Lately, whenever Razer has introduced a new or modified shape, the onus to do so fell to a Pro series model, such as the Cobra Pro or DeathAdder V3 Pro, with battery-driven Hyperspeed models potentially following at a later point. The Viper V3 Hyperspeed marks an exception to this, as it does debut the new Viper V3 shape, despite not being the Pro model. At the same, the level of execution on the Hyperspeed is good enough to bridge the gap to a potential Pro quite easily.

The Viper V3 Hyperspeed differs from most other Hyperspeed mice in that it retains the same sensor typically reserved for the Pro series models, namely Razer's latest Focus Pro 30K. Performance is accordingly excellent, with some minor caveats: CPI deviation is a bit higher than it should be, albeit easily adjusted for nonetheless. In addition, what I like to call "shift" behavior, whereby at a random point within the motion motion delay is increased by a single interval, and which has been seen on previous releases such as the Viper V2 Pro or DeathAdder V3 Pro as well, is present on the Viper V3 Hyperspeed, too. Other than that, general tracking is great, polling stable, and wireless motion delay at 1600 CPI relative to the Logitech G403 (control subject) is just 0.5 ms, which is excellent. The same applies to click latency, which sits at no more than 1.1 ms, about on par with the Cobra Pro or DeathAdder V3 Pro, and far ahead of previous Hyperspeed mice.

What really sets the Viper V3 Hyperspeed apart in this regard while elevating performance to a different level is its support for Razer's HyperPolling Wireless Dongle. Previously, this was exclusive to Pro series mice such as the Viper V2 Pro or DeathAdder V3 Pro, which, after pairing to the dongle, could support wireless polling rates of up to 4000 Hz. Through a recent update, this has been upped to 8000 Hz, which had only been possible on the $279.99 Viper Mini Signature Edition before. Set to 8000 Hz, motion delay is lowered by roughly 1 ms, bringing the Viper V3 Hyperspeed 0.5 ms ahead of the G403 instead of behind it, and click latency is lowered to just 0.45 ms. Accordingly, in terms of performance and supported feature set, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed is a match for the Viper V2 Pro, which is highly remarkable. As an aside, I'm very impressed by how well wireless 8000 Hz works on the Viper V3 Hyperspeed. In my testing, the target interval of 0.125 ms is met throughout, and while there are missed polls here and there, these happen less often than one would expect, given that we're operating at the limits of what is possible here. Another benefit of the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle is the fact that it allows one to place the dongle right next to the mouse, which isn't possible with the default dongle, as an extender and extender cable are not included with the Viper V3 Hyperspeed. Considering the price point, this is understandable, though given the way the dongle may adversely interact with a USB 3.x port if plugged in directly, some sort of extension being included would've been most appreciated nonetheless.

Support for polling rates above 1000 Hz is particularly worthwhile on an AA-battery-driven mouse such as the Viper V3 Hyperspeed. When it comes to battery life, it essentially works like this: Every time polling rate is doubled (i.e., the interval halved), battery life is roughly halved. Hence, of the 280 hours Razer cites for regular 1000 Hz polling, only around 50 hours are left at 8000 Hz. Still, on the Viper V2 Pro, one could expect little more than 17 hours, which comes at no surprise given that the Viper V2 Pro only sports a 300 mAh battery, whereas the average AA Alkaline battery comes with a capacity in the range of 3000 mAh. While these numbers aren't directly comparable, it is clear that a battery-driven mouse such as the Viper V3 Hyperspeed is arguably more suited to polling rates above 1000 Hz than mice with rechargeable batteries. In any case, battery life is impressive on the Viper V3 Hyperspeed. That said, Bluetooth connectivity is not on board, which is a rather unfortunate omission.

Part of the reason for the excellent battery life is the fact that unlike Razer's Pro series mice, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed comes with regular mechanical switches instead of optical ones on the main buttons. Much like on previous Hyperspeed mice, modified Kailh GM 4.0 switches are used, which provide firm and snappy actuation of medium stiffness. The button design is sound as well, as lateral movement is kept to a minimum, and pre-travel is pleasantly low. For the side buttons, surface-mounted switches from CF are used, which score with impressively low pre and post-travel along with even actuation, though their response is a bit muted and subdued. The scroll wheel encoder comes from TTC (blue) and is among the few lesser parts of the mouse. Tactility is good, with rather distinct steps allowing for controlled scrolling, but noise levels are simply through the roof, especially when scrolling rapidly. In a sense, this reminds me of the scroll wheels of the old DeathAdder Chroma, whose operation was easily identifiable through solid walls. Much like on all Razer mice of the last couple of years, the feet are made of non-dyed pure PTFE and glide accordingly well.

