I would definitely use this mouse over the G305 and Viper Mini
Get the Orochi v2 on Amazon
For a long time the G305 has been known as the best budget wireless mouse, but I think we finally have a worthy competitor in the Razer Orochi v2. When you see the Orochi you can’t help but think of the G305 with that classic rounded egg shape. The Orochi’s MSRP is about $20 more, but it can still be classified as a budget mouse.
Being accustomed to my medium-sized G Pro X Superlight, I was expecting the Orochi to be a tad too small for me, but I found this mouse surprisingly comfortable for my fingertip/palm hybrid grip. Jumping into a game of CSGO, I was immediately hitting some nice shots. You can really throw this thing around and get insane speed on your swipes and flicks. What impressed me even more was the virgin-grade PTFE feet, which offered exceptional glide even before being broken in. These feet are comfortably better than the G305, and even my Superlight. I actually enjoyed the heavier weight of 71g as it helped me when aiming at smaller targets. Needless to say, the Orochi v2 made a really good first impression and took me by surprise.
We can see the Orochi is very small with a length of 10.8cm, making it smaller than the G305 and even the Viper Mini. One thing I never liked about the G305 was the aggressive inward curves on the sides, and the Orochi has a much more natural feeling thumb groove on the left, while it is convex on the right. The primary buttons feature subtle finger grooves and the Orochi also has a lower clicking point, which is a plus especially for fingertip grippers. The side profile shows that it has a fairly pronounced hump, but I wouldn’t say it is shaped aggressively towards the front or rear. It even gave me that little bit of palm support I require with my hybrid grip style. Another think I disliked about the G305 was the bigger top width, which limited the maneuverability of the mouse when fingertipping, but with the Orochi there is more space to manipulate the mouse without it bumping against the palm. I really like what Razer did with the shape here, and this mouse is going to work incredibly well for fingertip.
The Orochi v2 comes with two wireless modes that can be selected at the bottom of the mouse. A receiver is included for Razer’s Hyperspeed Wireless connection. It would’ve been nice to see an extension cable like with the G305, but even without an extension the mouse felt extremely snappy and I didn’t pick up any input lag. What’s really cool is that Razer actually includes a AA lithium battery in the packaging. They promise a whopping 425 hours of battery life on Hyperspeed, so one AA should easily give you a few months. As per Rtings.com, Razer Hyperspeed has a click latency of 10ms, which is extremely low. This is truly blurring the line between wired and wireless. Hyperspeed Wireless is Razer’s own technology that makes use of Adaptive Frequency, which means it continuously scans channels to find the fastest frequency with the least amount of noise.
The Orochi v2 features Razer’s 2nd gen mechanical switches, which are modified Kailh GM 4s. The clicks have very good tactility although they were quite loud. The scroll wheel has clearly defined steps, and finally a mouse with a good middle click. It wasn’t overly heavy like on most mice. This is especially nice as I have a nade bind on scroll wheel, so I use it often. The primaries do have some post-travel and it increases the more forward you press, but not a dealbreaker by any means. The side buttons are well positioned, and apart from some mushy post travel, they felt good.
The Orochi v2 allows for two different battery configurations. Using a AA lithium battery will give you a weight of 71g with a centered weight distribution, while a AAA lithium will bring the weight down to 67g, although the mouse will feel back heavy. So if you’re going AAA you might want to consider an adapter so that you can still use the AA slot and keep that nice centered weight.
The Orochi v2 comes with the Razer 5G Optical Sensor. Tracking felt really crisp and I didn’t experience any spin outs. The software allows you to set the LOD to 1mm or 2mm, and it’s also possible to calibrate the mouse with a Razer pad. I had absolutely no LOD issues, which is saying something as I am very sensitive to LOD. It was actually one of the main things I disliked about the Viper Mini. The sensor placement is quite far forward on the Orochi v2, and this will make the mouse feel more responsive if you’re a wrist aimer. Some users have found this mouse to be more sensitive, so you may need to lower your DPI or in-game sense a little bit.
The Orochi’s black and white design looks very elegant, and we have the usual Razer logo on the back. The mouse has a matte finish with a slightly textured surface. I did find it a tad slippery during longer sessions, but this is more of a nitpick. The Orochi’s top cover is completely removable and conveniently clicks out from the rest of the shell. What’s really nice about this modular configuration is that it makes the mouse customisable. Right now these top covers cannot be purchased separately, but Razer plans to make standalone covers available soon.
Another area where the Orochi v2 impressed was the build quality. The shell feels very premium and sturdy, and I’m happy to see that Razer hasn’t jumped on the honeycomb bandwagon. I think I have a phobia of honeycomb mice after all the issues I’ve had. The Orochi has a very small amount of bend when squeezed, and I didn’t pick up any creaking or looseness on the mouse. This is exactly how a mouse should be built, and it feels premium and not like a toy.
One thing I really enjoyed about the Orochi was the speed boost. Playing at 400DPI I was able to do really fast 90 and 180 degree turns. This is one thing I struggled with on my Superlight, and even though it’s a fast mouse it doesn’t give me that mobility of a smaller mouse. Now usually with smaller mice this increased speed comes with a tradeoff, and that is a loss of precision, but this is where I actually enjoyed the heavier weight of the Orochi, as it assisted me when aiming at smaller targets. So with this mouse I’m getting a good balance between speed and precision, which I don’t usually get with smaller mice.
Razer Synapse 3 will automatically start the download and installation process when the receiver is plugged in. We have the usual button remapping which includes Razer Hypershift. The DPI can be set in increments of 100 with up to five profiles. Then there is LOD and calibration as discussed earlier, and nice to see that you have control over the sleep mode.
The Orochi v2 is a highly impressive offering from Razer, and I would definitely use this mouse over the G305 and Viper Mini.
headtr1p 