Razer drops the world’s first 8Hz polling mouse

Razer's new HyperPolling tech pushes the envelope for responsiveness.

by Justin Choo

How fast is fast enough? Razer’s new Viper 8KHz mouse features the company’s new HyperPolling Technology. They call it the first “esports gaming mouse with true 8000Hz polling rate.

When you consider that most decent gaming mice top out at 1,000Hz, true 8,000Hz seems like understated overkill – this means that input delay is a mere 1/8ths of a millisecond as opposed to a millisecond. Razer achieves this through the use of a high-speed USB microcontroller. Razer’s logic is that these higher polling rates work better with fast PCs and high refresh rate monitors, eliminating micro-stutters and reducing latency. While you can never eliminate them, you can minimise their effects wherever you can.

8000Hz polling rate vs 1000Hz polling rate.

How polling rate works in sync with display refresh rate. Graphic: Razer

For the new Viper, lower latency isn’t the only trick it has in its book. The mouse features 2nd-gen Razer Optical Mouse Switches and Razer Focus+ Optical Sensor. The new switches, which are rated for 70 million clicks, feature improved tactile feedback while the debounce delay has been removed to improve actuation times. The Razer Focus+ Optical Sensor isn’t new, but its 99.6% resolution accuracy and true 20,000 DPI sensitivity is overkill anyway.

Razer Viper 8Khz

Same look, but with souped up internals. Image: Razer

Other perks include an ambidextrous chassis (yay for lefties), PTFE feet, snag-free cables, and five onboard memory profiles – all this in a 71-gram package. It’s now available at razer.com and authorised resellers for US$79.99.