Package Appearance
The outside packaging

The second packaging
A famous Meme from SteelSeries — RISE UP, and the DOTA2 Pro player Sumail
Good Luck & Have Fun!

The inside packaging — The mouse and accessory case

The mouse, instructions and all accessories

The wireless receiver
It has a very smart design, a user can plug the receiver into the USB port directly, or plug the Micro USB cable into the back of the body of the cover

The counterweight package

Product Analysis
The Rival 650 Wireless gaming mouse also maintains the design of Rival 600, with asymmetrical designed RGB strip on the top case

The layering process of the top cover is delicate and dry feeling and provides a higher comfort when you are holding it. The highest point of the mouse is located a little bit behind the center of the mouse, around 43mm in height, it will provide good palm support.

The overall design of the mouse is right-handed, the button panel has a higher left and lower right design and has a clear groove guide

In terms of size, this mouse is not suitable for small-handed users, because the overall mouse size is too large and long. Comparing the other two large-sized mouses from Razer and Logitech, the Rival 650 Wireless has a similar size

The design around the mouse wheel and DPI buttons has obvious lines. The mouse wheel is made of silicone material and has light-emitting belts on both sides. The mouse wheel feels firm and does not shake. The DPI button has a high protrusion, it is easier to operate without looking at the mouse, and the pressure is slightly larger than other buttons, which prevents accidently clicking it

The sides of the mouse are also designed with ABS and silicone, and the anti-slip effect has a moderate touch feeling

The detachable left and right-side panels adopt a relatively strong magnetic mode, and the left side panel has three buttons. If you do not look carefully, the first oblique button will be easy to ignore, the side buttons are slightly shaken, and the pressure is very high and difficult to press down

Comparing with Rival 600’s 97g weight, the Rival 650 Wireless has increased around 25g. As a medium to large mouse, it is obviously heavier after the integration of a 1000mAh rechargeable lithium battery. For competitive games that need to move the mouse frequently, this weight is not acceptable. Also, it seems a bit unrealistic to provide an additional 8 of 4g weights when the mouse is already so heavy

After removing the left and right-side panels, the 4 pieces of weights can be inserted on each side. According to the official statement, a certain weight can be installed at different positions on both sides of the mouse according to the user’s needs. Based on the mouse weight and the influence of the gravity balance system, a maximum of 256 weight schemes can be combined

It is a pity that the mouse itself is already heavy enough. When all the weights are attached, the total weight will increase around 151g. This will be very much up to personal taste

The front of the mouse is designed with a Micro-USB interface, which can be charged or activated under the wiring mode using the included Micro-USB cable

The Rival 650 Wireless gaming mouse features a dual-engine design called TrueMove3+, which adds an additional height response sensor to precisely control the height response and to eliminate the interference when the player picks up or puts down the mouse. According to SteelSeries, the new sensor is also equipped with a linear optical detector to provide a more accurate sensing system. Unfortunately, in terms of the height response, the Rival 650 does not bring new performance improvements compared to the Rival 600

Software Analysis
Through the settings of SteelSeries Engine 3 software, mouse function adjustments are collected on only one user interface. The text and graphic design allow users to more intuitively understand the things they are adjusting

The left side of the software is the button adjustment function area, the right side includes the DPI setting area, power saving settings, rate of return, straight line correction and corresponding distance adjustment, etc.

The button and the macro settings can customise the mouse button as a personality function according to user’s needs, or it also can map the related operation into the mouse button by loading the game-operation macro to simplify the game operation and improving the game efficiency

The RGB supports a 16.8 million-colour light circulation system, and the area that can be illuminated includes the wheel, the backlight strip, and the SteelSeries logo.

The total number of RGB light positions can be defined as 8 areas and each of the RGB light strips on the back is separated into 3 separate areas both left and right, which means different colours and lighting effects can be customised separately.