Even though the fact that the Viper V3 Hyperspeed runs on AA-batteries is great for battery life and high polling rates, it does come with a rather noticeable downside, which is weight. When compared to its AA-driven peers, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed actually compares favorably, as at 59 g without any battery, it is a bit lighter than the ASUS TUF M4 Wireless, which sits in a similar size category. Once an AA-battery is added in, however, the resulting 80 g weight of course doesn't look too great next to the 58 g of the Viper V2 Pro. In addition, weight balance is far from perfect, as most of the weight is concentrated towards the back. As a result, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed may also feel heavier than it actually is. In summary, while in a very good spot within its category, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed can't compete with the weight ranges otherwise comparable wireless mice with rechargeable batteries are able to muster these days. Using an AAA-battery with an adapter can alleviate this somewhat, but those looking for something truly lightweight won't find it in the Viper V3 Hyperspeed no matter what.

In addition to compatibility with the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed also debuts a new and revised Viper shape. Ever since the debut of the Viper in 2019 (not to be confused with the one from 2004), the shape had been left virtually unchanged. With the Viper V3 Hyperspeed, many of the design principles used on the DeathAdder V3 Pro are now applied to the Viper shape: The main buttons are now framed by ledges, the back no longer flares out as much, resulting in less pronounced curves, and owing to a higher profile and bigger hump, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed is more successful in filling the palm. In a way, the shape has been nudged a couple of notches towards the Logitech G Pro X Superlight, which is why those who've always wanted a hybrid between the GPX and Viper shape may be particularly pleased with these changes. Though less of an intentional choice than a necessity of the design, another novelty of the Viper V3 Hyperspeed is its sensor position. Whereas the sensor was pretty much dead center on the Viper V2 Pro, it is positioned more towards the front on the Viper V3 Hyperspeed, resulting in an accordingly greater wrist motion arc. At first, this may feel rather alien, though ultimately, this is mostly a matter of getting used to.

As always, configuration is done through Razer Synapse. Though largely functional still, I've found Synapse to be less reliable than usual during testing, as I've encountered a situation where it completely refused to detect any connected devices, which could only remedied by a clean re-install. Of course, RAM usage and the number of background processes are as substantial as ever, which is doubly inconvenient given that switching polling rates on the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle plainly requires Synapse. On the bright side, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed has a rather nifty and quite useful addition pertaining to the battery life indicator within Synapse. On previous releases, the indicator had always been based on the discharge curve of whatever battery came as the default included with the mouse (typically an Alkaline). Even though the indicator will still only be working as intended for an AA-battery, one can now choose to base the indicator on a Lithium or NiHM AA-battery instead, whose discharge curves differ greatly from an Alkaline.

The Viper V3 Hyperspeed is priced at $69.99, which is the same the Orochi V2 retailed for two years ago. Given the sensor upgrade, keeping the price the same is worth a positive mention. An even more compelling offer is the bundle consisting of the Viper V3 Hyperspeed and HyperPolling Wireless Dongle, which goes for $84.99, including an extension cable that is sufficiently shielded to ensure signal integrity at 8000 Hz. This is relevant in that a cable of course isn't included with the Viper V3 Hyperspeed, being non-rechargeable and all, and would have to be additionally purchased otherwise, provided one doesn't have a suitably shielded USB Type-C cable already. Considering that the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle alone already costs $29.99, those fancying the latter therefore are well advised to get the bundle from the get-go. Within its category of battery-driven wireless mice, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed only enjoys real competition from the ASUS TUF M4 Wireless, which costs $10 less at $59.99, weighs essentially the same, has support for both AA and AAA-batteries as well as Bluetooth, but cannot compete in terms of performance in the slightest, and Armoury Crate is even worse than Synapse. Once we widen our consideration to rechargeable wireless mice, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed compares very favorably. The only thing the $149.99 Viper V2 Pro has going for it over the Hyperspeed are the much lower weight and optical main button switches, and not everyone will be willing to pay an $80 premium for that. Likewise, the only thing the $159.00 Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 really does better is the significantly lower weight and the main buttons being optical, as even in terms of performance, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed with the HyperPolling Wireless Dongle comes out ahead. Accordingly, the Viper V3 Hyperspeed earns our Budget award and Editor's Choice.