Steelseries Rival 300 Gaming Mouse Reviewed

You probably know that as a gamer you need a special kind of mouse, which brings you things that a conventional mouse can’t.

But is the SteelSeries Rival 300 mouse the right choice for you?

Many gamers seem to talk about it, but is it good at all? This review will let you know so when we take a close look at the performance and specifications of the Rival 300.

Therefore, I invite you to keep reading, in order to discover everything about this product and find out if it is as good as people claim.

Let us start out with a simple review summary and the pros and cons of the product. In order to give you a quick overview.

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After this quick recap, let’s get into the detailed reviews, so you can discover everything about it.

A Detailed Review: Design, Performance, Comparison and More

There are many things we have got to review and let’s start by checking the design and aesthetics.

The Design and Aesthetics:

Although it’s not my favorite in terms of aesthetics, the design of this mouse is pretty good and very comfortable. I have to say that the lighting is pretty nice, which makes it look pretty cool. Also, it has several different colors to choose from, as well as the very flashy CS:GO hyper beast edition.

Let’s check the specs quickly:

• Weight:7 grams
• Height: 40mm
• Width:5mm
• Length:7mm
• DPI: 50-6500
• Grip style: Palm/claw

The size of this mouse is optimal. The height and length are simply perfect, and this translates into more comfort for your hand even after long gaming sessions.

I really like how it fits the hand “naturally”. If you hate those gaming mice which makes your hand feel awkward, then you are going to fall in love with the SteelSeries Rival 300. The way the back of the mouse fits into the palm feels so well.

Although this mouse features an incredible ergonomic design, I need to be critical in two senses:

1. If you are the kind of gamer who likes to “claw-grip”, then the length of the mouse will be a problem. It’s not too large, but it may be an issue.
2. If your hands are fatter than average, then the reduced hump of the mouse may be a problem, because it will make you feel less comfortable.

Other than it’s amazing ergonomics due to the palm grip structure. I also have to add that the anti-sweat coating is another amazing feature and you can easily guess why.

If we talk about comfort, then the Rival 300 is an amazing choice. It has some flaws that I’ve mentioned, so take them into account. But in general, it is very comfortable thanks to its optimal size and great features like anti-sweat coating.

The Performance:

We’ve talked enough about the design, now it’s time to talk about its performance in the game.

A gaming mouse without a good sensor is simply nothing… nada! Fortunately, the Rival 300 comes with an ultra-accurate sensor for great tracking and superb accuracy. Making it a very popular choice among FPS and MOBA gamers, it is even commonly seen used in professional eSports events.

Now it’s time to talk about the buttons. Even though they are not the best, the mouse clicks are pretty solid. The side buttons are in a good spot, as for people with short fingers they may be a bit too far forward on the mouse.

The Software:

If you are a fan of customization, then the software will allow you to tailor this mouse and its settings to your own needs. That’s why I’ve included an exclusive section for reviewing it.

If you are tired of hard-to-use software that drives you mad, then you are going to fall in love with this one, because it makes everything easy.

You can customize everything in this mouse. Thanks to being an RGB mouse, you can choose between 16 million colors. Moreover, you can also choose between different effects like color shift and breathing, which make it look pretty badass.

Something that I’m fascinated with is the GameSense feature, which allows you to use different presets for certain events in the game. For example, if you are running low on health, then a specific light preset will activate. It’s not so useful, but it’s pretty cool.

But now let’s talk about a setting that has to do more with the performance in the game. You can adjust the DPI very easily thanks to the gauges. Moreover, a spline curve lets you adjust the acceleration/deceleration sensitivity easily.

And finally, updating the firmware is very easy, the drives are much lighter and faster and you won’t have to deal with hangs when opening it.

Putting It All Together:

It has got an amazing sensor, flawless tracking and great accuracy. This makes it perfect for a large number of games:

• CS:GO
• Overwatch
• Quake
• Far Cry 3
• Titanfall 2
• Team Fortress 2
• Dota 2
• Paragon
• League of Legends
• Starcraft 2
• World of Warcraft

And many others. It performs very well in MOBA, RTS and FPS games alike.

The great features of this mouse along with how easy it is to customize it, grant it an amazing performance that will likely leave you very satisfied.

