original reddit review and video files
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/ewp9wf/steelseries_rival_3_review/
i would like to thanks Steelseries ,JHunz ,Christian and Crash for providing this rival 3 free of charge.
but this review is my own. and it will not change any of my opinions.
by the way sorry for my bad English i m french.
https://steelseries.com/gaming-mice/rival-3
Hand size,18.5x10 palm,relaxed claw and fingertip. doesn't like aggressive grips.
tldr:
sometime you forget what kind of mouse you can get for $30
outside the g203 there is not a lot of good choices.
but this mouse shake everything up!
the rival 3 is definitively the best bang for the bucks.
with outstanding build quality,great switches ,and nice rgb,this is a great mouse
that can stand tall vs the g203
sadly the mouse have some issue.
the sensor is good but the lod is too high and the placement not perfect.
it come just with just a rubber cable and thin black unrounded teflon feet.
but i guess it is the the thing that remember you it is a cheap mouse in the end.
great entry level for a first gaming mouse or a cheap serious mouse.
mouse specs:
sold around $30 or 40euro
size: 120.6 x 67 x 37.9 mm
weight: 77g
steelseries 60m blue switches (edit:made by zippy)
3 zone rgb
rubber cable 1.80m
SteelSeries TrueMove Core sensor
(probably a 3331 from pixart)
8500dpi (100 by step),35G,300ips,1000hz
unboxing :
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
the mouse come packed in one of the smallest box i seen.
almost as small as the mm710.
but the mouse comme well packed inside a cardboard piece.the cable is folded with a rubber band.
there is no bonus like extra feet or sticker.
just a quick guide.
but this is a cheap mouse so it is ok.
the mouse
sorry some dusty pictures are in there.
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
shape and shell
the shape is very nice it is the rival 110 but with separated buttons.
and a more centered hump. kinda inspired by the viper or fk shape.
i really like low humps and this shape for me is perfect for relaxed claw or fingertip.
the coating feels very good,it is matte black but it tend to pic finger oils sadly.
the mouse weight only 77g so it feels a bit hollow.
like most lightweight closed shell mice.
![Image]()
the shape of the main click is a bit strange.
they are separated and encased a bit like the g203,
they have a small confort groove at the front but have a noticeable hump on most of the area.
the mouse pretty much force you in ftip or claw.
but it feels ok.
the back is not round but a bit diamond shaped.
side button shape feel bad they are thin ,it is basically a blade that poke to your fingers.
but they help you lifting the mouse.
the shell feels solid and high end.better than mouse of double to triple the price.
mouse wheel and clicks and side buttons.
the mouse wheel is pretty smooth and kinda feel like those wedding ring mods with very light texture.
the steps are well defined,because the mouse is a bit hollow the wheel is a bit on the noisy side.
the click is a soft and light tact switch with very little travel.(probably rated 10m only)
everything feels good.
the main clicks are the best point of this mouse.
they just feel awesome,the mouse use steelseries blue 60m switches.
dunno who make them but there is rumors about ttc.
(edit:they are made by zippy)
it is the same switches as the sensei ten but to me the rival 3 is a lot better than the ten here.
better than more expensive mouse,the click are satisfying,a bit spongy with a nice travel,and a great noticeable click.
they feel a bit like omrons japans or zippy df3 p1 to me and it is one of my fav switches.
their life rating is 60m so close to the razer optical razer use.
the button have some wobble,but very minor
maybe an area in the middle would prevent this like in the kpu.
pre and post travel is good,the front of the mouse is a bit hollow so you have a bit more travel at the very tip,nothing important
side button shape suck.
thin and sharp but the switch behind them is good ,they are probably ttc switches too,the same as the viper use for the side buttons.
(edit thx to beardedbob they are kailh white)
so this is quality. pre and post travel is good.
(thx ZoroSeerus for helping me on that)
original reddit review and video files
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/ewp9wf/steelseries_rival_3_review/
mouse glide and feet
![Image]()
mouse feet shape is very good,but sadly the feet are very thin regular black teflon.
and unrounded.
so this is a missed opportunity here.
the glide is on the slow side.
the good news is,the bottom of the mouse is flat with rounded area all around the mouse itself.
without lips around the feet.
this means you can put basically every feet you want.
i would like to see more of this .
gluing a bunch of dots or zowie feet is a good idea here.
or just wait some tiger arcs for this mouse.
i guess it is part of the price.
![Image]()
mouse cable
the mouse cable is a rubber cable,it is light and thin.
but this thing keep shape and is very hard to manage.
without bungee it loves to shoot straight up ...
a paracord style cable would be a big upgrade.
i guess it is part of the price.
![Image]()
mouse sensor and click latency
the sensor is SteelSeries TrueMove Core sensor.
from the spec on the box and the sensor lens it seems to be the pixart 3331 sensor.
the same used in the roccat kain 100.
