As in the name CS: GO (Counter Strike Go) this mouse has been designed to full immerse the gamers experience within that game, the question is, is the mouse worth while, if you just like the style/design and its benefits for other games?
Everything on the sales patter points to this mouse being a CS: GO mouse, strip away all the sales patter, this mouse is the same as the STD Rival 300, so really this mouse can be used for any game regardless of Steelseries Pitching to CS: GO players only.
I love the design, and the style, it really stands out, with what this mouse offers in terms of performance, makes me want it even more, even though CS: GO is not a game I play.
Just look at the features:
- 8 Million colour variations via 2 zones,
- Switches that maintain their tactile feel for over 30 million clicks,
- 50 – 6500 max DPI,
- 6 fully programmable buttons,
- Optical sensor pixel perfect precision with zero acceleration,
- 3D printable name plate,
- Durable and dense sculpted side grips,
Features in more detail:
The optical sensor is the Pixart PMW3310, which means nothing all to me, but may mean a lot to pro gamers, offers zero hardware acceleration with true 1:1 tracking and precise movements. Steelseries claim that the CPI is best in class offers 50 to 6500.
The 30 million click tactile mouse buttons are audible, but also very subtle, to people that don’t understand those terms, they good and quiet.
With the use of Steelseries Engine 3 you can fully customise all 6 buttons, the polling rate (In other words, 125 Hz polling rate means the mouse is reporting its position to the computer every 8 milliseconds. A 500 Hz rate would mean that the mouse is reporting its position to the computer every 2 milliseconds.) Angle Snapping (means that if enabled the mouse will help you draw straight lines) and finally, fine tune the mouse acceleration and deceleration.
3D printable name plates, this is something new, at the back of the mouse is a rubber RIVAL logo, which can be removed and replaced with your own personal designed 3D printed logo, you can download the file from the Steelseries website, you just need access to a 3D printer, to start creating your own LOGO’s. A neat little feature, but kind of useless unless you are a teacher and the school has 3D printers you can use, a student and have access to one while in school, or a rich bitch and just likes to have the latest tech hanging around the home.
If you are a CS GO Player?
You’re going to love this mouse even more and Steelseries and Valve have worked together to give you a superior advantage on the battlefield over other rivals, with the use of GameSense, a Steelseries beta program that brings special features to their mice.
*currently only support 3 bloody games since it was launched, come on Steelseries make it more open.
This is what they state, not me, I think they say it better;
Get ready for in-game notifications from CS: GO to illuminate your official licensed CS: GO Rival 300 Fade Edition mouse! You can set any illumination effects that can change in real time based on various game events and statuses. See your health/armor status, ammo level, money, kill count, how blinded you were by a flash bang and more CS: GO data all at your fingertips with 2 independently controlled lighting zones.
*these feature also work on all Steelseries peripherals that run off Steelseries Engine 3 and configures via gamesense.
The mouse was designed by some of the best esports teams in the world FNATIC, TYLOO and NATUS VINCERE.
Technical waffle out of the way,
I found the shape of the Rival 300, very comfortable, not too big or too small, the sculptured side grips really helped to control the mouse and gave a great feel for the overall, experience. Steeslseries state that these new grips and more resistant to sweat and abrasion, I hope so because my hand sweats a lot. The side buttons are well placed and easy to click, and you will not find yourself trying to find the best place to put your hand to enjoy your gaming experience, very ergonomic is believed the word to use is.
As we all my gaming peripherals, setting up colours for each game is a must, I know it’s not a true must, but it’s fun, I set everything to orange for The Division, I set up the DPI button as an ALT key to make shifting over walls faster. Almost every game, I have set, a certain colour for it, and set up the side keys to do certain commands.
There are currently 3 Rival versions the 100,300 and 700 all with different price points and features, I would choose the 300 over all of them, the 700 is awesome, if you play the 3 games on gamesense, otherwise its an over priced, technically advance mouse that does the same as the rival 300, with the Rival 100 being a starting ground gaming genre of mouse peripheral.
If you are looking for a mouse the feels great. Looks great, has plenty of customisable features, longevity and looks dam sweet, you can not go wrong with the Rival 300, if you want something better and play DOTA, Minecraft and CS: GO and want a more fun experience then you might love the 700 series.
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