Viper V550 Optical Ambi Gaming Mouse Mouse Review

A Closer Look

The new mouse looks a lot more refined than some of their older models. It’s got an all-black finish now, rather than some of the brighter red plastic trim we previously saw. Overall, I think it’s a massive improvement, and provides a more clean looking setup that will contrast with the built-in RGB lighting much more clearly.

Grippy

Down the left side of the mouse, you can see that it sits quite low overall. However, it’s a longer design so it still fits the hand well if you use a palm-rest grip. Of course, with soft rubber side grip, it allows you to really dig your fingers in too. This means it’s equally well suited to hybrid or fingertip grip types. So, the choice is really yours, however you want to hold it is fine.

There are two switches down the side of the mouse. Of course, by default these are setup for forward/backwards navigation. However, through the software they’re fully programmable; as are all of the buttons on this mouse.

Ambidextrous

Lefty or righty, it doesn’t matter, as this mouse is perfectly symmetrical. However, despite this, it still feels very well balanced in either hand. I’d say it’s just as comfortable in my right hand as a mouse specifically setup for right-hand use only; don’t be put off if you only use one hand. I can use either fairly well, so this mouse is nicely suited to my needs.

It comes as no surprise then, that the right side of the mouse looks just like the left. Who would have thought! Seriously though, it’s a lovely design. Plus, the switches in the side buttons are really easy to control. The front ones feel slightly heavier, with the rear just a little softer and more muted. However, this feel very natural given you have a different thumb position when using each.

Curvatious

The mouse does sit low, but it’s sculpted for control and comfort. The back end is swollen to fit the palm of your hand. The middle is slim to give you a good fingertip grip. Finally, the LMB and RMB are swept out wide with a deep curve to them to give your fingers a natural resting position and grip.

The mouse has a large scroll wheel heavily recessed into the body. However, it has a soft rubber grip that makes it really easy to control.

Tucked behind that, there are two control switches, which are perfect for flicking through profiles, shortcuts, DPI levels, etc.

Optical Sensor

Finally, we have the underside, which is surprisingly stylish even though it doesn’t need to be. There are five slip mats here, which are pretty small, but the mouse isn’t heavy and they work really well. Plus the mouse is well balanced, which helps.