Setup, Design & Observations
First impressions after opening the box is how sturdy the mouse feels, and though it is a mid-sized mouse, it is rather dense, making it feel heavier than it actually is. All those modular parts undoubtedly drive up the weight to 135g, though in fairness, it isn't too heavy. In the hand it feels comfortable for both palm and claw grip.
The Rival 700 comes bundled with 2x cables, a shorter PVC one and a longer braided one, and they have a custom fit microUSB connector and slides underneath the front of the mouse. To remove the cable, you pull on the little lever provided and it lifts the cable out and can then be easily removed, which is a neat little inclusion.
The main buttons feel robust, like they can withstand a beating, this trend carries on with the mousewheel and side buttons, each having a satisfying response.
There are a few things I found interesting in use, firstly the orange tactile nodules for thumb positioning, after a while I never really noticed them, but I don't think they are entirely needed, and to dive a little further, neither is the OLED screen. It displays GIFs rather well, and the options are endless in regards to how you can use it to customise your mouse.
To remove the outer shell, remove the rubber nameplate then lift the shell from the rear and it will pop off. The sensor can be removed by unscrewing the four screws then gently pull the module out, it has been designed well to minimise any likelyhood of user damage, so you don't need to worry about trashing anything by doing this.
Performance
We tested out the 3360 optical sensor by setting it to its maximum DPI and using it on plain black fabric mouse mat, white paper, plain cardboard, glossy coloured magazine, and bare desktop surface (glossy wood veneer). It performed flawlessly across each surface with only a minor deviation to report on the glossy coloured card. The pointer is practically jitter free, responsive and smooth, to the likes that reminds me of the Logitech G900.
In DOTA2, the precision and control afforded fills you with confidence, the mouse goes where you want it to go intuitively and quickly. The vibration alerts quickly become obvious as to their meaning and provide an extra element to the game that console gamers have been afforded for quite some time. Running out of an engagement leaving you with lower than 20% HP caused the mouse to pulse as a warning, creating extra urgency and tension, and surprisingly, as claimed by SteelSeries, the vibration had absolutely zero effect on the mouse tracking/accuracy. Ability cool down alerts gave that extra game awareness to the extend I found myself no longer using a split second to glance at any ability cooldown time, but waiting for the vibration. Similarly in CS:GO, the precision was flawless, and the vibration alerts felt satisfying, especially when you score a headshot. I was vaguely aware of the OLED screen doing things while playing, but it would be reasonable to assume that this is actually something more for the benefit of any nearby spectators as it seems rather unreasonable to look away at your mouse unless you are dead.
