There are many standard mice that, although produced by different manufacturers, have the same shapes and features, but rely on slight changes in color or sensor characteristics to distinguish them from them. So when Razer today announced the Viper Mini Signature Edition (SE), a wireless mouse that looks like you forgot to dress up, we took notice.
The Viper Mini SE uses a magnesium alloy “exoskeleton”as Razer describes it. Lines of dark gray are drawn across the entire area of the mouse’s palm, creating a web-like pattern and large gaping holes. Razer takes an extreme approach to honeycomb design that drills holes into the mouse body to reduce weight. However, a typical honeycomb mouse like the Glorious Model I has many more smaller holes, while the Viper Mini SE has holes so big it looks like you could poke your finger through them.
At first glance, I was immediately concerned about the durability of the mouse. Despite Razer’s claims, I still think I’m more likely to break a mouse with 18 holes than one without. Large holes can also attract dust and debris, but larger holes should make the mouse easier to clean with a blower than a honeycomb mouse with more smaller holes.
Razer kindly gives the mouse a three-year warranty, which is one more year than usual. We’d love to read reviews and years of experience with the Viper Mini SE to see how it performs, especially among power users like gamers who tend to use their mice aggressively.
From the point of view of a half-full glass, the cavernous mouse could help keep the hand on top of it cool. With less contact between the user’s hand and the electronics, as well as more airflow, users may find their hands do not clench as easily during long hours of intense use. However, Razer didn’t go as far as putting a cooling fan in the mouse like Marsback’s Zephyr did.
With large holes, the Viper Mini SE is Razer’s lightest mouse yet. It’s 1.73 ounces, about 30 percent lighter than the Vipe r Mini (2.15 ounces) with the same form factor and almost identical dimensions. However, it’s still not the lightest mouse out there. For example, the Cooler Master MM720 also weighs 0.11 pounds, while Finalmouse sold mice weighing only 1.48 ounces.
Given the resulting weight savings, it would be nice if Razer added buttons to the right side of the mouse so it could be truly ambidextrous, like the Razer Viper Ultimate.
Razer used magnesium alloy for the mouse because it had a preferred “strength to weight ratio”. Plastic, he said, was less durable with drilled holes and had comparably minimal weight savings. And titanium, despite being light, strong and strong, had production limitations. Finally, manufacturing constraints, as well as being heavier than plastic, prevented Razer from making the Viper Mini SE out of carbon fiber.
According to a Razer press release, the mouse is “made from an injection-molded exoskeleton, which is then CNC machined and polished. The exoskeleton shell is then passivated to reduce any susceptibility to corrosion, after which it is painted and assembled. At each stage, each unit is carefully checked…”
The Razer Viper Mini SE is aimed at gamers who are looking for a mouse that is as easy to move around the table as possible. But a lightweight, high-res mouse (up to 30,000dpi in the case of the Viper Mini SE) may also appeal to users of ever-higher-resolution monitors and multi-screen settings, or those who find their hand or hand get tired while using the mouse.
If you are looking for a lot of chassis for your money, this is not it. The wireless peripheral will cost a whopping $280 when it debuts on February 11th.