Polling rate isn’t the only thing boosted on the Viper 8K Hz. Even if you ignore the high polling rate, this is a high-specced rat, thanks to Razer’s homegrown Focus+ optical sensor. Although in introducing this mouse Razer is saying demonstratively and literally that it thinks a high polling rate enhances the gaming experience more than high CPI, the Viper 8K Hz still goes up to 20,000 CPI. The sensor is also specced to handle velocities of up to 650 IPS and 50g of acceleration. That’s an upgrade from the original Viper, which uses the Razer 5G optical sensor (16,000 CPI / 450 IPS / 50g) but matches the pricier wireless Viper Ultimate’s specs. But unless you game at the highest CPI (most don’t) or move your mouse with super aggression, you probably would’ve been fine with the 5G. Oh, and just another side note. I know that I wrote a lot – but I’m a professional in the tech field, however, I really, really enjoy studying this stuff in my free time just for some fun (and being that I’m an avid gamer, all of my information is based upon things that I’ve discovered to be facts through my research). I just wanted to include that because nobody ever believes in what I write nowadays and they often state that it’s all lies and/or marketing crap…when the truth is, it isn’t lol. Doing the usual testing (shaking, squeezing, tapping) reveals that this is built really well. Nothing felt loose or annoying, and even when I applied as much pressure as I could the shell did not budge. This is one really nicely built product. Obviously I cannot comment on the actual durability (I don’t test these products for years) but from what I can tell there’s no need to worry. That’s fine with me but for a mouse that’s so laser-focused on top tier competitive gamers I always like to see a set of additional mouse feet in the box. As per usual the omission of this set won’t influence my opinion on the mouse, but it’s a bit of a missed opportunity if you ask me. Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet In addition to beefier specs, the Focus+ also has some high-end features. But to be honest, there’s a good chance you’ll never notice them.

Razer Viper 8K – Design and FeaturesThe Razer Viper 8K feels like an old friend — and it should. There are virtually no differences between the original Razer Viper and the Viper 8K I’m reviewing today. That’s a very good thing, as the original Razer Viper is one of my favorite mice ever. It’s also good because the original Viper is being phased out and replaced with this upgraded version at no extra cost. It’s a medium-sized ultralight mouse (71 grams) that works well whether you’re a palm, claw, or fingertip gripped gamer. That versatility even extends to being a righty or lefty thanks to its 8-button ambidextrous design. That emphasis on peak performance is mirrored by the grips on each side. Made up of tiny rubber hexagons, they stop the mouse from flying out of your grip during a particularly intense match. On much the same note, the DPI button has been relegated to the device's underside in an attempt to avoid accidental presses.With a polling rate of 8kHz in CSGO I had extreme stuttering. The game was lagging moving the mouse. The issue was even more extreme using a VOIP application (Teamspeak or Discord). The Sensor Latency test was mistakenly performed with the polling rate set to 1000Hz. We've retested the Sensor Latency with the mouse correctly set to 8000Hz. In conclusion I’d say that unless you’re a Viper (wired) user looking for a new mouse I wouldn’t recommend rushing out to the store to buy a new one. A lot of factors come into play when it comes to aiming, and unless your aim is already nearly perfect and you’re playing at the very highest of levels where every percentage point matters it’s not a massive game changer. Cool new technology? Yes. Would be good to have standard on every mouse in a couple of years? Also yes. Would I be able to tell which one is 8KHz and which one is 1KHz in a blind test? Probably not. Is it mandatory for competitive gamers? No. Razer Viper 8KHz Review – Conclusion With all this in mind, 8K strikes me as a very forward thinking technology. Not all games or systems are ready for it and only very high refresh rate monitors are likely to see a big boost in performance. In my reading, I came across a number of gamers who claimed they could feel a noticeable improvement at 240 and 360Hz. I can’t say the same, but I’ve also never found microstuttering to be an issue at 144Hz. If you have, this mouse might be the answer.

the liftoff distance. this is the number one win for steelseries. they had a liftoff distance as low as .5 mm lift off distance which I absolutely loved. the lowest for this mouse is 2 mm. so lifting and lowering there is mouse jottering I'm not a fan of but overall not a big issue. big win for steelseries here. Of course, when it comes to input lag there are other factors at work besides the mouse's individual latency. The overall amount of time it takes for my mouse input to appear on screen not only depends on the mouse, but also how long my CPU and GPU take to process it, as well as the screen. I have decent specs here, but the lowest latency results possible would require something like a desktop RTX 3090, along with a 360 Hz monitor. since this is ambidextrous, theres 4 total side buttons, one set on each side. Coming from a mouse with 3 side buttons and the way I had things mapped, I assumed I would be able to map all 4 buttons. wrong. the buttons are M4/M5 on each side. you have to choose if you are right or left handed in the app and that sets which side is being used and how they're numbered. kind of a bummer here but this is a personal issue not necessarily reflective of razer. coming from more to less is situational. I would just like that extra personalization.

If you do use Synapse, you can store an limited number of profiles, including with RGB settings, usable with the software open, and every profile will be able to launch automatically with specific games or other apps. To find that out I did a number of things: I of course used it as my main mouse during my testing, but I also went into a bunch of different programs (KovaaK’s, CS:GO training maps, Valorant’s training range, …) to compare it with the Razer Viper Ultimate that I have lying around. Considering the fact that shape, weight, and so on are also very important for performance I found it best to compare it to another mouse with the same shape instead of any random mouse (or my main mouse). I did some ‘scientific’ testing in the games that I used (where I compared how many targets I hit within a certain timeframe, or how long it took me to kill X targets, or just my test scores) and found that I indeed performed better with the 8KHz. After all was said and done I did around 2% better with the 8KHz compared to the Viper Ultimate, when I counted all of my tests together. Bear in mind that none of this was very scientific, so of course I also used it for normal games and deathmatches. That 8,000Hz polling rate makes a tremendous difference in-game, too. Weapon movement is noticeably crisper in the likes of Apex Legends, and this allowed me to pull off precision shots with much more ease. I actually set up a 1K Hz mouse alongside the 8K, and it felt weirdly choppy by comparison. It was still fine in the grand scheme of things, but I only realized how much cursor stutter affects performance when I was hopping from one device to the other. It feels as if you're fighting with those older mice, whereas the 8K removes barriers you may not have realized were there in the first place.

so far, it's been about 2 weeks. this mouse is ultra light to me coming from a steelseries rival 600. the steelseries was slightly over 100 grams so it's almost 30 gram difference. this weighing in at 74. I didn't really expect it to affect my or even be noticeable. boy was I wrong. instantly lighter and the feet on this mouse glide so smoothly.After a restart to apply this change, I did a new the Polling Rate test with the mouse configured in 8kHz, the results are perfect now: For testing, I also set the laptop to use its discrete GPU only and put the CPU and GPU on boost modes in the laptop’s Synapse software to further fight latency. 8,000 Hz Polling Rate Testing With 8,000 Hz, I saw an improvement in my 300 Hz screen’s ability to show me the location of my mouse. Input lag tested slightly lower than 1,000-Hz mice, and my reaction time seemingly increased by a few milliseconds. How much you’ll notice this when gaming will depend on your skill level and how sharp your eye is. As always I’d like to conclude this section with a disclaimer: I don’t know you, so I don’t know your preferences. You might have smaller hands and love large mice, or you might prefer super flat mice even with a palm grip. Always take these ‘grip and size recommendation’ portions by us reviewers with a grain of salt, as everyone is different. Buttons and Scroll Wheel