Inside the Viper

  Cracking the Viper open was very simple. Remove the one screw from the undercarriage, and slide the top half of the enclosure back to expose the inner workings of the Viper.

   The original Razer Boomslang developed a bad reputation by many due to defects and less than stellar engineering in some aspects. However, the Boomslang was developed as a very complicated mouse by a relatively small company with limited stress testing capabilities. Upon lifting the hood on this bad boy, one can clearly see that the simplistic theme was continued in the inner workings of the Viper. From my observations, the engineering appears to be faultless. This is no doubt accomplished by Razer relegating to a simpler, optical design.

  Above is a view of the Viper shell. I included the images just in case some of you were curious as to what the interior shell looks like.

Impression

  Just for the record, this is my impression of the Viper. During tests, I used the fUnc sUrface 1030. Mileage definitely may vary between different users, mouse pads, and styles. I hate to spoil the ending, but I had a very good impression of the Razer. You may not. But you more than likely will. Also, if you're not that great of a gamer, odds are you still won't be after you purchase the Viper. Getting good takes practice, however using and practicing with the Viper could possibly help. That's not a guarantee of course, because some people are naturally bad at games.

  Because I've been using an old Razer Boomslang for the past few years, any mouse would feel different. The Boomslang has such a unique design that it would take many hours to get accustomed to another mouse. So, I spent as much time as I could gaming, surfing, and playing solitaire with the Viper. I'm even using the Viper right now. The result? I adjusted to it the first day or two of use. Another few days passed and I found myself very fond of the Viper.

  The optical sensor tracked flawlessly, the buttons and mouse wheel never malfunctioned, and it moved very smoothly across the mousing surface. The large button design worked very well for me. Because the buttons extend from the front to just past the mid section of the mouse, users can hold and operate the Viper in different positions. One may hold and operate the Viper with their fingertips, or with a full hand grip. During intermittent operations, such as typing, it's much easier to use the fingertip grip to make or word bold or other simple, short operations. However, while in game, a full hand grip would provide for better stability and more precise motions.

  Button and wheel operation typically isn't an issue with mice, however because I've had malfunctions of this sort with other mice, I thought I should give the Viper's button and wheel characteristics a mention. The pressure required for clicking is just right. Not too hard, and not too soft. I'd like for the wheel to be just a little more resistant to movement, however it's not weak enough to be an issue or hinder use. As for the number of buttons, I'd like more. Using a five button mouse sort of spoiled me I suppose. Three buttons (including the wheel button) are barely sufficient in my opinion.

  Finally, the thing that usually turns me away from other optical mice is weight. The Boomslang is a very heavy mouse because of its size and metal ball. I could never get used to any optical mouse because they were so light. I was afraid this would be an issue with the Viper, but fortunately it wasn't. It feels heavier than most optical mice, but not nearly the weight of the Boomslang, which was fine for me.

Bonus!

  With the purchase of any Razer mouse comes along the Razer LAN-Pak. This may be used to transport mice safely to LANs or other destinations.

  Basically, it's a foam-padded pouch with elastic bands to secure a mouse inside. On the back there's a loop to secure the pouch on a backpack strap or even on your belt buckle. Though I highly recommend you do not wear the mouse pouch on your belt in public for obvious reasons.

Conclusion

  Overall, I liked the mouse. I could find very little criticism worth mentioning. In fact, my only complaint is the number of buttons. Three buttons are enough, I guess. But why only three? It's a gaming mouse, buttons should be in abundance. Aside from that, just about everything else is as good as or better than what I expected.

  The Viper may not be for everyone. If in doubt, I'd recommend trying one out before purchase. At $50, it is an expensive mouse. But one must remember that it's not just any mouse. It's a purpose specific mouse, made for gaming. For being a Razer, $50 is relatively inexpensive. For the semi-serious gamer, the Viper is a good value. I'd highly recommend at least giving the Razer Viper a try.

  In closing, I'd like to thank Robert Krakoff at Razer for providing the Viper mouse for review. Again, it's very good to see Razer back and developing new products. For more information on Razer and how to purchase a Viper, visit www.RazerZone.com.