The Only SteelSeries Mouse That Makes Sense To Me
Consumer product design is a world built around smart compromises. Engineering teams have to balance finite development budgets, limited schedules, parts availability, and consumer wants/needs in an elaborate matrix that must then also hit the right price point to make enough money at retail. It’s a constant back-and-forth between pushing for cutting edge new technologies and making something people can actually afford. Sometimes even being the “Best” isn’t enough, as people may stick to reliable favorites over new excitement.
But sometimes a product checks all those boxes and makes so much logical sense that it can’t help but be a winner.
SteelSeries makes a ton of gaming mice…but the model that makes the most sense to me when weighing everything above is the Rival 3 Wireless (official site here). This no-nonsense $50 wireless mouse features the company’s Quantum 2.0 wireless system and backup Bluetooth connection, a TrueMove Air sensor (more on that below), and hundreds of hours of battery life with swappable AAA cells inside. It’s built like a little tank, and although its slightly heavier ~100g weight is no longer inside the target range craved by today’s mass-obsessed gamers, it was still great when it first launched a couple of years ago.
