From gaming PCs and laptops to accessories, Razer is one of the first brands that comes to mind when gamers are in need of anything video game gear-related. This is especially true when it comes to the competitive scene, with gamers doing everything they can to get a leg up on the competition. Razer is an easy go-to solution in this regard thanks to its relationships with professional esports players associated with Team Razer. Who wouldn’t want to try and elevate their gameplay by using the same gear as professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player, TACO (MIBR), or Evil Geniuses’ professional Dota 2 player, Arteezy?
TheGamer had a chance to check out a trifecta of Razer’s latest top-of-the line accessories - including the Razer Viper Gaming Mouse, Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition Keyboard, and Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Headset - and couldn’t have been happier with the quality and responsiveness that each peripheral provides.
Razer Viper Gaming Mouse
Upon taking the Razer Viper out of its box, I immediately fell in love. The lightweight mouse - coming in at a weight of 69g - feels durable enough to withstand frantic motion and heavy-handed clicking, while the comfortable side grips ensure that I won’t need to worry about my thumb accidentally sliding at an inopportune in-game moment.
The Viper features 99.4% tracking accuracy, with its 5G Optical Sensor tracking precision allowing up to 16,000 DPI. The Viper’s DPI toggle button awards users the ability to switch between five different DPI stages on-demand, all of which can be customized via the Razer Synapse 3 configuration software (more on that later), in addition to the eight programmable buttons for macros and secondary functions.
I also never knew how much the cable for a wired mouse could impact my movement and overall gameplay, but the Viper’s Speedflex Cable makes every movement feel fluid and natural. Even freshly out of the box, there was no real need to break in the cable or loosen it up. It honestly feels about as close to being a wireless mouse as it can get, without actually being wireless.
Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition Keyboard
If you’re in need of a keyboard that knows which key you’re going to push before you push it, the Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition Keyboard is exactly what you’re looking for. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but this keyboard is quite possibly the most sensitive and responsive keyboard that I’ve ever used. This is no doubt due to the Razer Linear Optical Switches equipped to the keys, each with a durability of up to 100 million keystrokes and an optical actuation of 1.0mm. It doesn’t take much pressure for a key to be clicked.
The keys themselves are made from a tough, textured thermoplastic, allowing for extended durability and ensuring that the key labels never wear off.
Finally, one of the most impressive features of the keyboard is its onboard memory, allowing players to activate up to five of their keyboard configurations while on-the-go. This can also be achieved via cloud storage, but a localized memory at least allows for offline play.
Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Headset
In terms of gaming accessory priorities, it’s easy for headsets to take a backseat to a keyboard or mouse. But if you’re genuinely looking to gain an advantage over your competition - especially in a game like Apex Legends in which you need to listen for incoming footsteps - a solid headset is an absolute must.
The Razer Kraken Tournament Edition Headset goes above and beyond to fill that need. The headset is the first gaming headset to introduce THX Spatial Audio, which aims to increase players’ in-game awareness to have the upper hand on the playing field. With the Kraken, you’d have to try pretty darn hard to ignore the in-game surrounding environment. Approaching enemy footsteps come through clear as day. The audio control device that can be attached to the headset allows players to adjust game and chat audio on the fly, while also controlling the bass and THX spatial audio toggle.
The Kraken also just feel great to wear. The cooling gel-infused ear cushions keep you cool while under pressure, but are also easy enough to clean, should it need it. The headset is light, but packs an incredibly powerful punch. Given that the headset is cross-platform compatible, you can rest assured that your headset investment will be well-worth it.
Look At All The Pretty Lights
If the details above weren’t enough to convince you how great Razer’s latest suite of gaming accessories is, we have one more thing up our sleeve, and it’s one that pretty much every gamer cares about: customizable RGB lights. Players can customize their Viper and Huntsman with the most simple or elaborate light show that they can design. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible in Razer Synapse 3, and that’s only because the factory presets are already incredible. During my playthrough of Astellia Online, my Huntsman worked in sync with the game, illuminating the most important keys, while even changing colors of the keys based on whether or not a spell was on a cool-down. It was something I’ve only experienced with on-screen notifications, so having the light up notifications available literally at my fingertips was (and continues to be) an absolute game-changer.
A word of caution for those who might be ready to upgrade their setup. If you’ve never used professional esports-level gear like this before, there will be a bit of an adjustment period. The sensitivity and responsiveness of the Viper and Hunstman were unlike anything I’ve ever played on before, but soon became second nature. As long as you’re willing to put in the time to learn the ins-and-outs of your new gear, you’ll soon see just how advantageous Razer’s newest products can be in regards to your gameplay.
You can find these products and more on Razer's website. Product samples were provided by Razer for this review.