I tried Razer’s vertical gaming mouse and I’ll never go back

Razer just ruined the majority of computer mice for me. I tried out the company’s new Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition, an ergonomic computer mouse with a vertical orientation, and I can never go back.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, vertical mice shift the mouse orientation so that instead of keeping your wrist twisted so it’s parallel with your desk, you keep it in a more natural position that’s perpendicular to your desk. These mice encourage a more relaxed, handshake-style grip and are supposed to reduce wrist strain and fatigue by allowing for a more natural position.

As someone who spends a lot of time at a computer, whether writing for work or playing games in my leisure time, wrist strain is a real concern. I’ve spent a lot of time testing various ergonomic products to help eliminate or reduce strain, whether that’s ergonomic chairs to encourage better posture during lengthy sitting sessions, standing desks to encourage changing positions throughout the day, and more.

Several years ago, I also bought a wrist brace to help reduce strain and pain, though I’ve found I needed it less in recent years thanks to other improvements. For example, adjusting my desk and chair heights allowed me to adopt a more neutral position for my wrists, reducing strain and the need for the brace.

Ergo elite

But they’ve all paled compared to the Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition. This mouse from Razer is hands-down one of the most comfortable mice I’ve ever used, and I’ve tried quite a few over the years. Not only does the vertical orientation reduce wrist strain, but the shape also encourages a natural, relaxed grip.

I tend to grip mice tightly, especially when gaming, but the Pro Click V2’s shape fit my hand so well that I found myself gripping the mouse less tightly than I would with other mice. That also helped reduce fatigue over longer working or gaming sessions.

Another smaller but notable benefit of the Pro Click V2 Vertical was that it reduced how much of my hand rubbed on my mouse pad. With most other mice, my pinky and parts of my palm hang off the mouse. It’s not a major issue, but it can definitely lead to some discomfort after a lot of use. But the Pro Click V2 has a conveniently placed lip on one side that supports my pinky, and the orientation of my wrist naturally keeps my palm and arm off the desk.

It’s worth noting for anyone considering swapping a vertical mouse that there will be some adjustment time. For the first few days, the Pro Click felt really weird to use, but once I got used to it, I found going back to other mice felt wrong. Some games still feel odd with the vertical mouse. First-person titles, for example, feel very strange to me with a vertical mouse, but with some more play time, I’m sure it will improve. (Plus, playing a first-person shooter like Call of Duty on a vertical mouse feels almost more immersive because the mouse feels more like a pistol grip than a traditional mouse.)

Not a perfect mouse

Of course, the Pro Click V2 Vertical isn’t perfect. For one, Razer’s mouse only works for right-handed people, and there’s no left-hand variant. It also lacks some of the features you’d find in other gaming mice from Razer and other companies. I think Razer did include enough of the basics that worked well for me, but it doesn’t have as high a polling rate and lacks some other features. But it’s got that RGB gamer lighting, which is all you really need, isn’t it?

The Pro Click is a bit on the heavier side at 150g, but that was quite manageable overall. Perhaps the biggest drawback for me was the lack of wireless charging support. I’ve been using Razer’s Basilisk V3 Pro as my primary mouse for a while, just because I love the wireless charging pad so much. It lets me keep the mouse topped up and provides a home for it when I’m not using it. Ultimately, it’s quite disappointing that the Pro Click V2 doesn’t have a similar option.

Another small gripe I have with the mouse is the thumb buttons. There are two, one placed above the thumb rest and one below. They’re well-positioned and easy to access when using the mouse, but I found them easy to click by accident when I went to hold my mouse. I often used the Pro Click with my laptop while working, and found that I’d frequently click the thumb buttons by accident when moving my hand back and forth from keyboard to mouse.

How the grip compares on the Vertical Edition (right) and the regular Pro Click (left).

I also wish the mouse had a better toggle for moving between the wireless modes. Because I liked it so much, I connected the Pro Click to my desktop via the USB dongle (what Razer calls ‘Hyperspeed’ wireless) and then would swap to Bluetooth to connect to my laptop when working. There’s a button on the bottom to cycle between Hyperspeed and the three possible Bluetooth connections.

I wish there were a physical switch instead, like the one on the Razer Blackwidow V4 Pro keyboard. It would make it much easier to quickly swap between Hyperspeed and Bluetooth, rather than having to cycle through multiple connections every time.

Overall, these are pretty small issues, little iterations that Razer can tweak to improve the mouse in the future — perhaps a Pro Click V3 Vertical Edition?

Pricey but worth it

Razer Pro Click V2 (bottom) and Vertical Edition (top).

Razer also offers a regular Pro Click V2 mouse. It lacks the vertical orientation, but it still provides a more ergonomic grip. I didn’t spend as much time testing the Pro Click V2 Razer sent me as I did with the Vertical Edition, but the regular version is also quite comfortable.

The regular and Vertical editions have very similar features and specs, though the Vertical version has longer battery life and the regular is a little lighter. Razer also highlighted the new AI features of the Pro Click mice. This is just a shortcut where long-pressing the sensitivity cycle button will launch Razer’s ‘AI Prompt Master,’ a launcher for things like ChatGPT.

This feature didn’t interest me very much and didn’t work when I tried to use it. When I checked the Razer Synapse app to make sure it was set up correctly, it told me that Synapse was required to make it work, which was funny given I was using Synapse to view that message. But if, like me, you don’t care for yet another way to launch useless AI features, you can easily remap it to a different function using Synapse.

When it comes to price, the Pro Click are a tad expensive, but I think certainly worthwhile, especially for the Vertical Edition. The Pro Click V2 retails for $144.99 in Canada, while the Vertical Edition costs $174.99 (it’s also available on Amazon if you prefer).