-Razer Viper Mini is a slightly smaller and more affordable version of the very popular Viper which makes it a great budget-friendly option. However, it’s extremely lightweight design and high level of performance also makes it an excellent option for competitive gamers that are looking for that slight edge.
The Good
- Exceptional 61g lightweight design
- Â High-precision sensor
- Â Very comfortable ambidextrous design
- Â A lot of value for your buck
The Bad
- Might be too small for people with very large hands
The Razer Viper Mini might have been initially intended as a more affordable version of the Viper but it is quite honestly one of my favorite competitive options on today’s market. The 61g ambidextreous design of the Viper Mini makes every quick swipes and clutch plays a lot easier. It runs smoothly over all surfaces and the weight just makes it feel completely seamless to move around.
The size could potentially be a problem for some people. I would not recommend getting the Mini version of the Viper if you consider your hands to be on the larger end, but the design is still great for medium and small-sized hands. It is not ideal for palm grip but works well if you use a fingertip or claw grip.
In terms of performance, the optical sensor is precise, quick, and reliable. While I was surprised to see that it was not equipped with the Focus+, I will admit I was pleasantly surprised with the Mini’s sensor. It does not offer the same ridiculous top-end settings as the Focus+ sensor, but let us be honest, no one needs 20.000 DPI.
Design: Light as a feather, quick as a Viper
The Razer Viper Mini uses a fully ambidextrous design that will serve you whether you play with your right or left hand. The design is thin, slick, and the mouse is very comfortable to play with. The Razer Viper Ultimate is the mouse that got me to swap out my Logitech G Pro Wireless for the first time, which is no small feat, and I am still using the Viper Ultimate to this day as my primary mouse. Needless to say, I love the ambidextrous design of the Viper, and in some ways, the Viper Mini is even better.
The Viper Mini is 13 grams lighter than the already lightweight Viper Ultimate, weighing in at only 61g there are very few gaming mice that can compare. If you have never played with a lightweight mouse before, it might be hard to understand, but it makes a massive difference in your ability to make quick flicks and clutch plays.
Once you go lightweight, you never go back, and the Viper Mini’s 61g design combined with the virtually weightless Speedflex cable makes it such a joy to move around. There is almost zero resistance when sliding it around on your mouse pad, and this effortlessness allows you to make much quicker plays than you would be with a regular gaming mouse.
Light, but not cheap
What impressed me the most is how Razer managed to create this 61g mouse while still maintaining a good amount of quality feels to it. Most ultra-lightweight mice feel very cheap and fragile in their build, but the Viper Mini doesn’t seem any less qualitative than the regular Viper or Ultimate version. Which is why the price point is so impressive.
The Viper Mini is one hell of a bargain.
Performance: A lot of bang for your buck
Considering the price tag of the Viper Mini, I was not expecting too much, but I was very pleasantly surprised.
One of the significant differences between the regular Viper and the Viper Mini is that the Mini does not have an extremely powerful Focus+ Sensor. However, the only noticeable difference between the two is in terms of top-end performance. The Focus+ can go as high as 20.000 DPI and 50G acceleration, whereas the Viper Mini maxes out at 8500 DPI and 35G.
Let us start with the dots-per-inch(DPI). You will never need 20.000 or anything remotely close to it. In fact, you will likely never need anything above 8500, no matter how much of a gaming prodigy you might think you are. Having 20.000 DPI is mostly a way for gaming companies to impress people who are not familiar with how DPI works, and I doubt anyone reading this will ever go above 5000 DPI.
Acceleration is another matter, though. 50G is exceptional, especially considering the Focus+’ incredible accuracy, and it does help you make quick, decisive plays, but for most casual gamers, the difference will be unnoticeable. 35G acceleration is still extremely quick for a mouse of this price range, and it is enough to play most games at the highest level.
That said, if you are a top-tier Counter-Strike player, I would recommend a more expensive option with more acceleration power as it can be the difference between life and death when you play at that level. However, if you are anything but a high-end semi-professional FPS gamer, then I doubt you will feel any real difference.
Powerful budget performance
It might not have the Focus+ sensor, but it is still an incredibly precise and effective mouse. It blows most other mice in its price range out of the water, and the 61g design gives it an even further edge over its competitors.
If you are on a budget but want an ambidextrous mouse that will allow you to perform at a very high level, then I would recommend the Viper Mini before any other mouse.
Customization
Like most other Razer mice, it is fully compatible with Razer Synapse that allows you to customize the mouse to enhance your experience further. I will admit that Razer Synapse is far from my favorite peripheral software, but it gets the job done.
It has onboard memory so you can save a personal profile with customized key-bindings, specific RGB lighting, and sensitivity settings. The Viper Mini is also fully compatible with Razer Chroma, which will allow you to adjust the light on it to any color or even synchronize it with other Razer products.
Final Thoughts
Razer is not usually the brand to make incredible value-for-money products, but the Viper Mini is a wonderful exception. Very few mice that cost less than 40 bucks can compete with it in terms of performance, quality, or design.
