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The SteelSeries Rival 5 has the appearance and weight of a gaming mouse that is far more expensive. When we first grabbed this $60 peripheral out of its packaging, we couldn’t help but wonder what made it different from the $80 SteelSeries Rival 600. Even three years after its initial debut, the SteelSeries Rival 600 is still a strong competitor for the title of finest gaming mouse available on the market.
We are happy to report that the answer is “not much.” The SteelSeries Rival 5 does not have weights that can be adjusted, but it does have a pleasant, ergonomic grip, magnificent LED lighting strips, a multitude of programmable controls, and a suite of SteelSeries software that is reasonable. In addition to that, it possesses an additional button labeled “paddle,” which we were never quite able to master. In any case, it has very little impact on the quality of life of an otherwise wonderful mouse.
SteelSeries Rival 5 Specifications
The ‘TrueMove Air Sensor’ and the nine customizable buttons on the SteelSeries Rival 5 are the two features that stand out as the most beneficial aspects of this gaming headset for competitive play.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| CPI | 100–18,000 in 100 CPI Increments |
| IPS | 400, on SteelSeries QcK surfaces |
| Polling Rate | 1000Hz / 1 ms |
| Weight | 85g |
| Cable Length | 2 m / 6.7 ft |
| Switches | IP54 microswitches |
| Size (Dimensions) | 68.15 x 128 x 41 mm |
| Check Price |
SteelSeries Rival 5 Review: Design
If you’ve used the SteelSeries Rival 600 before, you should know what to expect from the SteelSeries Rival 5. The Rival 5 is an ergonomic right-handed mouse, just like its more expensive cousin. It has a high, ridged palm rest, a small hole for the thumb, and two LED strips going down each side. On the palm rest, the SteelSeries logo also lights up.
For a mouse of this size, there are quite a few buttons. In addition to the left and right buttons, there is also a scroll wheel that you can click and a DPI (dots per inch) sensitivity adjustment right below that. But things get interesting on the left side of the mouse. There are two thin thumb buttons and a “sniper” button that, by default, briefly lowers DPI. All of that is pretty normal.
What’s strange, though, is the small “paddle” button just above the two thumb buttons. The idea is that you put your thumb on this long, thin button and press it either up or down for different results. You could use this to zoom in or out with a sniper gun, change the speed up or down in a racecar, switch between weapons in an action/RPG, or do anything else that works better with controls that work in both directions.
SteelSeries Rival 5 Review: Features
The SteelSeries Rival 5 has a few unique characteristics, largely implemented in the software, in addition to its unusual paddle. The Rival 5 is powered by the updated SteelSeries Engine software, which is also found in the company’s other products. The SteelSeries Engine has consistently been one of the best programs for gaming peripherals, allowing for simple adjustments to the lighting, shortcut button programming, and profile creation for certain games and applications.
Changing the DPI settings or remapping the thumb buttons is a breeze using SteelSeries Engine. (The previous version of Engine only allowed you to program two distinct DPI settings; now you can program five or more.) The Rival 5’s two bright, colorful LED strips are the main attraction, since they can be programmed to display a variety of beautiful lighting patterns. Having RGB lighting that you can actually see (unlike the palm logo, which your hand generally covers) is incredibly useful, whether you want a static color for each game you play or a pulsating rainbow while you work.
SteelSeries Rival 5 Review: Performance
The SteelSeries Rival 5 has a SteelSeries TrueMove Air optical sensor with up to 18,000 DPI, 40G of force, and a 1,000kHz polling rate. The high-end sensor in this mouse gives it accurate tracking with almost no dragging. It feels good and quick to use no matter what kind of game you are playing. The mouse feet are so smooth that you feel like you’re sliding across the mouse mat when you move them. I have nothing bad to say about that.
The SteelSeries IP54 Mechanical Switches can handle up to 80 million clicks, which means they will definitely last long enough. Overall, the buttons are responsive and firm, and I never pressed or double-pressed them by mistake. The clicks feel softer and sound quieter than on other gaming mice, which might not be what you want from your gaming gear but might be better for people who share their home office.
You’ll need the Steelseries GG suite, which comes with the Steelseries Engine app, to set up the mouse. You’ll be able to change the DPI, change how the buttons work, change how the RGB lights work, and change more complicated things about the mouse, like how it moves and how it snaps to angles.
Verdict
The SteelSeries Rival 5 is a good gameplay mouse for FPS games. It seems to be well-made, isn’t too heavy, and has a comfortable right-handed shape that works well for all grip types. However, it’s not a good fit for people with small or medium-sized hands. It also has a low click delay, a wide CPI range, and a very low lift-off distance. You can only change the CPI by steps of 100, which is a shame. There is also only space for one user and only a few settings can be saved.
SteelSeries Rival 5 Review: The good and The bad
For first-person shooter games, nothing beats the SteelSeries Rival 5. It has a solid feel, is not too heavy, and is contoured for right-handed use.
The Good
- Lots of RGB customization
- Affordable
The Bad
- Shape is a little flat
Questions and Answers
The following changes will be saved to the memory on your Rival 5: What each button on the keyboard and mouse does. CPI. Rate of polling.
No. Siberia 800 is USB class compliant, which means it is plug-and-play. This means that you don’t need any extra drivers or software to use it with your PC, Mac, PlayStation, or Xbox.