SteelSeries
SteelSeries Rival 700: a high-end over-equipped mouse
Aprox. 166€
See specificationsIntroduced in early 2016, the Rival 700 was already in our hands last spring, before it returned to the manufacturer without us having had time to fully evaluate it. Its launch was indeed delayed by several months, which allowed SteelSeries to refine its new high-end mouse and improve the support for its specific functions in games. A year later, let's see what this mouse is worth which is distinguished by its Oled screen and its small vibrator.
Positive points
Very precise and reactive optical sensor, replaceable by a laser sensor (option).
Comfortable grip.
Interesting tactile alerts (vibrations).
Soft and well notched wheel.
Good build quality.
Interchangeable shell.
Bad points
A little heavy (136.5 g without cable).
Oled screen not very useful.
Third slice button not very accessible.
Only a few games are fully compatible with touch alerts.
Our review
Precision
Although the sensor of the Rival 700 is interchangeable, SteelSeries did not go to the economy by choosing to equip its mouse with the excellent PMW3360 from Pixart. This optical sensor is found today in a number of middle and above all high-end mice and we still appreciate its very good behavior. It thus works on many surfaces, except on glass and transparent or too shiny materials. Its accuracy is also excellent, as is its reactivity, which is not surprising since it can withstand accelerations up to 50G and operates at a speed of 7.62 m / s. The player who succeeds in getting him picked up has not yet been born.
For its part, the maximum sensitivity of 16,000 dpi is once again only there to shine on the technical sheet. Indeed, at this level, a movement of 2 cm is enough to make the cursor move across the width of 3 Ultra HD screens, which is quite simply unusable. Of course, who can do the most can do the least, but it is no longer this parameter that matters on modern mice, all - apart from the very first prices - now supporting very high sensitivities. In addition, pros gamers mostly settle for less than 1,000 dpi.
We did not have the opportunity to test the optional ADNS-9800 laser sensor, but it is also intended to be rather high-end, with characteristics which, although lower than those of the optical sensor, will follow the larger number: maximum speed of 3.81 m / s, acceleration of 30G, sensitivity of 8,200 dpi. Above all, it should in principle accommodate a larger number of surfaces, since the laser is known to also work on glass.
Conclusion
The specific functions and modularity of the Rival 700 blow hot and cold. The possibility of changing the shell and the sensor are appreciable, the tactile alerts are not without interest, but the Oled screen is more of a gadget. Above all, this sum of technologies makes the mouse fairly heavy, while its size should rather be intended for fast games. If the Rival 700 just misses the fifth star, it is nonetheless precise and pleasant to use.
Specifications