Razer Viper V4 Pro review: A complete win

Design

• Very light frame
• Thicker plastics are used for stronger build quality
• Small button layout

The fit and finish of the Viper V4 Pro is somewhat different from the similar DeathAdder model, with some high-quality plastics used that make this mouse feel solid and bulky in the hand – a nice touch given how cheap some lightweight mice can feel.

Being a Viper, this is a different situation to the ergonomic DeathAdder, this mouse line is traditionally Razer’s most competitive, ambidextrous choice, a la Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 and its derivatives. This makes it more suitable for finger and claw grips, in theory, although I had no problem holding my normal palm with this mouse – it’s very comfortable.

The 50g weight makes this very light, and easily one of the lightest you can find in its range of high power options. It makes it 11g lighter than the Superstrike, which I think is remarkable enough, especially for the pro players this stick is aimed at. If you choose the black one, it also shaves another gram to 49g.

Like the DeathAdder V4 Pro, the Viper V4 Pro has seen an internal reconstruction compared to its predecessor, which is why the weight has been cut a smidgen with things like strong side walls and the use of sustainable materials that also make the shell of this mouse 90% made of PCR.

The button layout here is reasonable, with two main ones and a visible scroll wheel at the top (itself transplanted from the DeathAdder V4 Pro), and two side buttons on the left, as well as DPI and power switches below.

The underside is also home to some large PTFE skates, which help this mouse to glide smoothly, and mean tracking is easy. On the front, you’ll find a USB-C port for wired and charging.

Working

• Beefy 50,000 DPI sensor
• It is very responsive to games
• It has significantly improved battery life over competitors

Razer has gone all out on the inside of the Viper V4 Pro in an attempt to compete with Logitech’s Superstrike, packing everything and kitchen sink into this stick.

For example, we have a brand new Focus Pro 50K (Gen 3) sensor with up to 50,000 DPI sensitivity that is incredibly accurate and zippy in my testing, and it feels like one of the best sensors I’ve ever used in my Counter-Strike 2 testing.

Admittedly, 50,000 DPI feels particularly jittery in most situations, but with fast arm movements and rotations, I can see why it’s useful. I used to stick mostly to the 1600 to 3200 DPI range for casual CS2 gaming and office use, respectively, and the Viper V4 Pro still felt zippy.

Combine this with both the virtual scroll wheel that they say is more reliable and more accurate than its predecessor and the new flavor of the HyperSpeed ​​wireless connection​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

True 8000Hz wireless polling adds the Viper V4 Pro to the growing, but exclusive, club of wireless gaming mice that offer this feature. It can help with general response to input and movement as the mouse reports its position more often than a ‘standard’ gaming mouse which can average 1000Hz, which translates to lower latency, and more fluid movement. For mere mortals, it can be hard to tell the difference, but it’s really useful for pro-grade players.

In addition, there are improvements to the optical switches inside, this Razer benefits from new Gen 4 switches designed from the ground up for better responsiveness and easier operation than before for snappier inputs. They were incredibly clicky and a little on the loud side, but very responsive in keeping with everything else the Viper V4 Pro has to offer.

Razer has also benefited greatly from the endurance of this mouse, reaching 180 hours of operation time with 1000Hz polling selected, which puts it at 30 hours more than the DeathAdder V4 Pro and 90 hours offered by the Superstrike twice. Step up to a full 8000Hz polling, and the runtime drops to 45 hours. It may be lower, but it’s a huge improvement over 20 hours or so from the competition.

Software and lighting

• Extensive software configuration in Synapse 4
• There is no RGB lighting to speak of

Normally, the software section is where I would add the caveat of Razer’s popular Synapse software, although with the Viper V4 Pro, things have changed a bit.

This stick supports Razer’s new Synapse 4, which feels much lighter and more responsive than previous versions. It offers easy ways for things like remapping buttons and adjusting DPI up to five levels and a polling rate up to 8000Hz, as well as more advanced features such as position measurement, angle offset and a new sensitivity mode in the form of mouse acceleration.

There’s also the option of Synapse Web, which provides a web-based UI that works in a browser, and takes back some features, but it’s an alternative if you can’t install the software on a PC, but still want some customization – useful for eSports tournaments that are typically played on closed PCs.

As is common for ultralight gaming mice, you won’t find any bright RGB lighting with this Viper V4 Pro either, in the name of battery saving and bad looks.

Should you buy it?