8500dpi (100 by step),35G,300ips,1000hz,this sensor was made to compete with the logitech mercury,in the g203.
on paper this sensor feels performances close to a 3360 but the implementation is pretty bad here.
there is no major problem and the mouse works very well.
but the sensor placement to me is to far to the back.
i didn't liked this sensor placement in the mm710
and i don't like it here too.
tracking feels off.
the sensor opening is very wide too,the 3331 use the same lens and opening as the 3310.
and just like the 3310 because of the large opening the sensor can be sensitive to hairs and dust.
![Image]()
the last bad thing about this sensor is lod,the 3331 have no lod settings ,and feels like a 3360 at the highest setting possible.
and this lod is just throwing off my aim.
this feels very bad and hope steelseries would be able to change the power of the ir led to reduce the lod.
i was able to make the sensor spin out,but only in a specific situation,
doing tilt slam on a cordura pad (wicked bunny sprint,and mp510)
but it was pretty hard.
while waiting of a software fix if it is possible.
the lod tape trick still works.
![Image]()
i guess it is part of the price,but still,steelseries need to change their lod and sensor placement.
for the polling rate this mouse is extremely stable,maybe more stable than the kpu.
this is very surprising here.
![Image]()
![Image]()
about the debouncing time...
i was not able to find concluding result,my result was all over the place on this mouse,sometime very fast,sometime very slow.
mostly because the switch have a very different design and feel than regular omrons.
they are extremely light too but with a noticeable tactile bump.
throwing off most of my lag tests.
![Image]()
RGB and software : steelseries engine.
![Image]()
![Image]()
engine is a very simple and clean program.
it is good but feels a bit dated.
it has some useless options like acceleration
but lack of major settings like lod and debounce times.
but it has a nice firmware updater included.
the software contain tons of rgb options.
from custom palette to animation this is all good.
the rgb is very well diffused without obvious hot spots.
it looks premium.
there is 3 zones mostly the front middle and back with the Xana logo.
without software animations doesn't work.
but the mouse save every color set as static.
so this is already better than razer.
conclusion:
so in the end this is a very good mouse for 30 bucks.
just the best bang for the buck.
that can stand proud vs the g203
this mouse feels incredible.
but steelsseries have things to change and improve
on the cable ,feet and sensor implementation
some software option like debounce time and lod would be nice.
but at least to me this mouse is better than the sensei ten.
thx for reading.
original reddit review and video files
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/ewp9wf/steelseries_rival_3_review/
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/ewp9wf/steelseries_rival_3_review/
i would like to thanks Steelseries ,JHunz ,Christian and Crash for providing this rival 3 free of charge.
but this review is my own. and it will not change any of my opinions.
by the way sorry for my bad English i m french.
https://steelseries.com/gaming-mice/rival-3
Hand size,18.5x10 palm,relaxed claw and fingertip. doesn't like aggressive grips.
tldr:
sometime you forget what kind of mouse you can get for $30
outside the g203 there is not a lot of good choices.
but this mouse shake everything up!
the rival 3 is definitively the best bang for the bucks.
with outstanding build quality,great switches ,and nice rgb,this is a great mouse
that can stand tall vs the g203
sadly the mouse have some issue.
the sensor is good but the lod is too high and the placement not perfect.
it come just with just a rubber cable and thin black unrounded teflon feet.
but i guess it is the the thing that remember you it is a cheap mouse in the end.
great entry level for a first gaming mouse or a cheap serious mouse.
mouse specs:
sold around $30 or 40euro
size: 120.6 x 67 x 37.9 mm
weight: 77g
steelseries 60m blue switches (edit:made by zippy)
3 zone rgb
rubber cable 1.80m
SteelSeries TrueMove Core sensor
(probably a 3331 from pixart)
8500dpi (100 by step),35G,300ips,1000hz
unboxing :
the mouse come packed in one of the smallest box i seen.
almost as small as the mm710.
but the mouse comme well packed inside a cardboard piece.the cable is folded with a rubber band.
there is no bonus like extra feet or sticker.
just a quick guide.
but this is a cheap mouse so it is ok.
the mouse
sorry some dusty pictures are in there.
shape and shell
the shape is very nice it is the rival 110 but with separated buttons.
and a more centered hump. kinda inspired by the viper or fk shape.
i really like low humps and this shape for me is perfect for relaxed claw or fingertip.
the coating feels very good,it is matte black but it tend to pic finger oils sadly.
the mouse weight only 77g so it feels a bit hollow.
like most lightweight closed shell mice.
the shape of the main click is a bit strange.
they are separated and encased a bit like the g203,
they have a small confort groove at the front but have a noticeable hump on most of the area.
the mouse pretty much force you in ftip or claw.
but it feels ok.
the back is not round but a bit diamond shaped.
side button shape feel bad they are thin ,it is basically a blade that poke to your fingers.
but they help you lifting the mouse.
the shell feels solid and high end.better than mouse of double to triple the price.
mouse wheel and clicks and side buttons.
the mouse wheel is pretty smooth and kinda feel like those wedding ring mods with very light texture.
the steps are well defined,because the mouse is a bit hollow the wheel is a bit on the noisy side.
the click is a soft and light tact switch with very little travel.(probably rated 10m only)
everything feels good.
the main clicks are the best point of this mouse.
they just feel awesome,the mouse use steelseries blue 60m switches.
dunno who make them but there is rumors about ttc.
