As we already pointed out in our guide to the best mouse for CS:GO, the SteelSeries Rival is one of the most heavily played gaming mice among eSports professionals. This is a little bit surprising, as the Steelseries Sensei is seen way more often on the tables of gamers. But: if players like Friberg or Fifflaren of Ninjas in Pyjamas win major tournaments with this mouse and achieve some of the most precise aimings in gaming history – it really has to be good, doesn’t it? We will find out in our Steelseries Rival review!
About SteelSeries
SteelSeries is a company that is located in Copenhagen, Denmark – but known all over the world for its gaming equipment. It was founded back in 2001 as a premium provider of high-quality gaming mice, keyboards, headsets and so on. All of Steelseries’ peripherals are built in very close collaboration with real eSports professionals (you know, the guys that actually live off gaming) – so all the stuff they put on the market will be specifically made for gamers like you and me. This also results in multiple sponsorship deals with some of the best eSports teams in the world like Fnatic or Ninjas in Pyjamas. Although SteelSeries’ products might not look extremely flashy or have vibrating LEDs all over the place, these things are gaming peripherals made to perform with!
SteelSeries Rival Review: Key Features & Handling
The centerpiece of each Steelseries Rival review has to be its most important part: the sensor that actually tracks all mouse movement and sends it to your computer. With the Pixart PMW 3310 the Rival has one of the best sensors on the current market built in. It is extremely precise and has zero hardware acceleration; plus, you can adjust the dpi rate from 50 to 6.500 dpi. The six mouse buttons are made to last as well: they will withstand even the hardest abuse during important deathmatches or Summoner’s Rift battles. I specifically liked the coating of the mouse during the Steelseries Rival review: even after hours of gaming my hands did not start to sweat and it just felt very natural all the time. This is also due to the fact that the shape of the Rival is perfect for medium-sized hands, or even larger ones with a claw grip: its shape is not ambidextrous, but specifically made for right-handed gamers. If you also like the Razer Deathadder, you will get used to the Rival very quickly. In addition to all these “hard facts” of our Steelseries Rival review: it also comes with the great Steelseries mouse software, as well as custom name plates and adjustable lighting with many different colors.
To sum our Steelseries Rival review up: it has six programmable mouse buttons with trademark Steelseries switches that will last for more than 10 million click and an overall great build quality. The sensor of the Steelseries Rivals is one of the best on the market and offers up to 6.500dpi with a very rapid response rate.
