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The eSports phenomenon has caused many manufacturers to develop peripherals designed for competitive video games, today we see one of the proposals released by SteelSeries, we are talking about the SteelSeries Rival 500 (Check on Amazon.com).
The Rival 500 is a gaming mouse characterized by a large number of buttons and designed for MOBA/MMO genres, but its comfortable shape and excellent sensor make it suitable for any type of video game. In total there are 15 programmable keys, those placed on the left side have a new layout that adapts to the natural shape of the thumb, to ensure a faster and easier click. The two lower buttons can be locked via a switch under the mouse, making them a true thumb rest.
Similar to what the Rival 710 (Check on Amazon.com) did, the SteelSeries Rival 500 also includes a tactile warning system, for example, you can set a timer to warn you via vibration that the cooldown timer of a given skill has run out and you can use it again.
Read more: SteelSeries Rival 710 review
The SteelSeries Rival 500 is extremely wide and hefty at 129g. The mouse is definitely more suitable for people with big hands, while the wide and flat shape works well with all types of grip.
The overall build quality is extremely solid and the rubberized texture on both sides ensures a good grip.
SteelSeries Rival 500 – SteelSeries Engine 3
The SteelSeries Rival 500 uses the well-known SteelSeries Engine 3 software. Intuitive graphics and simplicity are the two characteristics that differentiate it from the competition.
With the SteelSeries Engine 3, you can adjust the settings such as programming each button, setting profiles for various games, adjusting the RGB lighting, changing DPI and much more.
We also have Game Sense support, a responsive lighting system that changes according to in-game events such as low ammunition, health, and cooldown timers.
SteelSeries Rival 500 – Performance
The SteelSeries Rival 500 is equipped with the PWM3360 sensor, one of the most accurate and reliable sensors on the market, used in some of the most popular models among FPS players. However, this is definitely not an FPS mouse, since it is too wide and too heavy for this kind of fast movements unless you have big hands and are used to bulky mice.
For RPG games (like The Witcher, StarCraft, etc.), its 15 buttons are clearly too many but you can just program the side buttons and will be OK.
Where this mouse gives its absolute best, are the MMO and MOBA games (WOW, League of Legends, Fortnite and so on). In these games speed is crucial and having so many buttons available on one hand, can make the difference.
The mouse also allows you to have a DPI between 100 and 16000. You will probably never find yourself using 16000 DPI, but this shows you the quality of the sensor.
SteelSeries Rival 500 – Verdict
The SteelSeries Rival 500 is a mouse that finally overcomes the obsolete grid design of MMO mice. After three years in development, the result is an extremely comfortable design that fits perfectly and naturally in the hand.
The keys are well distinguished, extremely responsive and with the right feeling. The overall build quality is great and gives a sense of durability, also thanks to the switches guaranteed for up to 30 million clicks.
The PixArt PMW3360 optical sensor is among the best on the market, ensuring perfect tracking without hardware acceleration and top-notch performance even in competitive FPS games. The tactile warning system can be useful in certain situations.
The SteelSeries Rival 500 is an innovative MOBA/MMO gaming mouse and not even that expensive (Check on Amazon.com) if we consider all the features it offers.
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