SteelSeries Rival 700 Review

👤by Tony Le Bourne Comments 📅21-08-16
Conclusion

The Rival 700 has brought some new/old ideas to the table (depending how you look at it)yet their implementation is flawless. Sure vibration and tactile feedback isn't anything new, but they are something that has been missing in the realm of mouse and keyboard gaming. The vibration is strong, and gives an extra dimension to games that is natural, like a feature that should have always been there. Additionally, the way it has been implemented had no observed effect on accuracy. This is something I can imagine many gamers will start to demand in their mouse. Considering the fact you can have a vibration alert to let you know when you score a headshot or when an ability is off cool down, affords you that extra split second to make that critical decision, an absolute must for competitive gaming.

The OLED screen is something I would genuinely question as to its usefulness to the player. It is certainly utilised in an awesome manner, including displaying in-game stats and reactions to in-game events are pretty damn cool, but it is unlikely that the player will ever want to look down at the mouse mid-game to check it out, and if they do, it serves merely as a distraction. Despite that, its implementation is non-intrusive and the customisation options it provides may reveal something more interesting as those with the capacity to think outside the box develop it further.



Something that makes the Rival 700 particularly cool is the use of a modular sensor that can be taken out and swapped for the optional Pixart 9800 laser sensor, available separately. I would argue that using the 3360 optical sensor by default is a wise decision by SteelSeries as the majority of people would likely prefer it, not to mention that in our gaming sessions its performance is smooth, fast and reliable even in the most hectic gaming moments owed to its flawless tracking/control (Something I don't recall saying about any mouse with the 9800 sensor).

There are few oversights to consider. One is the pricing as it sits at a hefty £85/$99, quite bluntly, many people would rather pay less. Though when compared to the competition, the Rival 700 has a unique feature set with top tier performance and construction. So if you are happy to fork-out that little extra, the Rival 700 will not disappoint. In fact, I would go as far to say that the advantage gained with the tactile alerts is enough of a game changer to warrant that extra consideration.

No matter what way you look at the Rival 700, SteelSeries have set a new bar for innovation by displaying the careful thought about each feature and how it would be implemented and used. After experiencing it, it isn't far fetched to expect to see more mice featuring tactile alert/rumble or vibration features, something SteelSeries can take pride in for its flawless implementation. This level of foresight has created a top class product that gamers will find many reasons to love.

The Rival 700 breaks new boundaries with a whole host of forward thinking features, yet retains the core value of being a highly accurate, high speed gaming mouse.

Pros.
+ Excellent tracking across various surfaces
+ Zero acceleration 1:1 tracking
+ Comfortable for various grip types
+ Quality construction
+ Highly customisable
+ Vibration alerts
+ 128x36 px OLED screen
+ Great software support
+ Optional accessories (choice of extra shells/sensor)

Cons.
- Not wireless


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