(edit:they are made by zippy)
it is the same switches as the sensei ten but to me the rival 3 is a lot better than the ten here.
better than more expensive mouse,the click are satisfying,a bit spongy with a nice travel,and a great noticeable click.
they feel a bit like omrons japans or zippy df3 p1 to me and it is one of my fav switches.
their life rating is 60m so close to the razer optical razer use.
the button have some wobble,but very minor
maybe an area in the middle would prevent this like in the kpu.
pre and post travel is good,the front of the mouse is a bit hollow so you have a bit more travel at the very tip,nothing important
side button shape suck.
thin and sharp but the switch behind them is good ,they are probably ttc switches too,the same as the viper use for the side buttons.
(edit thx to beardedbob they are kailh white)
so this is quality. pre and post travel is good.
(thx ZoroSeerus for helping me on that)
original reddit review and video files
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/ewp9wf/steelseries_rival_3_review/
mouse glide and feet
mouse feet shape is very good,but sadly the feet are very thin regular black teflon.
and unrounded.
so this is a missed opportunity here.
the glide is on the slow side.
the good news is,the bottom of the mouse is flat with rounded area all around the mouse itself.
without lips around the feet.
this means you can put basically every feet you want.
i would like to see more of this .
gluing a bunch of dots or zowie feet is a good idea here.
or just wait some tiger arcs for this mouse.
i guess it is part of the price.
mouse cable
the mouse cable is a rubber cable,it is light and thin.
but this thing keep shape and is very hard to manage.
without bungee it loves to shoot straight up ...
a paracord style cable would be a big upgrade.
i guess it is part of the price.
mouse sensor and click latency
the sensor is SteelSeries TrueMove Core sensor.
from the spec on the box and the sensor lens it seems to be the pixart 3331 sensor.
the same used in the roccat kain 100.
8500dpi (100 by step),35G,300ips,1000hz,this sensor was made to compete with the logitech mercury,in the g203.
on paper this sensor feels performances close to a 3360 but the implementation is pretty bad here.
there is no major problem and the mouse works very well.
but the sensor placement to me is to far to the back.
i didn't liked this sensor placement in the mm710
and i don't like it here too.
tracking feels off.
the sensor opening is very wide too,the 3331 use the same lens and opening as the 3310.
and just like the 3310 because of the large opening the sensor can be sensitive to hairs and dust.
the last bad thing about this sensor is lod,the 3331 have no lod settings ,and feels like a 3360 at the highest setting possible.
and this lod is just throwing off my aim.
this feels very bad and hope steelseries would be able to change the power of the ir led to reduce the lod.
i was able to make the sensor spin out,but only in a specific situation,
doing tilt slam on a cordura pad (wicked bunny sprint,and mp510)
but it was pretty hard.
while waiting of a software fix if it is possible.
the lod tape trick still works.
i guess it is part of the price,but still,steelseries need to change their lod and sensor placement.
for the polling rate this mouse is extremely stable,maybe more stable than the kpu.
this is very surprising here.
about the debouncing time...
i was not able to find concluding result,my result was all over the place on this mouse,sometime very fast,sometime very slow.
mostly because the switch have a very different design and feel than regular omrons.
they are extremely light too but with a noticeable tactile bump.
throwing off most of my lag tests.
RGB and software : steelseries engine.
engine is a very simple and clean program.
it is good but feels a bit dated.
it has some useless options like acceleration
but lack of major settings like lod and debounce times.
but it has a nice firmware updater included.
the software contain tons of rgb options.
from custom palette to animation this is all good.
the rgb is very well diffused without obvious hot spots.
it looks premium.
there is 3 zones mostly the front middle and back with the Xana logo.
without software animations doesn't work.
but the mouse save every color set as static.
so this is already better than razer.
conclusion:
so in the end this is a very good mouse for 30 bucks.
just the best bang for the buck.
that can stand proud vs the g203
this mouse feels incredible.
but steelsseries have things to change and improve
on the cable ,feet and sensor implementation
some software option like debounce time and lod would be nice.
but at least to me this mouse is better than the sensei ten.
thx for reading.
original reddit review and video files
https://www.reddit.com/r/MouseReview/comments/ewp9wf/steelseries_rival_3_review/
