As I said in the intro the Viper Miniactually feels a bit different in my hands than the OG Viper. That’s due to the fact that it’s a couple of millimeters higher and because of the hump feeling a little less gradual than what the regular Viper offers because they had to make it shorter. This gives the mouse a bit more of that ‘egg’ feeling as opposed to the pretty flat sensation that I got from the OG. Despite its size, the Viper Mini offers a fantastic gaming experience. With its 61g weight and wired connection, it offers something light with no latency whatsoever. I also have noticed that the dull ache of wrist fatigue, which I used to get after long hours of work or cowardly skulking in the bushes of Tarkov with a basic mouse, have not happened in a long time, and I fully credit the ergonomics of the Viper Mini with that, because otherwise my setup is identical. I am also glad this didn't come with a removeable tray of small weights to change around. I found those to be completely useless in 2 previous mice, and I am glad the trend is moving toward lightweight. While it’s not specifically aimed at office use – marketed much more towards the gaming side of things – the Viper Mini is also well-placed during long office hours, with its compact size making it a decent little travel mouse. Despite having only two lighting zones (the logo and small strip on the mouse’s underside), the Viper Mini certainly doesn’t disappoint in the lighting department, featuring Razer’s excellent Chroma RGB.

The Chroma system also allows for connection to other devices such as the Philips Hue home lights, letting you 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 and implemented very well. Should you buy it? Born to push the very limits of ultra-lightweight gaming, the Razer Viper Mini takes up a smaller form that remains just as big in performance. Shortening its length and grip width, we’ve worked with enthusiasts and esports athletes to hone its design even further, ensuring that absolute control now belongs in the hands of more gamers—so take hold of our leanest and lightest gaming mouse yet. In a nutshell: are there sensors out there that are superior to this one? Theoretically, yes. Razer’s own Focus+ and 5G sensors come to mind, for example. In practice this sensor will be perfectly fine for 99% of people though, so I wouldn’t get too hung up on the ‘downgraded’ sensor. The only thing that’s noticeably different when using the mouse is the slightly higher LOD. With 16.8 million colors and a range of dynamic lighting effects you can program or create from the ground up via Razer Synapse 3, the Razer Viper Mini displays no shortage of character and personality as part of your battle station. What’s more, the Viper Mini comes with Razer’s optical switches, meaning you’re not compromised on performance. Optical switches use light, as opposed to traditional mechanisms, giving you a generally faster performance and a bigger competitive advantage.Name aside, the Viper Mini is small but still bigger than your average laptop mouse, so you shouldn’t be too worried about the overall size. It’s a close match to the Logitech G305, for example, but sat next to the original Razer Viper, it’s clear at a glance that Razer has slimmed the mouse down across every dimension. It’s a full half-inch narrower in the center of its hourglass shape, a third of an inch shorter, and just a touch lower at the palm. Razer recommends the mouse for palm and claw grips and it’s easy to see why. It may not look like much on paper, but it definitely feels much smaller in the hand. The Viper Mini also appears to be one of the first Razer mice to use a 8500 DPI sensor, which makes a change from the zany 20,000 DPI sensors featured on the likes of the Basilisk Ultimate or DeathAdder V2. With the sheer lightness of the Viper Mini in mind, 8500 DPI is absolutely plenty – it’s already sensitive enough and works perfectly. Some of the best things in life are mini: the Mini Cooper, Cadbury’s Mini Eggs and Dr Evil’s Mini-Me just to name a few. Gaming-peripheral brand Razer has clearly caught on after launching the Viper Mini.

We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update simplifies our Weight test and expands on our CPI test from Test Bench 1.1, resulting in changes to test results in both sections. For more details, you can see our complete changelog here.

Customer reviews

That said, the Viper Mini might just be a little too small for some people’s hands, and its two lighting zones may not be enough for those who like a flashy light show. The people at Razer really seem to have shifted up a gear or two when it comes to the products that they bring out, both when it comes to specs and overall design, and that’s extremely refreshing to see from a company that’s had a bit of reputation for releasing ‘form over function’ products in the past. I’m not here to comment on that reputation, but I think we can all see how much the enthusiast community is loving this new path that Razer is taking. I am too. Synapse will also let you customize your RGB illumination, but the options are expectedly limited. Razer has several different presets as well as the full 16.8 million color spectrum to easily match the theme of your rig, but since the lighting is hidden when you’re actually using the mouse, it’s not a huge consideration.

Performance and GamingGaming with a Mini mouse takes some getting used to – at least if you’re a palm-gripper like I tend to be. Thankfully, my grip is a hybrid between palm and claw, so I was able to adapt after a day of gaming. If you do use a palm grip, you’ll find your ring and pinky fingers dragging along the right side. In general, though, you get performance that feels near-identical to the full-sized Vipers. Obviously this mouse isn’t going to be the one for people who have shovels for hands, but thanks to the pretty safe shape it should suit a wide variety of grip types. We've added a link to the newly-reviewed Razer Cobra Pro in the Wireless Versatility section of this review.

Customer Reviews

The ambidextrous chassis has shaved off more weight, so you can enjoy even swifter swipes, yet remains as durable and solid as ever. Recommended for gamers with small to medium hand sizes, this ultra-lightweight gaming mouse is best suited for those who favor claw or fingertip grip styles. We've added a link to the newly-reviewed Razer Viper V3 HyperSpeed in the Hand Size Recommendation section of this review.