The brightness of the mouse RGB is bright enough and the circulation is also smooth, but don’t forget that the RGB lighting is very power-hungry

Performance Test
The Rival 650 Wireless gaming mouse also has special property settings on different mouse pads. The default gear position on the cloth mouse pad is 0.7mm, the lowest gear is 0.5mm, and the highest gear is 0.8mm. The default gear position on the silicon mouse pad is 1mm, the lowest gear is 0.8mm, and the highest gear is 1.1mm.

A slight lift of the mouse on the cursor is completely negligible

We have tested the mouse on these most popular mouse pads: Fine coated pad, aluminium, soft silicone pad, fine fabric cloths thin pad and coarse fabric cloths thin pad.

The tests are based on the mouse’s start, Smoothness, Brake, and Transparency.
Fine coated pad
Start: Medium feeling on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Easy to brake and good positioning accuracy
Transparency: Very good contact, no heightened sense of passage that results in misalignment on the Z axis

Aluminum pad
Start: Very low felling on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: It is very smooth, but the maintenance is relatively difficult. The Teflon feet skates will be frayed quickly by aluminium surface
Brake: Braking is difficult, and the positioning accuracy needs to be grasped for a long time
Transparency: Very good contact, no heightened sense of passage that results in misalignment displacement on the Z axis

Soft silicone pad
Start: This textured pad makes the higher static and dynamic friction feeling
Smoothness: Medium smooth
Brake: Easy to brake and relatively accurate positioning
Transparency: a relatively thin thickness of the cushion, the material is quite solid and the permeability is good

Fine fabric cloths thin pad
Start: Low static friction and very high dynamic friction
Smoothness: Medium smooth
Brake: Easy to brake, positioning is accurate, the resistance is large. Muscle memory is easier to form and more friendly for novices
Transparency: A thin pad with soft material and good permeability

Coarse fabric cloths thin pad
Start: Medium static friction, low dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Difficult to brake, and positioning accuracy requires a long time to grasp. Not friendly to novices
Transparency: A thin pad with soft material and good permeability

In general, this mouse is more suitable for fine and coarse fabric cloths. The heavy mouse body is not suitable for lots of movement, so a less static friction mousepad is more fit for this mouse. However, the thicker cushion will cause the Z-axis shifting.

In terms of battery life, when the mouse is fully charged, the continuous use time is more than 24 hours when the RGB function is turned off, therefore, for daily use can be extended to 2-3 days. In the absence of major innovations in battery technology, the fast charging tech is a good solution to solve the problem of shorter battery life, and the support of connecting a wire to enable the fast charging technology makes this mouse more flexible, as long as there is a device that supports USB charging.

Disassembling Analysis
Backplate, 4 screws are hidden under the mouse feets

The inside of the mouse

There are 6 parts mounted on the top side – 2 RGB cover light bars, side button board, mouse wheel RGB board, mouse wheel part, and the top buttons board

The mouse wheel part and the top button board

The mouse wheel RGB board

The side button board

Micro Switch
The side buttons are using the Series 160 blue dot Micro Switch from TTC. This microswitch has around 300,000 click lifecycle and 70 ± 15 gf operating force

The wireless connection button is using an unknown type blue dot Micro Switch from Kailh

The left and right buttons are using a SteelSeries customised blue dot micro switch from Taiwan Zippy DF series (Not DF3 or DF-M series)

The main board for this mouse

Disassembling the bracket and the main board

The bottom side of the main board

The famous SteelSeries Truemove 3 sensor, its customised from the PXI PMW3360DM-T2QU

The wireless module is using the Nordic nRF52832 QFABE0 2.4G transceiver

Fast charging controller chipset is from Texas Instruments BQ25895 Single Cell 5A Fast Charger MaxCharge, Technology for High Input Voltage and 3.1A Boost

The optical sensor

Usability Analysis
To test the line correction, frame loss, and the smoothness, we are using the mousetest from Areson

Without the line correction function

The line correction comparison snapshot when Angel Snapping function has been turned off/on

