Steelseries Rival 5 Gaming Mouse Evaluation

The Steelseries Rival 5 is a wired first-person shooter (FPS) mouse—a rarity within the final yr or so—that offers you 9 buttons, a strong form with a very good grip, and plenty of RGBs, all for a mere $59.99. Sadly, the under-thumb “sniper” button on the aspect of the mouse is tough to achieve, disrupting the cozy grip. If you may get previous that minor however irritating flaw, the Rival 5 is a well-made and reasonably priced gaming mouse, however when you’re particularly out there for an FPS mouse, the Rival 5 could also be an excessive amount of of a attain.

A Stretch for Your Thumb

Steelseries describes the Rival 5 as a wired multi-genre mouse, however by way of bodily design, it’s particularly a right-handed FPS mouse with 9 buttons. On high, you’ve two clicks, a scroll wheel, and a DPI biking button. On the left (thumb) aspect, you’ve a single giant up-down toggle swap that juts out simply above the Again and Ahead buttons. The toggle may be very helpful when you want a fast approach to cycle by weapons in a sport, and it additionally works effectively for common makes use of reminiscent of adjusting audio quantity.

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Lastly, there’s a big silver rectangular button close to the entrance of the mouse, a bit in entrance of the spot the place the tip of your thumb ought to relaxation. A thumb button is commonly known as a sniper button and used to quickly drop your mouse’s DPI to facilitate headshots in FPS video games. Oddly, the Rival 5 would not allow you to map the button to that perform, nevertheless it nonetheless qualifies as an FPS mouse in my ebook.

Like different FPS mice, the Rival 5 has a form that emphasizes consolation over velocity. Measuring 1.84 by 2.94 by 5.13 inches (HWD), it’s barely lengthy, however solely simply barely. Weighing 3.10 ounces, it isn’t as mild as Steelseries’ new Prime esports mice, such because the Prime Wi-fi, nevertheless it nonetheless glides shortly and simply. The high-humped chassis guides your hand right into a draped place that is comfy to carry for lengthy stretches. 

Regardless of that, the Rival 5’s match is a bit off. Particularly, it is tough to discover a place that each feels pure and lets you attain the sniper button. Whereas testing the mouse, I needed to both attain so far as attainable to graze the button or choke up on the mouse to faucet it correctly. Adjusting my grip to make use of the button wasn’t wholly uncomfortable, however I naturally grasp the mouse additional down. Even once I supposed to choke up on it, I discovered myself reverting to the extra comfy place, taking the button out of play, with out fascinated by it. And this will’t actually be blamed on the Rival 5 being a one-size-fits-all mouse; I’ve used loads of FPS mice with out experiencing the same challenge. The button is only a smidge too far ahead.

Although discovering the appropriate grip is usually a drawback, holding that grip isn’t. A coating on the Rival 5’s matte black shell helps maintain your hand in place.

The Rival 5 additionally presents fairly the sunshine present. It options 4 lighting components: a brand within the palm, a scroll wheel, and two accent mild bars close to the highest of the mouse. Every bar will be modified in as much as 4 locations. It is too dangerous you could’t see any of the RGBs whereas utilizing the mouse.

Beneath the hood, the Rival 5 options Steelseries’ TrueMove Air sensor, the identical one used within the Prime Wi-fi. The TrueMove Air can observe at as much as 18,000 DPI and stays correct at as much as 400 inches per second. It’s a really robust sensor for a mid-tier wired mouse, although many producers appear to be pushing towards utilizing high-end sensors in all mice, no matter worth.

The Engine That Might

The Rival 5 is straightforward to configure with Steelseries’ software program. On Home windows, Steelseries’ new help app, GG, contains the complete Engine configuration app, plus a screen-capture instrument known as Moments. GG shouldn’t be obtainable on Mac but, however Mac gamers can nonetheless configure the mouse utilizing the legacy Steelseries Engine app.

Engine is a compact, utilitarian app that allows you to set DPI presets, remap buttons, create macros, and customise RGB lighting. It additionally has some extra superior options, reminiscent of adjusting acceleration and angle snapping, that aren’t in lots of config apps. The consumer interface is supposed to look very high-tech, nevertheless it’s straightforward to seek out what you’re searching for and make adjustments.

The Rival 5 shops its default mouse profile in onboard reminiscence, and Engine can retailer further profiles in your laptop. A single onboard profile is actually the naked minimal, nevertheless it’s acceptable given the mouse’s comparatively low worth.

A Rival, a Contender

Even with a small however obvious form challenge, the Rival 5 is a really strong wired gaming mouse. At $59.99, it prices only a tad greater than you’d spend on a primary esports mouse, and you will get three additional buttons and a glittery RGB setup. When you’re severe about your FPS play and wish a sniper button, I’d nudge you towards a golden oldie just like the Razer Basilisk. (Razer makes no less than three of them now at completely different worth factors). When you simply need a terrific all-around mouse, although, the Rival 5 is comfy, handsome, and straightforward to make use of.