SteelSeries Rival 600

[Vanir]

The SteelSeries Rival 600 was introduced at CES 2018, and it pretty much instantly won the show. Objectively, according to its technical specifications, it is among the very best mice currently available. Dedicated lift-off sensor, great weight system, excellent materials, and, of course, amazing lighting for those who seek the eye-candy too.

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[Ravenas]

I was thinking the Rival 700 was the flagship? 16000 dpi versus 12000 dpi. Is Steel Series claiming the rgb makes it a flagship?

Good review. Thank you.

 

[Vanir]

I was thinking the Rival 700 was the flagship? 16000 dpi versus 12000 dpi. Is Steel Series claiming the rgb makes it a flagship?

Good review. Thank you.

You're right, they could call the 700 their flagship, as it is the most expensive model, and it also has a load of funky functions that the 600 does not. But honestly are tactile alerts and an OLED display on the side of the mouse really necessary? I guess they are for some users, but generally/objectively speaking the Rival 600 should be a better choice - if the shape fits the user of course.

CPI alone doesn't mean anything, it could be interpolated to 64,000, yet it wouldn't be better, just more malfunctions would occur. The sensor(s) in the Rival 600 are superior to the Rival 700's PMW3360 sensor (by just a little). But as for someone who has tried both, the Rival 700 is subpar in materials, weight and clicks - which makes the Rival 600 the absolute top from SteelSeries right now.

I thank you for reading!

 

[Ravenas]

You're right, they could call the 700 their flagship, as it is the most expensive model, and it also has a load of funky functions that the 600 does not. But honestly are tactile alerts and an OLED display on the side of the mouse really necessary? I guess they are for some users, but generally/objectively speaking the Rival 600 should be a better choice - if the shape fits the user of course.

CPI alone doesn't mean anything, it could be interpolated to 64,000, yet it wouldn't be better, just more malfunctions would occur. The sensor(s) in the Rival 600 are superior to the Rival 700's PMW3360 sensor (by just a little). But as for someone who has tried both, the Rival 700 is subpar in materials, weight and clicks - which makes the Rival 600 the absolute top from SteelSeries right now.

I thank you for reading!

I was interested from the perspective of just usability and material of construction. Given that you have used both, that provides me with a way to make a decision on which one I will be purchasing. Thanks.

I don't care for RGB, just want to know which one is the best of the two.

 

[Vanir]

I was interested from the perspective of just usability and material of construction. Given that you have used both, that provides me with a way to make a decision on which one I will be purchasing. Thanks.

I don't care for RGB, just want to know which one is the best of the two.

I would say the Rival 600 is noticeably superior in terms of buttons, materials, build quality/construction and weight. But their shapes aren't the same, the Rival 700 is smaller and has less pointy ledges, so if you find that one significantly more comfortable you should buy that.

 

[rtwjunkie]

I’ve gotta say, I like this so far, nice review!. I’m going to have to try it out. Gaming mice are such a personal decision it really takes buying more than one till you get it right, despite good reviews like yours.

I have big hands that almost nothing feels good in. I’ve tried the G-skill M780, but it has no comfortable place for anything beyond the adjustable rear palm.

The Patriot V560 looks good: nice and wide, and finger molds for pinky and ring fingers. To use those though, my hand sits at an unnatural direction, with the thumb being pinched between the heavily sculpted top of the cushion, and the dpi selector along the base.

I’ve settled on a long term test between the Mionix NAOS 7000 and the Coolermaster Sentinel III. Two different designs, but both ergonomically comfortable for large palm grip, which is important with carpal tunnel.

This Rival 600 looks to be a similar size and shape to the Sentinel III, which is why I’ve got to try. It seems most mouse manufacturers are of the mind that small sized people are the only gamers.

 

[Vanir]

I’ve gotta say, I like this so far, nice review!. I’m going to have to try it out. Gaming mice are such a personal decision it really takes buying more than one till you get it right, despite good reviews like yours.

I have big hands that almost nothing feels good in. I’ve tried the G-skill M780, but it has no comfortable place for anything beyond the adjustable rear palm.

The Patriot V560 looks good: nice and wide, and finger molds for pinky and ring fingers. To use those though, my hand sits at an unnatural direction, with the thumb being pinched between the heavily sculpted top of the cushion, and the dpi selector along the base.

I’ve settled on a long term test between the Mionix NAOS 7000 and the Coolermaster Sentinel III. Two different designs, but both ergonomically comfortable for large palm grip, which is important with carpal tunnel.

This Rival 600 looks to be a similar size and shape to the Sentinel III, which is why I’ve got to try. It seems most mouse manufacturers are of the mind that small sized people are the only gamers.

Thank you! Do you play a lot of precision-needed games and such? Because if not, with CTS I would probably go for a vertical mouse, as they tend to relax the wrists miles better than the average ergonomical mice. Unfortunately there are no proper gaming-grade vertical mice out there so far.

 

[vonKoga]

I own this mice for 3 months now. It's a great piece with one major flaw. Thumb grip on the left side gets sticky for some time because the glue underneath starts to come out.