The Frame loss control and the smoothness control are also quite good

We also tested this mouse by using Enotus Mouse Test

Finally, we are using the powerful MouseTester v1.5
Under 2300cpi(count per inch), the software measured as 2338cpi

By using its powerful plot function, we are tested several mouse performances when switched off the Angel Snapping function

xCounts vs Time
While the average line is smoother, which means it’s more liner on the mouse track movement; while the points of the counts are much closer to the line, which means the jitter of the engine is lower. As the graph shows, the result of this performance is quite good.

yCounts vs Time
If there is a straight-line correction/angle function, the y-axis offset will remain at 0 for a long time. As the graph shows, the result of this performance is just ok

X vs Y
This function is to detect mouse frame loss, As the graph shows, the result of this performance is quite good

xyVelocity vs Time
The unit of velocity is m/s. This test is mainly to look at the acceleration of the mouse. As the graph shows, the point of Rival 650 is better for curve fitting, that means the jumped-like rapid acceleration rarely appears, The line of fit is coherent and also has a dense distribution

If there is a good device that allows the mouse to move at a constant speed, in this case, the speed line is a straight line, if the engine has acceleration, it will fluctuate, so this is the most ideal test method. The result of this performance is quite good

Summary
The Rival 650 Wireless gaming mouse has continued the most superior features from the previous Rival 600, adding wireless support and fast charging technology. The usability of this mouse has also become stronger. However, the extra 30g weight has a greater impact on users who are accustomed to the lightweight gaming mouse, and it takes time to re-adapt. And also, the higher price makes this mouse an extremely low CP value.

EPIC PC RATE SCORE: 86/100

STEELSERIES RIVAL 650 WIRELESS GAMING MOUSE OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://steelseries.com/gaming-mice/rival-650-wireless

The SteelSeries Sensei Pro was released into the market as a high performance, accurate, professional grade gaming mouse. Designed in collaboration with competitive teams such as Na’Vi and Fnatic this mouse is targeted at both competitive players and amateur players looking to get the edge over their opponents in high intensity FPS and MOBA battles. As expected, the Sensei boasts an array of features that we’ve come to expect from the Danish peripheral powerhouse and with a name that conjures up images of an ancient Japanese sword master, we expect the absolute best. Its high quality laser, on board processor and robust design makes this gaming mouse a must have despite being designed over 6 years ago. But at a price tag far higher than other competitors, is this still the king of the competitive mice? Here is my take on the SteelSeries Sensei.

Sensor

There is always a lot of controversy surrounding the sensors used in gaming mice. For most users this conversation is fruitless and the difference between optical and laser sensors is miniscule, but we are talking about a pro grade gaming mouse here. Generally optical mice have a lower DPI sensor and work on a wider range of surfaces. Lasers on the other hand have much higher DPI sensors and are generally regarded to be more precise when compared to optical. The SteelsSeries Sensei boasts an extremely accurate laser, so accurate that it even detects how far away the surface is from the laser. The Sensei’s supports up to 11400 DPI which should be more than enough (even if you want to hit that 1080 no-scope off Favela). The laser sensor has a polling rate of 1000Hz (which means the data is sent 1000 times per second to the computer) and has a 1ms delay. Despite being released in 2011 the SteelSeries Sensei still stands up to the performance of mice in the market today, even at its high price point.

CPU & Onboard Memory

Another dominant feature is the on board 32-bit ARM CPU which means the Sensei has even more sensor-based customisation. Yes… you read it right, this mouse has a processor in it. The onboard processor allows the mouse to compute the sensor information and relay it back to the computer. In practice this allows users to bump up the sensitivity from 5,700 CPI/DPI to 11,400 CPI/DPI. With its on-board memory your settings can be replicated without having to manually configure it on a new computer. All you need to do is install the SteelSeries engine software. This model allows you to store up to 5 profiles, which is extremely useful when setting up for a LAN event. Each profile can have 2 different DPI settings which can be changed by the DPI button and each profile can have different macros for all 7 buttons (DPI switch cannot be changed). To select your desired profile all you need to do is hold down the DPI button for 3 seconds, then use the scroll wheel to select the profile you want, the names will be displayed on the bottom LCD screen. You can also configure the Sensei for different types of surfaces, for instance on a cloth, rubber or metal mousepad.

