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SteelSeries Rival Pro review: Rock solid connectivity, speed and a nifty battery system
Who knew UWB connectivity on a mouse could be so useful?
There was a time not long ago when competitive gamers shied away from wireless mice due to lackluster performance. And while that isn't a huge problem anymore, there are still some issues that many cordless cursors suffer from. But with the Rival Pro, SteelSeries has created a high-end gaming mouse that delivers better responsiveness than pretty much all of its wired rivals. It also has effectively infinite battery life and a super light shell that weighs just 53 grams. Admittedly, priced at $180, it's a bit on the expensive side, but for those who want the freedom of a wireless mouse without practically any of the downsides, the SteelSeries Rival Pro is unquestionably a top-notch gaming accessory.
As someone who uses much larger and heavier productivity mice like the Logitech MX Master 4 (150 grams) most of the day, switching over to something like the Rival Pro feels kind of magical. It's so light (53 grams) that sometimes it feels like there's nothing inside. That said, if you're truly trying to shave off every gram, there are even less bulky options like the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 3 Pro (47 grams) or the Corsair Sabre v2 Pro Ultralight (37 grams). But for me, this level of airiness is plenty.
The rest of the mouse is pretty simple. It features a four-button layout with traditional left and right mouse clicks plus two additional programmable keys on the side and a gently curved shape that feels great for righties. That said, for lefties or people who want a symmetrical design, you can simply opt for the Sensei Pro instead. There's even a mini model too, if that's what you're looking for. On the bottom, there are some large non-stick pads (100% PTFE) that make gliding across a variety of surfaces feel super slick and there's a handy button for power/adjusting your DPI.
My one small gripe with the Rival Pro's design is that its scroll wheel is just OK. It's plenty smooth enough, and pressing in feels nice and clicky. Plus its actuation point is rather shallow, which is nice for fast-paced games like shooters. Unfortunately, that's about it; there's no free spin or infinite scrolling feature like you get on some of the competition. So while it's more than enough for gaming, it's not ideal for pulling double duty as a productivity companion. I also noticed that the Rival Pro tends to show fingerprints and grease just a bit more than other mice I own, but that's nothing a quick wipedown can't solve.
Of course, the mouse itself is merely one half of the Rival Pro's kit. Inside the box, you also get a small wired base station that houses its ultra wideband (UWB) radio, instead of a tiny dongle or wireless receiver. This is what really differentiates SteelSeries' flagship mouse from its competition, as the vast majority of wireless gadgets on sale today rely on 2.4GHz or 5GHz connectivity. Those bands can get pretty congested (I notice it most often when I have other electronics like my phone or a tablet sitting between my mouse and PC), which can make your mouse feel slow or sluggish even if it has a super fancy sensor.
However, by using UWB, Steelseries is able to sidestep a ton of traffic from nearby devices, resulting in a mouse that feels fast and snappy all the time. The main downside to UWB is that it doesn't do quite as well when there are a lot of objects between the device and the transmitter. But for something like a mouse where the receiver sits nearby on a desk, that's not really an issue (unless you are trying to game on the other side of the room). The final part of the equation is that SteelSeries' base station also serves as a charger for the Rival Pro's removable batteries, but we'll get to that later.
So what is it like to game with the Rival Pro? In short, it's excellent. SteelSeries' TrueMove 42K Pro sensor is lighting fast and accurate, while also allowing you to easily tweak your DPI (all the way down to single digits for those with massive desk-