What you need to know
- Razer today launched the Viper, a mouse built with esports pros to focus on speed.
- This is the first Razer mouse t use optical switches, making it more responsive and increasing durability to 70 million clicks.
- The Razer Viper is available now for $80.
Razer has a new mouse on the block, and it's focused on being fast as possible. The Razer Viper is the company's first to use optical switches, which the company says amp up its responsiveness and drability. It's also pretty light at 69 grams (2.43 ounces) and features an ambidextrous design.
The big deal here is the move to optical swiches. According to Razer, its optical mouse switches "offer three times the actuation speed" when compared to mechanical switches. With mechanical switches, mice use a metal contact to send signals, which can create a bounce effect that can create extra signals being sent. Your PC has to filter these signals out with a bounce delay, which has the side effect of slowing response times.
With optical switches, Razer has moved to using an infrared beam that sends a signal with every click, resulting in an instant response time. Ultimately, that means and evn better experience for fast-twitch games, which is particularly important to the esports crowd. As another benefit, the optical switches arealso more durable, with Razer rating them at up to 70 million clicks.
Outside of its responsiveness, Razer built the Viper without a skeletal shell, helping to make it the compny's lightest wired mouse. And speaking of that wire, it's shrouded in a low-drag material to keep things speedy. The mouse also sports Razer's 16,000 DPI 5G optical sensor and eight programmable buttons.
We've spent some time with the Viper and came away pretty impressed. Check out our full review for more on Razer's latest mouse. If you're interested in picking one up, the Razer Viper is now available globally at Razer's website for $80.
The Viper is Razer's first mouse to use optical switches, which increase the response to your clicks and durability. At 69 grams, it's pretty light too, making it perfect for fast-twitch games.
Portable (and affordable) power accessories we love
Each and every one of these charging gadgets will keep your favorite gear and gadgets going for longer, and none of them costs more than $30.
VisionTek 8,000 mAh micro-USB power bank ($13 at Dell)
This compact dual-output powerbank can speedily recharge any and all your devices, thanks to a two-amp "fast charge feature," using its micro-USB out port. Its simple design includes an LED indicator, and it costs about as much as a single ticket to the movies.
Panasonic eneloop AA batteries (From $13 at Dell)
Panasonic's rechargeable batteries are among the best available, and just a couple of them will keep your favorite remote, mice or other peripherals powered up when you need them. They're also eco. And the company's affordable charger fits and charges both AA and AAA batteries at the same time.
Belkin Qi Wireless Charging Pad ($30 at Dell)
This unobtrusive Qi wireless charging pad looks good (and kind of like a UFO …) and easily charges all your Qi-compatible device up to 5W. Its LED indicator lights up when you're charging. And it costs just $30.