Switches

The Sensei’s mechanical switches are custom made by SteelSeries and are rated to withstand 30 million clicks. The click has quite a nice haptic effect it doesn’t make too much noise (The Zowie FK1 makes more).

RGB

The software allows the user to integrate their own customisation. This ranges from the sensor settings to the colour of the lights. The RGB has three dedicated areas; the SteelSeries logo towards the back of the mouse as well as the scroll wheel and DPI switch supports full spectrum RGB. Even though the Sensei’s release date was 5+ years ago, the RGB lighting is still up to the same standard as the more recent (2018) peripherals.

Design<

The Steelseries Sensei is a well-designed mouse. This mouse is the perfect mix of simplicity and low-profile design that is ideal for either claw or palm grip. Its sleek silver colour makes it home to just about any set-up from red/black to white/blue while having just enough customisation with 2 dedicated RGB spots. I would guage my use of this mouse at 1000+ and the mouse has understandably become worn and now is shiny chrome with some slight chipping in the paint. Nothing to really complain about here and this sort of wear is consistent with this amount of usage. Another huge benefit from the simplistic design is that it is ambidextrous even the side buttons are in the same symmetrical positions. This is a mouse that most people should be comfortable to use; it accommodates people that have any of the main mouse grips (claw, palm and fingertip). It comes in at 102g which sounds like a lot but considering decent amount of low friction surface on the bottom such as the SteelSeries DEX, this shouldn’t cause a problem. The cable is braided and sturdy, barely developing any wear over its lifetime.

Durability

Typically, this wouldn’t even be a section in my review. In fact, I wouldn’t have put this in if it wasn’t such a consistent problem for this mouse. I have personally had 2 of these mice. One lasted around a year before the switches died and the mouse was rendered useless without a left click. The second lasted a similar amount of time and completely died, no USB recognition, no lights turning on. My friend also had this mouse and it died after 2 years. That makes the survival rate of these mice around 25% with one sticking through for this review. ¼ isn’t a good hit rate for a mouse that costs over $100 AUD. If you want a mouse that’s going to stick with you time and time again, this is not it. We reviewed this product for a very long time and so many other reviewers haven’t reported these issues, so perhaps I just got unlucky but from a test group of 4 mice, this really isn’t good enough from SteelSeries. The warranty is a year on this product for the Asia/American market, and two years for the European market. SteelSeries support is good so if it breaks within the one year period (for Australia). You should expect a full refund, a new product or at least a repair.

Software

I have personally owned a few Steelseries products as you can tell by our review backlog and they integrate easily with the software. The software is laid out well, it is simple and there is more information readily available for those who are having trouble.

Below is my default profile which allows me to quickly edit the DPI settings. On the top right are two dials one for CP1 and one for CP2 these buttons can be seen on the diagram, I have set mine to different colours, so I know which one is active when quick switching in game. Below the DPI settings there are the acceleration settings. Exact lift enables you to decide how far down the laser sensor will read, with this setting you can increase the accuracy of the laser sensor on soft surfaces and how your mouse responds when you lift it in games. Free move is a great setting if the mouse is used on a family computer, it just makes your mouse cursor easier to move and assists by snapping to certain things. This setting can be used to make your mouse movements more fluid but isn’t recommend in games as it impacts accuracy. Finally, the polling rate, this is best left at 1000Hz, there isn’t much point in decreasing it.

After customising your profile, you then can save it to the onboard profiles, once enabled it can be put into another computer and all the profiles can be accessed. This makes the mouse plug and play when attending LAN’s or when changing computers. Now you have your own customised profiles, you can allow them to automatically activate when opening the game/application. You can also add other SteelSeries devices, so they will all change once the game/application opens. Once again this is easy to do thanks to the well-designed UI. All you need to do is add the application you want, find the exe and then add the device. Once this is done you can select the profiles that you want the mouse to use when the game starts, and you are good to go.