Make sure to use the software, so you can play around with the DPI and acceleration/deceleration in order to find the sweet spot. It is very easy to use and is totally worth it, especially in games like CS:GO where accuracy is vital. That being said, it works fine as a traditional plug-n-play mouse as well. In case you don’t want to constantly optimize and configure everything.

How Well Does It Compare Against Other Options?

In order to give this article a Grand Finale, we are going to compare it against other popular options on the market:

1. Rival 100
2. Rival 700
3. Sensei Raw
4. DeathAdder Elite

Although at this point you have seen that it’s pretty solid choice, let’s check how well it compares against other options in the market.

Rival 300 vs. 100:

They are very similar in many senses, as they come from the same series, but the Rival 100 is better in terms of price, as it’s cheaper.

But there’s a huge downfall: The sensor in the Rival 100 is quite old, and therefore, not so good. If you are looking for superior accuracy, then you need to get the Rival 300, because it has an incredible sensor.

Another downfall, due to the low-end sensor, is that you are limited in terms of customization. Because if you explore beyond the 500DPI and 500Hz configuration, you will have a hard time using it.

So, the winner is the Rival 300 without any doubts.

Rival 300 vs. 700:

Both of them are good, but the differences are minimal. But there are some things that we need to compare.

There’s one thing we have to note: The Rival 700 comes with a 3360 sensor. It tracks superbly well and may be better for some persons. Therefore, it’s worth taking into account.

And finally, if we talk about the DPI range, the 700 surpasses the 300 largely. The 300 maxes at 6,500 DPI, while the 700 can go up to 16,000 DPI.

The downside of the 700 is that it’s more expensive, and if you don’t really care about the 33600 sensors or the extended range in DPI, then the Rival 300 stands as the best option.

Also, the extended length does make the 700 less comfortable according to some people. It is not for nothing that the 300 is actually more popular than the Rival 700 in professional gaming environments. Some pro gamers claim that the newer sensor on the Rival 700 is simply too sensitive.

Rival 300 vs. Sensei Raw:

According to many gamers including myself, the Rival 300 outperforms the Sensei Raw in practically everything.

If we talk about customization, the Sensei Raw doesn’t come anywhere close to what the Rival 300 can offer you. The Sensei Raw features a simpler design which can look dull in comparison to the great display of colors and amazing effects of the Rival 300.

If we talk about the sensor and tracking, again the Rival 300 remains as the best option. The Sensei Raw uses an outdated laser sensor which doesn’t come close to the performance of the Rival. That laser sensor makes acceleration trickier, which severely damages accuracy.

The unique point where the Sensei is better than the Rival is in the price, but it only matters if you are willing to put your performance at risk.

Also, the Sensei is an ambidextrous mouse, which some people really love.

Again, the champion is the Rival 300. It outperforms it in everything.

Rival 300 vs. Deathadder Elite:

This is going to be a tough yet interesting comparison.

Do you remember the small design problems I mentioned? People with fat hands will have a harder time using the Rival 300, but this is something that doesn’t happen with the DA Elite. The same goes if you like to use a claw-grip because the DA is more suitable for nearly all grip styles.

The DA Elite comes with a sensor that competes very well against the Rival 300. In this sense both of them are superb.

The problem with the DA is that the clicking can be a bit too loud, and this is something that doesn’t happen with the Rival. However, some people enjoy the mechanical sound of the DA’s clicking.

Another thing worth noticing is that the Rival 300 – especially the Hyperbeast and Fade versions – is more suitable for FPS games like CS:GO and Overwatch.

And well, there’s a huge problem with the DA Elite: It doesn’t come with onboard memory. It means that you will have to run their software while you use it. And I have to tell you that the software of the Rival 300 is much better.

In my opinion, I prefer the Rival 300, because it’s very comfortable, fully customizable and adapts very well to my hand. But of course, the DA Elite is another excellent choice which may be more suitable for other gamers.

Conclusion and Final Words:

Would I recommend the Rival 300? Of course, it’s an amazing gaming mouse and I dare to say one of the best on the market right now.

It has some problems that I have mentioned, but other than that, it’s a mouse that delivers plenty of value and will give you an edge over other games, especially in FPS games.

The price may be a bit too high for some persons, but it’s not really expensive and it’s totally worth its price