Razer Debuts Its Lightest Gaming Mouse Ever

Razer announced its lightest gaming mouse today, the Viper Mini Signature Edition. From a report: It only weighs 49g, making it 16 percent lighter than the company's Viper V2 Pro and one of the most lightweight mice we've seen from a large company. The mouse uses a magnesium alloy exoskeleton with a semi-hollow interior (bearing a slight resemblance to the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless). "We wanted to push beyond the traditional honeycomb design, and this required a material with an outstanding strength-to-weight ratio," said Razer's Head of Industrial Design, Charlie Bolton. "After evaluating plastics, carbon fiber and even titanium, we ultimately chose magnesium alloy for its exceptional properties." Razer says the mouse uses its fastest wireless tech and will be among its best-performing wireless mice. Price: $280.

Re:

[DrXym]

I bought a Razer Blackshark v2 headset which is basically a 3.5mm jack headset & microphone that you can use like that. But they have 7.1 surround sound drivers so when I went to install them I had to use an unlock code, download a large driver and the thing wanted me to create an account on their service, sign in and run in the tray continuously. I uninstalled the driver and I'll use it as a stereo headset. At best the driver was bloatware, at worst it was spyware. I won't be buying their products agai

Finally!

[fahrbot-bot]

Mice are sooooo heavy and I get sooooo tired sliding them 1-4" around on my desk. /sarcasm

Besides, you'd think the intended audience would have wrists and forearms strong enough for any mouse. :-)

It only weighs 49g,

I weighed my wired optical mouse blue and it weighs 88 grams, and while theirs weighs 39g less, I'm not sure that difference is worth $280, but to each their own.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

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[iikkakeranen]

It does make a difference in twitch gaming.. First person shooters benefit from a mouse that you can move quickly and with precision. Super-expensive gaming mice are for sure a status symbol though. I played with a cheap Logitech M185 for a long time and it's almost as good as the fancy one I use now. The ergonomics of a magnesium honeycomb shell are a bit better because it's larger so it's more comfortable to hold, without being heavier. But really I just like how it looks.

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[fahrbot-bot]

Thanks, I can get how the lighter material can allow a larger, but not heavier, device that may be easier to grasp/control -- though $280 for a mouse seems like a lot.

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[bn-7bc]

What dies the whight if your mouse have to to with streaming, or does twith gaming not refere to gaming being streamed on twitch? Personally I think twitch picked a rather poo name

Re:Finally!

[Locke2005]

Besides, you'd think the intended audience would have wrists and forearms strong enough for any mouse.

Only on one arm, strangely enough.

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[timeOday]

How many people pay big bucks for a lightweight bicycle even though their main motivation is to get exercise and burn calories, and they view e-assist as a moral abomination?

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[fahrbot-bot]

How many people pay big bucks for a lightweight bicycle even though their main motivation is to get exercise and burn calories, ...

I actually know a guy with a ~ $6k carbon-fiber bicycle, which I can lift with one finger, but he races.

Does it come with weights?

[tlhIngan]

Everyone knows proper gaming mice come with weights to get their feel just right. Granted, the weights let you put them in the right spots so you can adjust the center of gravity of the mouse to just how you like it.

Make the world's lightest mice only to have the users put lead weights in them to make it feel right.

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[nightflameauto]

Sounds like a marketing and sales win-win to me. Sell the most expensive mouse possible, and people need to buy add-ons to make it feel right? Of course, if it's done right there will be specific cut-outs that only properly company branded weights will fit. Make your weights authentic. Only the best will do!

Re: Does it come with weights?

[locopuyo]

No, adding weights to your mouse screams slow, clumsy, bad aim and always has. The lighter the mouse the quicker you can move it. Same goes for friction, the less friction the quicker you can aim. I would never spend that much on a razer mouse though.

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[awwshit]

With the seemingly insane resolution of modern gaming mice, you hardly have to move it at all to begin with.

Re: Does it come with weights?

