ensures you’re esports-ready
• 8000Hz polling is unlike any of the competition
• 71g weight makes for nimble gaming

Given its monstrous feature set, the Viper 8K is one of the most powerful mice on the market that also provides one of most well-rounded gaming experiences I’ve had in a long time.

That combo of Razer’s tried-and-tested 20,000 DPI Focus+ sensor and its zany 8000Hz polling rate guarantee you’re always ahead of the competition. It’s great for classic esports titles such as Apex Legends and CS:GO, ensuring the best angles on enemies and lining up the important shots right.

In short, a higher polling rate on a gaming mouse results in more fluid tracking across the screen. This comes as a result of the mouse reporting inputs to the computer at a higher frequency (hence the measure of Hz), which should allow for a much more stable experience – and which can be vital to gain a competitive advantage.

However, to really take advantage of the higher polling rate, you’ll need a monitor with a higher refresh rate. The Viper 8K is designed to be used with the best equipment out there, especially since it’s meant for the pros. If you have a monitor above a 144Hz refresh rate, then you should be able to feel the difference.

Furthermore, since this is a mouse built with speed and power in mind, the fact it makes use of Razer’s second-generation optical switches is also a big plus. These are designed to work at the speed of light, which means they should be faster than your more traditional mechanical switches. This may only amount to an incremental increase to us normal folk, but to the pros, it can make all the difference.

The Razer Viper 8K has a wired connection, too, ensuring no latency issues and therefore making it a truly complete esports package.

Software and lighting

• Synapse 3 unlocks all of the Viper’s potential
• Chroma provides rather bright lighting
• Only the one lighting zone

As with plenty of other mice in the company’s ever-growing portfolio, Razer has once again delivered on the lighting and software side with the Viper 8K. Despite having just the one lighting zone, Razer’s Chroma lighting remains as bright and sharp as it always has.

The Chroma system also allows for connection to other devices, such as the Phillips Hue home lights and Amazon Alexa-enabled devices, meaning you can build your RGB kingdom beyond your office or bedroom. The ability to tie the lighting with a whole host of other devices is a really cool idea.

However, it’s with Synapse 3 that the fun begins. While there exists the option to fiddle with the lighting presets until your heart’s content, with everything from colour spectrum cycles to odd audio visualisers, it’s on the functionality side where things really pick up. It’s here that you can engage the Viper 8K to be a purely left-handed mouse, or utilise Razer’s Hypershift to add a second layer of programming ability.

You can even calibrate the mouse to any surface, with plenty of presets for Razer mouse mats to ensure your mouse is tracking as best it can, giving you the best chance of winning in those high-intensity battles.

Conclusion

If a truly competitive performance is your main priority when buying a gaming mouse, then the Razer Viper 8K is the absolute best option. Its spec sheet is unrivalled, with a 20,000 DPI and 8000Hz polling rate ensuring it’s the speediest and most responsive mouse on the market. Plus, the wired connection ensures there’s no latency holding you back.

That all said, if you’d rather have the convenience of a wireless connection than a best-in-class esports performance, then you’re better off looking at alternatives such as the similarly priced Logitech G502 Lightspeed. It’s also worth pointing out that you’ll need a monitor with at least a 144Hz refresh rate in order to reap the benefits of the Razer Viper 8K’s 8000Hz polling rate, so you may as well get a cheaper alternative if you’re still stuck on a 60Hz display.

You should buy it if…

• You’re looking for a mouse with raw power
  Thanks to its 8000Hz polling rate and 20,000 DPI sensor, you’re unlikely to find many alternative gaming mice with a similar performance level. For those gamers out there who want something powerful, the Viper 8K is perfect.

• You’ve got a high refresh rate monitor
  To truly take advantage of the power that the Viper 8K offers, a higher refresh rate monitor will make it possible to see and feel the difference.

• You like a simple RGB setup
  Given the fact it has only one RGB lighting zone, this is a great mouse for the lighting minimalist. Sometimes having multiple zones can look increasingly garish and with a back-to-basics approach, the Viper 8K works for those who just want some simple lighting.

You should not buy it if…

• You want full cosmetic customisation
  Despite it being ambidextrous, there’s no way of making the Viper 8K a purely right or left-handed mouse, or making it wider thanks to a lack of physical customisation options. Unfortunately, there are no additional weights, either. Other mice for this price, from Logitech for instance, will offer you the ability to fiddle with its outside until your heart’s content.

• You want something with a bit more freedom
  Since this is a wired mouse, the Viper 8K isn’t the best option for those craving wireless freedom. There’s a myriad of wireless mice on the market at roughly similar prices, although they might not provide the Viper 8K’s level of oomph.

• You’re on a tight budget
  Although the £79.99 price is more affordable than some other mice out there, those on a tighter budget will find plenty of options with the casual gamers in mind; these may not offer the same feature set, but will include plenty for a lower price.