SteelSeries Rival 650 Review (2024)

Tested using Methodology v1.3

• 7.6 Office/Multimedia
• 8.0 Video Games (FPS)
• 8.1 Video Games (MMO)
• 6.9 Travel

The SteelSeries Rival 600 and the SteelSeries Rival 650 are extremely similar mice. The 600 is a wired-only mouse that's lighter, and the 650 is wireless. The two mice have the same sensor, shape, and the same customization features.

The SteelSeries Aerox 5 Wireless and the SteelSeries Rival 650 are wireless gaming mice with very similar right-handed shapes designed to be versatile enough for a variety of game genres. The Aerox 5 Wireless has a honeycomb outer shell and is significantly lighter. It supports Bluetooth, and its sensor has a slightly wider CPI range. The feet are also higher quality, and it has several more programmable buttons overall. On the other hand, the SteelSeries Rival 650 has a solid plastic shell, and it feels somewhat sturdier.

The SteelSeries Rival 650 and the Logitech G Pro Wireless are similar mice. The Logitech is much lighter, is suitable for small hands, has a better sensor, and lower click latency. However, the SteelSeries has an extra programmable input, it's a lot more comfortable overall, and you can add weights to it.

Overall, the Razer DeathAdder V2 Prois much better than the SteelSeries Rival 650. The Razeris significantly lighter, has lower click latency, and allows you to adjust the sensitivity in smaller increments. On the other hand, the SteelSeries has a better build quality, and its customization software is available for both Windows and macOS.

The SteelSeries Rival 650 is a bit better than the Razer Mamba Wireless. The SteelSeries feels more comfortable, and it's suitable for most hand sizes with a fingertip grip. It also has a lower lift-off distance, and the companion software is available on macOS. However, the Razer is lighter, has a wider CPI range, lower CPI increment steps, and lower click latency over its receiver.

The SteelSeries Rival 650 is better than the Corsair HARPOON RGB Wireless. The SteelSeries is better-built, feels more comfortable, has more buttons, and has a lower lift-off distance. However, the Corsair has Bluetooth support, it's lighter, and it has lower click latency over its USB receiver.

The Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED performs a bit better than the SteelSeries Rival 650, and they both have very different designs. The Logitech is a wider mouse with an ergonomic shape and a thumb rest. It's a bit lighter, has more buttons, and has a better sensor overall. On the other hand, the SteelSeries is heavier and may feel slightly more comfortable for people who don't like having a thumb rest.

The Logitech G903 LIGHTSPEED is slightly better than the Steelseries Rival 650. The Logitech is an ambidextrous mouse that's suitable for most grip types and hand sizes. It also has lower click latency, more buttons, and vertical wheel tilt. However, the SteelSeries is a right-handed mouse that feels more comfortable to use overall.

If you like honeycomb design, theSteelSeries Aerox 3 Wirelessis a better gaming mouse than the SteelSeries Rival 650. The Aerox is designed for ultra-light gaming and is smaller and significantly lighter. It's well-suited for a claw grip or even a fingertip grip if you have medium to large hands. Performance-wise, it has a wider CPI range with less variation. That said, the Rival 650 feels quite a bit more solid, and its right-handed design is more comfortable, though it's not a good option for smaller hands. It also has one more side button.

The mouse has an excellent build quality. It has an all-plastic body that feels solid and squeaks a bit when you squeeze it. The clicks feel nice and satisfying, but the scroll wheel feels loose. Unfortunately, if you squeeze the left side too hard, you can activate one of the side buttons.

There are reports that the side grips come off over time, but we don't test for long-term durability. The side grips feel nice on our unit, but if you experience any issues, let us know in the discussions below.

It's heavier than the SteelSeries Rival 600 because of its built-in battery. It comes with eight 4-gram weights that you can add underneath the side panels for weight optimization.

You can remove the side panels to make it lighter, but you lose the three side buttons, and the mouse would likely be less comfortable. We measured the minimum weight with the panels.

If you want a lighter wireless mouse, check out the Razer DeathAdder V2 Pro.

LEARN ABOUT COMFORT OF USE

LEARN ABOUT PALM GRIP: HAND SIZE RECOMMENDATION

LEARN ABOUT CLAW GRIP: HAND SIZE RECOMMENDATION

LEARN ABOUT FINGERTIP GRIP: HAND SIZE RECOMMENDATION

• SteelSeries Rival 650 wireless gaming mouse
• USB receiver
• USB extender
• Micro-USB cable
• 8x 4g weights
• User manual

The SteelSeries Rival 650 has good click latency. You're very unlikely to notice any delays during gameplay in any genre; however, if you exclusively play fast-paced games at a highly competitive level, a mouse with lower click latency is recommended. If you're interested in a mouse with much lower click latency, check out the Corsair DARK CORE RGB PRO.

The Receiver Click Latency result is marginally lower than that of the Wired Click Latency result, which is unusual. However, this mouse was retested multiple times, and we're confident in the results. The Wired and Receiver results are calculated as averages from 200 data points, which you can see on the graph above. While the Wired click latency is marginally higher when expressed as an average, you can also see that there's slightly more variation in the wireless Receiver click latency data points, including both lower and higher points compared to the more steadily consistent wired connection results, which is expected behavior. In any case, using either connection type provides good performance, and you won't notice any click latency differences between them in-game.

LEARN ABOUT CLICK LATENCY

LEARN ABOUT CPI

LEARN ABOUT SENSOR SPECIFICATIONS