[locopuyo]

1 inch for the entire screen is exactly what I am talking about. You have garbage aim because all your "precision" is done with only an inch of movement. Compared to someone actually good with a mouse using over a foot.

Razer disappoints

[irving47]

Now if they could just release some mac drivers that can see past a USB-c dock to their own products.... (on a Mac.)

Congratulations you found Magnesium.

[smap77]

That's amazing.

Pray it doesn't catch fire...

[Anonymous Coward]

..burn a nice hole in your desk. But, all the data in the mouse is almost sure to be gone.

Note to self: I mouse catches fire - do NOT put water on it!

Maybe work on some light software now...

[ZeroPly]

I bought a Razer mouse last year on the advice of a younger friend who does some gaming, because I wanted more buttons on the mouse. What it needed:

• - a 120GB bloated software package that's CPU intensive
• - an account created with them so that have my email address
• - regular marketing emails

Razer is a marketing company using a good hardware product to justify insanely bloated software that collects data. Stay the fuck away from them.

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[Misagon]

Razer also has a tradition of using inflated claims in their marketing, such as using their own ways to count things than what is industry standard.

And then there is the cryptocurrency scandal [zdnet.com], Synapse clogging users' Internet connections by calling home too much, leak of customer data [arstechnica.com], and the security scandal [twitter.com] with the installer that when you just plugged in a Razer mouse into any Windows PC, you could open PowerShell running as Administrator.
And the story goes on ...
Friends don't let friends buy Razer.

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[bn-7bc]

Hold on 128GB for a driver an a config utility, may I ask WTH is Razer is up to? Am I missing something? IMHO there is no reason for said package being 1GB if that large, let alone 120GB.

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[ZeroPly]

It's this entire bloated suite which includes something callled Cortex, which is supposed to be a "game booster". I don't need my fucking mouse manufacturer tweaking my system internals, thank you very much. Then there's other software for wallpaper control?! It's a full-on mess, and is Razer seeing how much crapware they can get onto your system under the guise of selling you a mouse.

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[bn-7bc]

oh right the old "bundle the kitchen sink" trick. let me guess, there are also a few trial versions bundled that turns ino super annoying nag ware after a period, I woder what razer gets paied for showeling that shite on itts costumers?

Finally!

[Locke2005]

Finally, a relief for the millions of us totally exhausted from pushing a mouse around all day!

Nevermind... I need the exercise anyway.

Wireless isn't heavier?

[Cinder6]

I'd have assumed that a wireless mouse would weigh more than an equivalent wired mouse due to the battery. Drag from the wire can be minimized by use of a wire bungee (which Razer sells, last I checked).

I mention it because most competitive (or wannabe competitive) gamers I know prefer wired mice, both for the perception of reduced lag and not having to worry about running out of battery during a session.

(To the people mocking the "need" for such a lightweight mouse: Congrats, this isn't for you. Ultra-competitive twitch gamers may notice a difference, however. There's also nothing wrong with just being an enthusiast for this type of thing. If you prefer playing with it, good on you. If you don't, buy something cheaper.)

Re: Wireless isn't heavier?

[locopuyo]

The problem with a wire, even on a Bungie, is that it is an inconsistent resistance.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

I prefer heavier mice

[bloodhawk]

I find lighter mice don't have the right feel and precision when gaming. much prefer the weighted mice for gaming.

For comparison

[Woeful Countenance]

If the new mouse is 49 grams and 16% lighter, that means the previous generation was 58 grams, a difference of 9 grams. For comparison, a typical 150-pound adult male has a hand that weighs (or masses) about 440 grams, or almost a pound. So 9 grams would be a reduction of 2%, based on the weight of the hand, ignoring the forearm. On the other hand, moving a mouse doesn't require moving the entire hand. Would be very slightly interesting to do a double-blind study comparing various mice to find out whether a

Looks uncomfortable

[wildstoo]

Yeah, pass. The skeleton-like design of it with large voids just looks uncomfortable... I mean, of course it's lighter if you remove 50% of the body!