The New Razer Orochi V2 Is a Nice Little Lightweight Travel Mouse for Gamers

The New Razer Orochi V2 Is a Nice Little Lightweight Travel Mouse for Gamers

Razer products are known for their in-your-face-designs and attention-grabbing RGB lighting, but for its new Orochi V2 mouse, Razer stripped away almost all the extra fluff and created a super simple and lightweight travel mouse for gamers.

Starting at $114.95, the Orochi is relatively affordable and sports a very straight-forward design that’s almost completely ambidextrous aside from the two side-mounted buttons on the left (which are a bit easier to use for righties). And even for someone like me who doesn’t have very big hands, the mouse feels relatively small, which means it’s a bit better for gamers who employ a claw grip, though there is a bit of room to rest your palm on top if you prefer.

Photo: Sam Rutherford
Photo: Sam Rutherford

Razer says the Orochi V2 only weighs 60 grams, but that figure doesn’t include the weight of a battery, which you’ll need because the Orochi relies on disposable batteries instead of a built-in rechargeable power pack. Razer says it opted to go with a non-rechargeable battery because it makes the mouse a bit easier to manage while travelling, and Razer even included the option to choose either a single AA or AAA battery.

When loaded up with a AA battery (one AA comes included), the Orochi’s true weight is closer to 72 grams, though you can shave off around five to seven grams by using a AAA battery if you don’t mind sacrificing a bit of battery life in the process. Under typical conditions, Razer says the Orochi can last up to a whopping 950 hours on a single AA when connected to a PC via Bluetooth.

When it's not in use, you can store the Orochi's Hyperspeed Wireless dongle inside the mouse. Very handy.  (Photo: Sam Rutherford)
When it’s not in use, you can store the Orochi’s Hyperspeed Wireless dongle inside the mouse. Very handy. (Photo: Sam Rutherford)

Razer also included support for its own Hyperspeed Wireless connection, which delivers a stronger signal and slightly better response times, with the downside being greater power drain that results in just 425 hours of battery life from a single AA. However, because there aren’t any ports on the Orochi V2, opting for a wired connection if your batteries run low simply isn’t an option.

That said, I really appreciate that Razer gives you a choice of wireless connectivity options (which can be toggled using a convenient switch on the bottom of the mouse), and also includes a handy dongle for its Hyperspeed Wireless that comes with its own storage slot inside the mouse, so you won’t lose it when you’re on the go. If it were up to me, every wireless mouse that required a dongle for wireless connectivity would come with a built-in cubby hole to store said dongle when not in use, so I’m really glad to see Razer include one on the Orochi V2.

Photo: Sam Rutherford
Photo: Sam Rutherford

Design-wise, the Orochi V2 is rather plain, supporting standard left and right mouse buttons, a scroll wheel, and a lone button behind the scroll wheel that by default is set to switch between a handful of mouse sensitivities (topping out at 18,000 DPI). Like other Razer mice, every button can be reprogrammed using Razer’s Synapse app, with the mouse able to save a single profile for travelling.

Every button on the Orochi V2 uses Razer’s second-gen Mechanical Mouse switches that are rated to last up to 60,000 presses, and in my experience they all delivered a very crisp and satisfying click. But overall, the Orochi V2 remains a super simple, no-frills travel mouse, and unlike a lot of Razer’s other mice, aside from a tiny indicator light on top, the Orochi V2 doesn’t come with Chroma support or any RGB lighting.

Photo: Sam Rutherford
Photo: Sam Rutherford

The one thing that might be a tiny bit divisive is that with Razer focusing so hard on making the Orochi V2 as light as possible, depending on your tastes, you might think the mouse feels a bit cheap. The Orochi’s removable plastic cover is quite thin, and when combined with its plastic scroll wheel, even when loaded up with a AA battery, the Orochi still manages to feel incredibly light for its size. It’s a completely opposite experience from wearing a nice watch or piece of jewellery that feels heavier than it looks.

Razer’s one small nod to a gamer aesthetic the ability to order a customised top shell featuring some more eye-catching designs and the option to spell out your name or gamer tag too. Of course, customising the Orochi costs extra, which bumps the price of the mouse up by $US20 ($26) to $US90 ($116) total.

Editor’s Note: The custom edition of the Razer Orochi V2 does not appear to be available in Australia currently.

I like the idea of customising the Orochi's design, but I'm just not sure I'd want to fork over an extra $US20 ($26) to do so.  (Screenshot: Sam Rutherford)
I like the idea of customising the Orochi’s design, but I’m just not sure I’d want to fork over an extra $US20 ($26) to do so. (Screenshot: Sam Rutherford)

So even though the Orochi V2 might not be the kind of mouse you’d generally expect from Razer, it been really solid in my testing thus far and I find its simple, straightforward design rather refreshing.


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