Verdict/Bottom Line

If SteelSeries has any intention of discontinuing a product, then it shouldn’t be this one. Despite being 6 years old the SteelSeries stands up to the big boys today. If SteelSeries focused on their quality control, the value of this mouse would sky rocket and I would have no problem in giving it 5/5. In its current form it’s a killer competitive mouse with stunning software to go along with it.

Pro

✔ Low profile, simple design
✔ On-Board Profiles
✔ Unrivalled Laser Sensor Quality
✔ 2 Dedicated RGB Areas
✔ Great shape and feel
✔ Switches are crisp and responsive

Con

✖ Price
✖ Durability
✖ Display underneath feels redundant

If you like this review and want to check out more please visit TryTech: Here.

Pros

✔Friction-less surface
✔Highly durable
✔Waterproof

Cons

✖High price
✖Relatively small

Effectiveness

Whilst reviewing this mouse pad, I fired up games such as CS:GO, PUBG, and League of Legends. During this play testing I found the movement of the mouse to be effortless, with almost zero friction being felt between the mouse and mouse pad. This smooth gliding provides a good base to use a lower dpi, increasing accuracy but still enabling fast movement if needed. If you enjoy a higher dpi, the Steelseries Dex still provides accurate micro-movements with almost no initial friction on movement.

Build Quality

The Steelseries Dex is slightly smaller than other mouse pads at its price point, being 320x270mm. It has an orange silicone base, with a raised and patterned composite fabric surface. The base and surface are heat-bounded reducing any fraying of the edges. The Dex is fully waterproof; this was tested by pouring half a glass of water on the mouse pad, after a quick wipe it was fine to use immediately. The silicone base is adequate for the most part, with very minor movements if your wrist or hand catches on the mouse pad.

Conclusion

The Steelseries Dex is a superior gaming mouse pad, with effortless gliding and high build quality. The main drawbacks include its smaller size in comparison to other mouse pads at its price point and a high price tag of AUD$49. Although, I firmly believe the price tag is justified considering its effectiveness; this is why I have given it 4.5/5.

Disclosure: This product was individually purchased by the reviewer in Australia from JB HI-FI and has no affiliation to the brand.

Read more details about this review please click HERE

Arctis Pro Wireless features rock solid dual-wireless technology with 2.4G wireless lossless audio and Bluetooth mobile audio, combined with 40,000 Hz capable hi-res capable speaker drivers and a ClearCast mic making it the ultimate gaming audio system. Plus, Arctis Pro Wireless is designed with luxury materials like polished steel and aluminum alloy, and the exclusive Arctis ski goggle headband and AirWeave performance fabric ear cushions.

PRODUCT BOX VIEW

ALL COMPONENTS VIEW

HEADPHONE & BASESTATION

Speaker Drivers

• Neodymium Drivers: 40mm
• Headphone Frequency Response: 10-40,000 Hz
• Headphone Sensitivity: 102 dBSPL
• Headphone Impedance: 32 Ohm
• Headphone Total Harmonic Distortion: <1%

Microphone

• Microphone Type: Retractable Boom
• Microphone Polar Pattern: Bidirectional Noise-Canceling
• Microphone Frequency Response: 100 – 10,000 Hz
• Microphone Sensitivity: -38 dBV/Pa
• Microphone Impedance: 2200 Ohm
• Microphone Noise Cancellation: Yes

Wireless

• 2.4G range: 40 ft, 12m: 5-40,000 Hz
• Battery Life: 20 hours (10 per battery)
• Bluetooth Version: 4.1
• Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP, HFP, HSP

Box Content

• Arctis Pro Wireless Headset
• Transmitter Base Station
• USB Audio Cable
• Toslink Optical Cable
• Mobile Audio Cable
• Mobile Charging Cable
• Microphone Windscreen