I really enjoyed reviewing the Rival 600 in its day, and I can say the same of the Rival 650. It's a premium mouse with mostly premium features. The shape is mainly built for right-handed palm gripping and people without small hands—at least generally speaking as it's all up to personal preference. It was definitely a bit too big for my 18x9 cm hands, but what doesn't suit me may suit you perfectly (I'm also mainly a claw gripper).

As for the surface treatment, the Rival 650 uses the exact same materials as its wired predecessor, so again, no big surprises here. The main coating is fantastic. It's extremely smooth yet very grippy, which should prevent slipping even with sweaty hands. It does collect fingerprints very quickly, unfortunately. The build quality is pretty much perfect; nothing squeaks, creaks, or rattles, and everything is aligned perfectly, which is rare with gaming mice, and I'm really glad the Rival 650 got it right.

The Rival 650 has an adjustable weight system that lets you add up to 32 grams of extra weight. However, the mouse is already quite heavy without these, weighing a staggering 121 grams out of the box. Add these weights and it weighs 153 grams, which is a lot. Although many people still go for these heavy mice, they're generally not the best choice for your wrist joints in the long run, not to mention precision aiming, which is usually better with a lighter mouse (again highly intuitive, though).

Sensor-wise, there is not much to say besides that the Rival 650 is flawless. The TrueMove3+ does its job incredibly well; tracking is accurate, raw, and responsive, and the secondary sensor reduces LOD and eliminates cursor movement for when you pick the mouse up. Buttons are just fantastic on the Rival 650, although this wasn't a surprise since SteelSeries nailed them on the Rival 600 as well—no unnecessary travel, nothing's loose or stiff, and everything clicks as it should. The main switches are rated for 60 million clicks, which isn't a given for a gaming mouse. The speed of the wireless connection is something I cannot count as a negative or a positive. As of right now, it's a tad above average compared to most wireless gaming mice, but it still doesn't provide as low a latency as Logitech does, for example. However, it's great to see that many manufacturers are joining the high-level wireless gaming mouse market.

Thankfully, the cable is light and flexible, and I think it's safe to say that it's better than on many wired mice in the market, which is rather ironic for a wireless mouse. It's 2 m long, which should generally be enough for everyone. When it comes to mouse feet, SteelSeries could have and should have done better. The stock feet are alright. They glide smoothly, but their friction is a bit high, and with such a heavy mouse, you can really feel its effect. I would advise getting some pure PTFE aftermarket replacements for a better glide, and even more so than with other mice as there are no replacement skates in the box, which is outrageous for the price.

SteelSeries Engine 3 is responsible for the software settings of the Rival 650, and it does a wonderful job. It is really fast and smooth, works without any issues, and even looks great if you ask me. RGB lighting surely cannot miss from such a premium gaming product, and this mouse has got it all right. There are eight individually controllable lighting zones and a number of different effects, and all of them look cool. The transitions are very smooth, and the colors are vivid and bright.

The Rival 650 is a great mouse, but I cannot call it an Editor's Choice. It's heavy, doesn't feature 1 ms latency as SteelSeries claims, and has a very high price tag. At $119.99, it's an expensive product; however, it is truly premium as well. Great materials, great internal parts, great software, great firmware—all these add up, and I'm still happy to recommend it to those who find the shape comfortable in their hands, and the price comfortable for their wallet.