HARDWARE REVIEW

SteelSeries Rival 300 Gaming Mouse Review

by Luke Walsh, September 25th, 2015

The SteelSeries Rival 300 optical gaming mouse is the latest in the Rival range, which is being marketed more on its precision and its recognisable design seen in the other Rival mice but with improvements.

The Rival 300 uses an optical sensor over a laser one and is long suggested from various tests that optical sensors perform better than their laser cousins. When actually using the mouse, there was no noticeable difference in using an optical sensor over the laser one in my Logitech G502. Skipping and lack of precision in mice are a thing of the past, or a feature in cheaper mice.

With a 6500 dpi sensor, the Rival 300 can be tweaked to play any game you want. Even with a high dpi, it really does make you wonder how many people play their video games on the highest possible setting and how functional it is in practice. When trying the mouse on the 6500dpi setting, it was useable but did feel unnatural and mouse movements had to be kept to a minimum in order to stop the cursor flying off the screen. As someone who plays Battlefield 4 regularly, I use a lower dpi setting, so this really is down to preference. The option to tweak your DPI settings is there in the form of software, and although not the highest DPI mouse on the market it is slightly higher than the average. As far as precision and response goes, it is quick as a flash with its 1ms response time that won’t let you down whatever settings you decide to use.

The Rival has always pushed its ergonomic design but the first let down of the Rival 300 is the one-handed build as it is only moulded for right-handed users. Don’t get me wrong, as a right-handed person, the mouse is insanely comfortable to use for long periods of time and has textured rubber in all the right places to give you the grip you need in any game. It is just a shame that hardware companies are still making mice just for one hand. There is no reason why this mouse could not be “flipped” and have a left hand oriented design.

If you are right-handed you won’t have any issues when holding this mouse. Coupled with the ‘anti sweat coating’, you can play for hours and not have to worry about clammy hands. Lefties however, you won’t be able to use your natural hand if you want this mouse comfortably. I suggest you get onto all mouse manufacturers about providing both left and right hand models of gaming mice.

With dimensions of 2.76 (W) x 5.23 (L) x 1.8 (H) inches (70mm x 133mm x 45 mm), the mouse fits nicely in the palm of your hand. It allows the support on the parts of your hand which see the most pressure if you are a palm grip gamer. Claw grip gamers can still use the Rival 300 comfortably but they might not be able to use the side buttons as effectively because they sit pretty high on up the left hand side.

At the lower end of the mouse is the usual illuminated SteelSeries logo and much like every other mouse on the market today, you have 16.8 million colours to choose from. Further underneath the logo sits the Rival trademark and included are two name blocks you can use, the other being the SteelSeries name. A unique feature to this mouse is that if you have access to a 3D printer, there is a template on the SteelSeries website to be able to make your own block. For an eSports or professional gamer who want their brand attached to the Rival, this is a unique customisation option for those who want to make your mice that little bit more personal.

Like other SteelSeries products, the Rival uses the SteelSeries 3 Engine to allow you to control every aspect of the mouse. Change the default dpi, tweak each key to your liking and change the colours to suit your aesthetic needs. All the settings are contained in different custom profiles which you can attached to each game you play, launching them without the need to manually switch. It is all pretty standard for gaming mice to have their own control customisation software but the SteelSeries Engine has improved a lot over the years, being much easier to use and navigate through thanks to its clean UI.

As you can imagine, the Rival 300 connection is USB with about a 2 metre long cable that is plastic coated instead of braided. How it holds up over the test of time and daily use is something we will continue testing, but from experience braided cables do better when it comes to durability.

Speaking of durability, if you like to click, SteelSeries claims that you will get at least 30 million clicks out of the Rival 300 before it gives up the ghost. For example, if you had on average clicks per minute of 150, it would give you nearly 5 months of continuous 24/7 clicking before it wore out. That is probably enough clicks for most gamers, as those who are heavy duty clickers are now doubt eSports gamers who can get easy access to a brand new mouse.

As the textured coating on the mouse was quite soft, it was easily marked and have the long term problem of getting scratched easily during heavy duty gaming sessions. You should be fine as long as you’re not scoring it with your nails or a knife but it did not seem as tough as some other SteelSeries mice, like the SteelSeries Sensei Matte Edition.

Overall the SteelSeries Rival 300 mouse is great, it is nice to use for long period of time with precision and enough dpi to satisfy most gamers and their needs. The customisable block at the end of the mouse is a nice additional edition but if you don’t have access to a 3D printer, it becomes nothing more than an expensive gimmick. Apart from the some issues with the soft casing and the cable covering, the build is solid and does not have that cheap plastic feel some other gaming mice have. Each click was responsive with decent feedback and really is a mice designed to not sell on frill, but rather use. Priced at €69.99 (£51.25), it is in the middle bracket for gaming mice and would be a welcomed purchase for someone looking to replace their current worn gaming mouse for a new one, without the need for bells and whistles. If you are right-handed of course. If you are still in the market for a new mouse, don’t forget to also check out our latest review of the SteelSeries Rival 700 OLD gaming mouse.