As the end of July looms, it is time to dive into the Peripheral Pile once more. This month in gaming mice, it’s a battle of the ultralights: a bantamweight bout between the Razer Viper V2 Pro and SteelSeries’s revised Aerox range, the Aerox 9 Wireless and Aerox 5 Wired. Think of this piece as a buyer’s guide. For each of this month’s selected gaming mice, we’ll briefly discuss what we liked, what we didn’t, and if we think they are worth the price.
Razer Viper V2 Pro
Price: $259.95 RRP
Colours: Black, White
Available: Now
Website: Razer Australia
The Razer Viper V2 Pro is a neat little thing. Dressed in an enamel white, the mouse cuts a striking figure. It’s comfortable and has a strong charge when used wirelessly. Its action is precise, and its chassis sits neatly in the hand without encouraging misclicks. But the Viper V2 Pro’s big claim to fame is its ultra-light weight. It’s preposterously light. Lighter than a tennis ball, which Razer helpfully provided in the press kit for comparison. Its lightness makes the Viper V2 Pro a low-DPI shooter fan’s delight, easy to sweep from one side of a large mouse mat to another. Of course, if you prefer a mouse with a bit of heft, or ones that offer adjustable weighting, you’ll likely find its weight a turn-off. Its price is on the high side, even for a pro-level accessory, but I think it presents such a complete package that it will be tough to go past, and that’s why the Viper V2 Pro is our mouse of the month.
SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless
Price: $299.95 RRP
Colours: Black
Available: Now
Website: SteelSeries
I like the approach SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless takes in redesigning its range of ultralight mice, cutting out the plastic used in the body and exposing its innards to get its weight down. I like the shape of it, the feel of the primary buttons, and its porous chassis. However, I feel the multitude of programmable buttons on its left side, designed for use in MOBAs and MMOs, make things more complicated than they need to be when applied to other genres. When not expressly used for their intended genres, I found the side buttons a bugbear. For example, take a game like Fortnite, where rapid moves and reactions are a must. Despite making a few keybinds to take advantage of them, I seldom hit the button I wanted. Worse, they frequently got mashed against my thumb as I moved the mouse around and adjusted my grip.
Except for the side buttons, I love everything else about this mouse and recommend it to dedicated MOBA and MMO players. However, I think there are better options for players outside that specific audience. The kind of mouse that makes you wish they did test drives.
SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wired
Price: $149.95 RRP
Colours: Black
Available: Now
Website: SteelSeries
The good news is that a version of the Aerox 9 Wireless, free of the button array, already exists, and it’s called the Aerox 5 Wired. The Aerox 5 is, in my opinion, a neater of the two SteelSeries gaming mice overall. It’s light, elegantly shaped, and possesses just four thumb buttons (an extremely correct number). It’s comfortable in the hand, and its design keeps its four programmable side buttons clear of the thumb rest. I like this mouse so much I’ve taken it to work to use as my day-to-day in the office. You know it’s good when you want to use it for work too. Though the Aerox 9 has more bells and whistles, the Aerox 5 embraces simplicity to its significant benefit.
And there you go, our favourite gaming mice for July! Does anything pique your interest? Any brands you’d like us to roadtest in the future? Let us know in the comments below!
Leave a Reply