CONCLUSION

   To date the only mouse that has sat on my primary desk for longer than 1 full year has been the SENSEI MLG again by SteelSeries so when they announced the RIVAL roughly 6 months ago i couldn't wait to see if this was the mouse to replace it. The answer is not so straightforward although the RIVAL left us with very good impressions. So on one hand we have the Avago/Pixart ADNS-3310 IR-LED optical sensor which may just be one of the three best sensors in the market today (offers excellent and smooth tracking), the custom SteelSeries switches that do feel great when pressed, the Engine 3 software that looks a lot better than its predecessor and the design of the RIVAL which is indeed slightly better than that of the SENSEI MLG (the coating and rubber grips help a lot). On the other hand however the build quality doesn't seem as sturdy as that of the SENSEI MLG while the 2m long cable has a very soft rubber coating which we don't know how long it will last always compared to braided and double braided cables.

   With a current price tag set at USD59.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 60Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the RIVAL Optical Gaming Mouse by SteelSeries is roughly 30% cheaper compared to the SENSEI MLG and that's reason enough for us to ignore its tiny flaws. Overall SteelSeries has designed and manufactured a very fast and accurate gaming mouse with excellent grip and a control software that puts most others in the market to shame (although I’d really like to see an surface analyzer like the one Mionix uses). Sure it's far from perfect and i still prefer the SENSEI MLG but for that kind of cash the RIVAL is one of the best possible gaming mice you could get your hands on (if not the best) and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Design
- Grip (Anti-Sweat Coating/Rubber Grips)
- 6500 CPI Avago ADNS-3310 IR-LED Optical Sensor
- Custom SteelSeries Switches (30m Clicks)
- 6 Programmable Buttons
- SteelSeries Engine 3/CloudSync Software
- Illumination Control (2 Different Zones)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Right Hand Use (For Some)
- Soft Rubber Coated Cable