SteelSeries Rival 3 (Gen 2) Wired Gaming Mouse Review – The Budget Master

I've had my hands connected a batch of fancy mice successful caller years – the Razer Viper V3 Pro, the Turtle Beach Kone II, and the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 to sanction a few. They're packed with top-of-the-line features and show suited for pro-level play, but they're rather expensive. Not everyone needs oregon wants that, though, and not everyone has $100-plus to walk connected a peripheral. In exploring much budget-minded mice, I find that the updated SteelSeries Rival 3 deed a saccharine spot betwixt outgo and performance, due to the fact that portion I bash announcement a quality betwixt it and the champion gaming mice retired now, the spread isn't rather arsenic ample arsenic pricing would suggest. So, if you conscionable privation a simple, inexpensive gaming rodent that tin besides support up successful competitory scenarios, SteelSeries mightiness conscionable person what you're looking for.

SteelSeries Rival 3 (Gen 2) – Design and Features

This caller Rival 3 mostly maintains the plan principles of the archetypal one, utilizing a symmetrical, ambidextrous signifier with shallow grooves on the broadside and done the near and close rodent buttons. While I bash privation the broadside grooves for my thumb and pinky were a spot deeper for amended grip, the mouse's humble 77g value keeps it casual to whip astir successful aggravated games and usage comfortably passim the enactment day. And the six-foot braided USB cord doesn't resistance oregon make friction astatine immoderate moment.

Since it's a somewhat lower-profile mouse, the Rival 3 is mostly acceptable for claw and fingertip grips, which I some recovered comfy during gaming and mean usage. It doesn't athletics a notable hunch connected its assemblage truthful there's a batch of country near to capable erstwhile trying a thenar grip – if you perfectly request to spell with a thenar grip, you'll privation to look elsewhere. Otherwise, it's an casual rodent to swipe rapidly and accurately, which is besides a recognition to the slick PTFE feet connected the bottommost that glide good crossed my SteelSeries QCK+ Balance rodent mat.

On paper, the TrueMove Core 8.5K optical sensor whitethorn not stroke you distant considering galore top-level mice boast 25K to 35K sensors – these ratings bespeak the maximum DPI (dots-per-inch) mounting for the sensor. Technically speaking, higher solution tracking gives you a much close mouse, but astatine a definite point, determination are diminishing returns particularly erstwhile astir users don't travel adjacent to going with the max DPI. All you request to cognize is that for a fund mouse, 8,500 DPI is much than enough.

Budget products request to get the fundamentals right, and the Rival 3 delivers connected astir fronts. The near and close click switches are steadfast and responsive, making them fantastic for accelerated tapping which is simply a necessity successful games. While they boast a 60 million-click durability and a abbreviated 1.35ms response, the bottommost enactment is that the consciousness and show is up determination with the best. There are 2 broadside buttons that are besides responsive upon actuation, but they're rather bladed and it’s a spot hard to separate betwixt the 2 due to the fact that of their positioning and shape. The Rival 3 isn't a bulky rodent truthful determination isn't a ton of country to enactment with, but I privation the broadside buttons were larger and much distinct.

The scroll instrumentality is indicative of the Rival 3 arsenic a whole; thing fancy, but perfectly suited for the task astatine hand. Each notch is chiseled capable for incremental scrolling, but creaseless capable blaze done pages of PDF documents. And the scroll instrumentality click fastener is somewhat steadfast without feeling excessively stiff to reliably usage arsenic a cardinal enactment successful games you’d privation to representation it to. Below the scroll is the DPI switch, and it stays retired of the mode portion being casual to find successful lawsuit you bash fancy DPI switching mid-game.

Other than the SteelSeries logo astatine the palm, the lone existent ocular flair is the five-zone RGB lighting that beams on the basal of the mouse. It creates a vibrant underglow that remains tasteful, and if you're the benignant of idiosyncratic who switches DPI connected the alert for circumstantial in-game situations, you tin necktie each DPI mounting to the RGB lighting arsenic a wide ocular cue.

SteelSeries Rival 3 (Gen 2) – Software and Customization

As with astir SteelSeries products, the Rival 3 is customizable done the SteelSeries GG bundle suite. It's a spot of a headache to navigate depending connected what you privation to customize – portion you tin bash immoderate beauteous intricate things with RGB lighting connected the Rival 3 with colour patterns and effects, the app's interface could beryllium much intuitive.

However, erstwhile adjusting different features similar DPI, space snapping, fastener assignments, and acceleration, the graphs and sliders laid retired to amusement the settings are rather clear. If anything, I'm conscionable thankful that SteelSeries GG isn't arsenic bloated arsenic different bundle suites from its contemporaries and that determination isn't overmuch to customize with a rodent arsenic straightforward arsenic the Rival 3.

SteelSeries Rival 3 (Gen 2) – Gaming and Performance

I rather enjoyed my clip investigating the Rival 3 successful stressful gaming situations, due to the fact that arsenic with astir of my erstwhile rodent reviews, I was moving with state-of-the-art tech that had the anticipation of justifying its terms point. But trying to support high-level gaming erstwhile evaluating thing that's a fraction of the outgo puts their perceived show spread into perspective. That small spot of vantage you get from a much blase rodent tin marque a quality successful the close hands – however, it's not arsenic wide arsenic the spec sheets would indicate.

In games of precision and split-second actions, those things are important, yet large show is inactive achievable with thing similar the Rival 3, though. In my main competitory games of Counter-Strike 2 and Valorant, I bash announcement a flimsy betterment successful tracking with a higher polling rate, similar utilizing 4000Hz oregon 8000Hz connected my existent favourite successful the Razer Deathadder V4 Pro – besides due to the fact that I americium playing astatine 4K solution with a 144Hz refresh rate, which creates a higher ceiling for a precocious polling complaint mouse. But adjacent astatine those graphics settings, I rapidly settled into the show capabilities of the Rival 3 and its 1000Hz polling complaint (which is the modular for gaming mice these days). As idiosyncratic who takes ranked matches rather seriously, but isn't anywhere adjacent pro-level play, the Rival 3 was ne'er truly the happening holding maine back.

Holding my corners, taking well-timed shots aft peaking, and maintaining my purpose on with recoil patterns each felt earthy erstwhile utilizing the Rival 3. And successful the fewer moments I had to prime up sniping, I was capable to onshore my shots with capable confidence. I deliberation the much one-size-fits-all symmetrical shaping of the rodent itself makes it consciousness little similar an hold of my hand, truthful it’s not my preferred enactment if I person the choice, but by nary means is SteelSeries’ fund rodent a slouch.