The SteelSeries Rival 3 has a straight-forward looking ambidextrous design with two buttons on the left side. It has RGB lighting in a strip around the bottom of the mouse, as well as on the logo on the back. The entire mouse is black and has a low profile mouse wheel and buttons. If you don't like RGB lighting, check the BenQ Zowie S2.  Length 4.8" (121 mm) Height 1.5" (38 mm) Width 2.6" (67 mm) Grip Width 58 mm Volume 18.80 in³ (308 cm³) Cable/Receiver Storing No Like most wired gaming mice, the SteelSeries Rival 3 isn't the most portable. Its fairly tall shape may be tough to slide into smaller laptop cases, and the cable may be cumbersome in tight places, like on a plane. However, this is fairly standard with gaming mice as it'll likely stay at home with your gaming setup. The SteelSeries Rival 3's build quality is impressive for the price. The entire mouse is made out of good quality plastic and feels solid, with minimal rattle and no loose-feeling parts. The mouse wheel feels very stable, and the main L/R buttons only have a tiny amount of side-to-side travel. Lowest Weight 78.8 g Default Weight 78.8 g Weight Distribution Centered Extra Weights No The SteelSeries Rival 3 is quite light, especially if you use a bungee to remove the weight of the cable. Unfortunately, there aren't any weight optimization options. If you prefer an even lighter mouse with honeycomb-patterned holes, check out the ROCCAT Burst Pro. If you like the Rival 3 shape but prefer a honeycomb-cutout mouse, check out the SteelSeries Aerox 3 (2022). Left-Handed Friendly Yes Ambidextrous Shape Only Coating Matte Finger Rest No The SteelSeries Rival 3 is very comfortable to use. While it doesn't have a slanted, ergonomic shape like some other options, its symmetrical shape is well-suited for claw and fingertip grips. The mouse has a fairly low profile overall, but with a higher bumped back. If you prefer a mouse with textured grips on the side, then look into the Corsair HARPOON RGB. Or, if you're looking for a similar wired gaming mouse with a selection of modular pieces available to adjust the look and feel of your mouse, check out the Pwnage Ultra Custom Ergo. If you're looking for a mouse with a true ambidextrous design and a pair of buttons on both sides, check out the EVGA X12. Small Hand Yes Medium Hand Yes Large Hand No X.Large Hand No The SteelSeries Rival 3 isn't designed for palm grip, but people with small or medium-sized hands should still be able to use it with this grip. While it's too small for very large hands, people with large hands may be able to comfortably grip it, but likely will also find it too small. If you have large or very large hands, check out the SteelSeries Sensei Ten. Small Hand Yes Medium Hand Yes Large Hand Yes X.Large Hand Yes This mouse is recommended to use with claw grip. Any hand size should have no problems having a comfortable hold of the mouse and reaching all the buttons. Small Hand No Medium Hand Yes Large Hand Yes X.Large Hand Yes This mouse is good with fingertip grip, though people with smaller hands may have a hard time comfortably reaching the scroll wheel. For a gaming mouse with comparable performance that's suitable for all hand sizes using a fingertip grip, check out the Logitech G203 LIGHTSYNC. Bluetooth No Maximum Of Paired Devices Wired Receiver No Battery Type No Batteries Use When Charging No On/Off Activation None Receiver Extender No Battery Indicator No The SteelSeries Rival 3 is a wired-only mouse. If you'd like a wireless option, check out the SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless or the SteelSeries Prime Wireless. Connectivity Wired Cable Length 5.9 ft (1.8 m) Cable Type Rubber Permanent Kink Yes Port Type: Mouse End No Port Port Type: PC End USB The cable on this mouse is the same as all other SteelSeries mice. It's a good quality rubber cable, but still maintains a few kinks from packaging. Gliding Experience Good Material PTFE Extra Included No
Control Total Number Of Buttons 6 Number Of Side Buttons 2 Number Of Programmable Inputs 8 Profile Switching Button Yes Gesture Support No The SteelSeries Rival 3 has two additional side buttons, giving it a total of eight programmable buttons, including the up/down scroll. The side buttons start flush with the body and raise slightly in the middle. This makes them a bit difficult to press unless your thumb rests on them just right, and even then, the buttons are quite stiff. If you want a SteelSeries mouse with more programmable buttons, check out the SteelSeries Rival 500. Expected Connection 7.5 ms Wired 7.5 ms Receiver N/A Bluetooth N/A The SteelSeries Rival 3 has very good click latency. There's some minor inconsistency. However, this slight variation doesn't cause any noticeable difference in-game, and the experience is responsive for gaming in any genre. SRAV @ 1600 CPI -0.75% SRAV @ 800 CPI -0.63% SRAV @ 400 CPI -0.50% SRAV @ Fixed CPI N/A Precision Error Between Speeds 0.38% Precision Error Between CPI 2.36% Worst Tracking Error -3.50% Minimum CPI 200 CPI Maximum CPI 8,500 CPI CPI Adjustment Steps 100 CPI Delay To Start Of Movement 11.7 ms Delay At Half Movement 3.9 ms Delay To End Of Movement 5.7 ms Sensor Technology Optical (LED) Sensor Model TrueMove Core Works On Glass No Minimum Lift Off Distance 2.4 mm Maximum Polling Rate 1000 Hz The SteelSeries Rival 3 has a fairly wide CPI range that can be adjusted in increments of 100. While the maximum CPI isn't as high as some other gaming options, it should be high enough for most gamers. You can choose between four polling rates: 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz. If you want a similar mouse with a CPI that can be adjusted more precisely, check out the Corsair KATAR PRO XT. For a lower lift-off distance and wider CPI range, check out the HyperX Pulsefire Surge. Scroll Wheel Notched Wheel Scroll Wheel Steps 24 Steps Scroll Wheel Tilt No Thumb Wheel No Thumb Wheel Steps No Thumb Wheel The mouse wheel is decent. It doesn't have L/T tilt buttons or any horizontal scroll. The scroll itself has very soft increments and is quiet. The wheel has a very low profile and doesn't stick up far above the buttons, which makes it a bit more difficult to scroll, but easier to press for the middle click. Operating System And Software Software Name SteelSeries Engine 3 Software Windows Compatibility Yes Software macOS Compatibility Yes Account Needed No On-Board Memory Yes CPI (DPI) Adjustment Yes Polling Rate Adjustment Yes Profile Configuration Yes RGB On/Off Yes SteelSeries Engine 3 is an exceptional piece of software when paired with this mouse. It can be installed on either Windows or macOS, and you can customize every aspect of the mouse. This mouse also features on-board memory so you can save your customization options to the mouse and maintain them when switching computers. Unfortunately, while all keybindings retain when switching computers, macros cannot be saved to the on-board memory (though single key bindings can). For a mouse that has an OLED screen on the underside that you can use to change sensor settings without using software, check out the SteelSeries Prime+. Windows Compatibility Fully macOS Compatibility Fully The SteelSeries Rival 3 is fully compatible with both Windows and macOS, as the software can be installed on either OS. |
