Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
Installing and setting up the Patriot Viper V560 was a smooth and simple process without any hiccups. After the installation of the mouse, we put it through some subjective performance tests in an attempt to determine how good the mouse really is. These tests are subjective, but we hope through the extensiveness of the tests will come to an objective conclusion. We tested the mouse in a normal office working environment, and of course, in a few different games. Some graphics testing was done as well by using it in Adobe Photoshop. The games used were Sid Meier's Civilization V, DOTA 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. These games span multiple popular genres of games, which allows us to figure out how well the mouse performs in different genres. I used it on the SteelSeries QcK+ DOTA 2 Tiny Edition mousepad. The Patriot Viper V560 was also compared to my previous mouse I used, the SteelSeries Sensei.
I normally use a claw-like grip when gaming, so I can quickly move my mouse in any direction without having to move my arm much. The Patriot Viper V560 was more designed to be used with a palm grip. I tried my best to use a palm grip with this mouse, since it was a comfortable experience, however it did not suit my style. Moving away from a simpler design, as seen in the SteelSeries Sensei, was a new experience, and not bad at all. The two buttons right next to where your thumb is placed were a little bit stiff and hard to press. After a while, I did get more used to pressing them, but I found they could have been made a bit easier to actuate. Otherwise, the mouse was very comfortable and great to use.
The Patriot Viper V560 has adjustable weights, but without any installed, it came in at 193g, which is pretty hefty for a mouse already. I enjoy having my mouse a bit heavier, even though I do pick it up quite a lot when I am gaming. I found my sweet spot to be with two out of the six included weights installed in the Patriot Viper V560. The Xtreme precision laser allows for up to 8200 DPI, which I think is pretty excessive, and I will give you a cookie if you can use that DPI daily. I personally prefer lower sensitivity, and so I hover around 700 to 900 DPI, depending on the game. I think Counter-Strike is where I had the lowest DPI, just so I can be as accurate as possible. The 8200 DPI is great in a sense it does allow for a massive range, and everyone will be happy in the end. Another interesting feature that really ensured the smoothness of using the Patriot Viper V560 was the ceramic foot pads, which I really enjoyed. Patriot tells us the foot pads guarantees smooth and accurate use on any surface.
What is a gaming mouse review without testing it in some games? We put it to the test in some popular genres. I do play quite a bit of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, so I launched the game, and tried my best for some headshots. It took me a while to get used to the placement of the sensor, and took even more time for me to adjust the sensitivity, which was strange, since I still have not been able to completely get comfortable with this mouse in first person shooters. I also adjusted the polling rate to the max, which was 1000Hz from the default 500Hz. However, I still encountered similar issues, and I only mentioned this because I was able to do this with the SteelSeries Sensei. I will go into more detail when I talk about testing it in an office environment. For DOTA 2, which I also have a considerable amount of hours in, the mouse felt great. I know some of my friends prefer a lighter mouse for multiplayer online battle arena games, but I do not, and the adjustable weight made it easy to quickly get comfortable with the mouse. As for the buttons on the Patriot Viper V560, they never got in the way. I did, however, use the two buttons by the thumb for DOTA 2, and it was a bit hard using them quickly, since they were so stiff. Even so, the Viper V560 was smooth and accurate with no real issues. It performed similarly in Sid Meier's Civilization V, performing smoothly and accurately, even if the time crunch to make decisions in Civilization V was not a concern. One issue I encountered across all of these games was I accidentally pressed the profile switch button every now and then. This could really get in someone's way if they have really customized each profile for the games they play. Having your bindings suddenly change would not be a fun experience, and Patriot should move this button to be more out of reach.
For graphical work, the Patriot Viper V560 continued to be smooth and accurate. During my use in Windows 10, I experienced the same strengths. I sometimes struggled to click on smaller icons. It was strange as I tried to fix it by changing my DPI around and checking all the settings in software, but everything seems to check out. It did not affect my overall experience with the mouse, but depending on what you plan to do with it, this should be taken into consideration. I think it was caused by micro-jitters, since anytime I came close to small icons, the mouse would just shift a little bit before I could get it exactly on the icon. This issue could possibly be fixed in firmware, as it may be experiencing problems with my mousepad. That said, the ceramic foot pads on the Viper V560 really helped to ensure no matter what surface you are using it on, you would still have a satisfyingly smooth experience. Another cool feature was the adjust lift off button. Holding down this button while quickly moving the mouse across the surface you are using it on helps the sensor determine how to best perform throughout its use, ensuring a great experience. The scroll wheel does have side scrolling abilities, however, unlike how excited Technical Editor Aaron Lai was about this feature, I never used it.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
