We test all of our mice over a variety of surfaces: glass, Perspex, wood, metal and a variety of foam weave mouse mats. The Rival didn't present any issues with any of the surfaces we tested on with the same accuracy and precision found on all of them.

General Use
For everyday testing we completed, well, everyday tasks. We didn't have any complaints about the Rival as it was comfortable yet precise during whatever task it was asked to perform. To test for precision we used Photoshop as editing pictures on a pixel by pixel basis can be tedious at best and downright frustrating if you have a mouse that cannot perform as expected. Again, the Rival impressed us, not least thanks to loading our pre-configured profile set for low sensitivity automatically when Photoshop loaded. Of course we could have simply switched DPI using the applicable mouse button but this additional feature is still a very neat addition to the package.

Overall, for everyday tasks the Rival performed admirably. If we had a complaint it would be that the side buttons can be depressed a little too easily, often resulting accidental presses which, if there is a macro assigned to said button, could lead to frustration. Other than that though, the mouse was a pleasure to use.



Gaming
FPS gaming was sublime with the Rival. We all have our own little trick macros and configuring the mouse before use was a cinch. Within minutes we were up and running on our favourite games fragging away like we had been using the mouse for months, if not years which, in our opinion is the sign of a great mouse. IF it feels 'right' you will not notice it and your gameplay will inevitably improve as everything will be instinctive rather than forced. The Rival simply felt natural; perhaps it could even be described as ergonomically perfect. Obviously this will depend greatly on whether you like a mouse that is controlled by the fingers or the palm. We tried both ways and found the Rival to be equally use full regardless of your posture.

RTS gaming was equally good. While there are certainly better mice on the market for RTS gaming, The Rival performed as well as any other FPS orientated mouse on the market. Our criticism is perhaps due to the lack of buttons on the Rival but to make up for this shortfall, the Macro facility would certainly prove useful for assigning groups, calling up reinforcements or casting that all important spell.

Overall, we found the Rival to be a very well equipped mouse but most importantly, a very comfortable mouse to use whether it’s for general use or gaming.