Building championship teams and technology: Jeffrey Chau talks Razer Viper V3 Pro and esports innovation

Jeffrey Chau, the global esports director at Razer, leads the development of the brand’s esports strategy. Esports.gg sat down with him for an interview about his experience throughout the years and his thoughts on the Razer Viper V3 Pro gaming mouse!

Growing up in Hawaii, Chau's competitive nature was nurtured through surfing, sports, and playing games on the Nintendo 64 with his brothers. Chau's esports journey then began in South Korea during high school thanks to StarCraft: Brood War.

After pursuing a traditional business career and graduating from Cornell University, he returned to esports. He then wore many hats throughout the years, including roles as a professional Vainglory and Clash Royale player, head coach, and caster. Chau eventually landed at Razer, where he now merges his competitive spirit with his role as the global esports director.

In his interview with esports.gg, Chau talked about his experience in managing championship teams across multiple organizations as well. For example, he recalled his time as the general manager and head of mobile at Immortals. He also brought Team Liquid's Arena of Valor team to the 2017 Asia International Championship in South Korea. To Chau, his past experience showed him the importance of building championship teams and the transferable skills involved in doing so.

"There's a lot of pro players who compete," Chau explained. "They don't know what to do after they're done competing, right? They don't know what options they have. But I would say that — especially for players that are in-game leaders or the captains of their team — I think they have a lot of potential to become future managers or leaders in other organizations and be able to drive and lead a high-performing team because that's what they're good at."

Chau continued, noting that competitive gaming involves transferable skills that are beneficial in other business verticals. His work at Razer is a prime example of this.

"That's by far the most fun part," he added. "How do you continue to lead your team on how to win a championship and in a different setting?"

Another part of building championship teams involves the technology they're given. Throughout the interview, Chau described the extensive testing and development process for the Razer Viper V3 Pro gaming mouse, which began with early prototype units of the Viper V3 HyperSpeed.

He revealed that the Razer Viper V3 Pro's design was based on feedback from both customers and about 45 pro players, including sponsored and non-sponsored teams like TRX. The mouse, described as very lightweight at 54 g, was refined for optimal shape, button quality, and performance.

Chau emphasized that the Razer Viper V3 Pro quickly became one of the top esports mice as well. According to him, it's especially popular among VALORANT players. He said its lightweight design makes it ideal for games requiring precise vertical movement.

"Over 70% of VALORANT pros use symmetrical mice," Chau added. "And CS:GO is more ergonomic because they require micro movements. An ergonomic mouse fits around your grip and your hand a lot closer and fully. But VALORANT players — they play a lot more ‘fingertip.’ It's a ‘claw-fingertip’ kind of play style. So symmetrical mice fit that style a little better."

He then talked about the smooth-touch coating of the Razer Viper V3 Pro. This coating performs well during long gaming sessions, maintaining grip even when players' hands get sweaty. He also mentioned that Zachary "zekken" Patrone won the VALORANT Champions Tour using this mouse, setting a record with 101 kills.

This achievement served as a strong endorsement, resulting in other players to get the Viper V3 Pro for themselves, according to Chau. He added that the successful launch encouraged his team to continue developing top-tier esports products driven by comprehensive feedback from the esports and gaming community.

Chau highlighted other features as well, including larger mouse feet, which provide better feedback and control, especially when used with a softer mousepad. Exact details can be found on Razer's official page for the mouse.

When asked about Razer's role in the evolving world of esports, Chau highlighted Razer's strength in innovating and adapting to new trends. He also discussed the future of mobile esports, emphasizing Razer's contributions to its growth and development. Chau believes the future of gaming will merge esports with immersive experiences, which excites him.

As for parting words, Chau encouraged players to check out Team Razer, adding that he's proud of how Razer can tell player stories while supporting multiple games such as VALORANT, CS2, and League of Legends.

"We really are for the pros," he added. "We spend a lot of time with them, we're very close with them, we get a lot of their feedback. We want to build the best products for them to help them win and be successful in their esports career and other gamers that want to follow in their footsteps."

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates.