At first we would like to thank SteelSeries for offering the Rival 600 Gaming Mouse for testing and reviewing.

 

About SteelSeries:

"From day one, SteelSeries has been focused on making high performance gaming gear used by the most demanding, top professional gamers worldwide and peripherals that provide superior quality and a competitive edge to gamers of all skill levels. We believe, as most gamers do, in winning, not trying!

 

What originally began with two people who recognized the need for superior, high-quality/performance gaming gear that would give gamers a competitive edge, has grown into a global leader in gaming and entertainment gear sought after for their high performance capabilities.

 

Fast-forward to today, and we’ve come a long way since our first glass mousepad. We have global offices in North America, Europe, and Asia, providing an integrated portfolio of products designed specifically for gaming. Fueling our growth is you, the gamer!

 

While we are proud of our technology and product innovation, we are even more excited about how these products are developed to meet the needs of gamers. Many companies may claim to develop superior gaming products but few actually do. Instead, they spend countless hours with lab engineers trying to force fit a new technology with bells and whistles and mediocre functionality for the end-user.

 

At SteelSeries, we develop our products with a small internal team and a vast network of technology partners, channel partners, game publishers, and gaming communities around the globe. We aren’t afraid of being challenged and implementing new ideas. Our main goal is to always to listen to the collective feedback of our professional gaming community.

 

We won’t bore you with cheeky slogans, trying to underline our authenticity as gamers. We fully acknowledge that the best professional gamers in the world know more about what they want and what will make them better, than we do. We are proud to be working with our partners, but we can’t take credit for their invaluable input and feedback. Instead we tell it like it is: they help us. We want to know what works and what doesn’t. For this reason, SteelSeries creates innovative solutions that provide a competitive advantage for all gamers.

 

Critical to our company’s success is also our reinvestment in the gaming communities and the individuals who support them. As a result, our corporate philosophy is to take a substantial portion of our revenue and put it back into the gaming community to help spur industry growth. We support our community in numerous ways, ranging from co-hosting tournaments like Iron Lady and King of the Hill, and supporting gaming competitions of all sizes, to promoting the top and up-and-coming gaming teams/organizations.

 

Put simply, SteelSeries does not claim to invent or reinvent the gaming industry. Nor do we focus on one specific product, copy other companies or follow the crowd.

 

Instead we leave it to you, the gamer, our customer/partner/inspiration, to decide if we are deserving of such declarations and accolades. What we do promise, however, is to remain committed to you. We will continue to work with you and the gaming community to make the best products possible and give you that competitive edge. We will continue to do our best to support the growth of the professional gaming industry and give back to the gaming communities. By doing so, we don’t just talk a good game, we win!"

2 sensors for next level precision

 

Introducing the world’s most advanced sensor system, the TrueMove3+. The new dual sensor system combines true 1 to 1 tracking with breakthrough state-of-the art lift off distance detection. For the first time ever, you are in complete control - even on lift off.

 

-Optical Depth Sensor

True depth perception for the world’s most precise and lowest lift off detection down to 0.5mm. Elevate your skill ceiling to the next level with increased accuracy, more control, and faster movement.

-TrueMove 3 Optical Sensor

TrueMove3 sets the new standard for all gaming sensors in the past and the future. Experience incredibly accurate crosshair placement for all movements. No acceleration, no tracking errors, and no lag.

 

Depth Perception Increases Accuracy

 

While most gaming mice process lift off distance from a single primary sensor, the Rival 600 deploys a state-of-the-art dedicated depth sensor to achieve the world’s lowest and most accurate lift off distance. Never again have unnecessary movement when you pick up and put down your mouse.

 

True Precision is Distortion Free

 

TrueMove3 is a 12,000 CPI, 350 IPS optical sensor built exclusively with industry leader PixArt. Instead of focusing on CPI alone, TrueMove3 was engineered for true 1 to 1 tracking. Moving a specific distance on a mousepad results in the same exact distance on screen, without introducing latency, interpolation, or affecting jitter reduction.

 

PERFECT WEIGHT AND BALANCE

 

The all new center of gravity tuning system includes moveable weights and light-to-heavy customization, delivering the widest range of adjustment of any gaming mouse.

 

-96g to 128g Range of Weight

The removable sides allow easy and secure placement of the eight included 4g weights. Lock in the exact weight you want with light-to-heavy customization.

-256 Weight and Balance Configurations

Tune your center of gravity with customizable weight combinations for the perfect balance of any grip or game play style.

 

BUILT FOR ESPORTS

 

Developed with the three basic principles of revolutionary performance, unreal durability, and powerful flexibility, the Rival 600 delivers when the pros need it the most, in battle.

 

60-Million Click Mechanical Switches

 

The left/right click features a revolutionary reinforced split-trigger system that delivers the best clicks in gaming. Our exclusive 60-million click mechanical switches ensure every type of press is executed with precision.

 

Durable Silicone Side Grips

 

The Rival 600 side grips feature a unique silicone compound to allow for increased grip and durability. Crafted and designed to meet the stringent demands of professional players.

 

Powerful 32-bit ARM Processor

 

The 32-bit ARM processor delivers low-latency performance and allows you to save CPI and lift off sensor settings, custom lighting effects, button key-binds and full macros on-board for software-free use at LAN events and tournaments.

 

Rev Up the Engine

 

SteelSeries Engine Software unlocks an impressive arsenal of Engine Apps that make customization of the 8-zone RGB lighting easy and intuitive. The Discord and GameSense Engine Apps allow for chat notifications, in-game events, and more.

 

Sensor System:

 

Design:

Compatibility:

In this article we are going to take a look at a brand new mouse from SteelSeries, the Rival 600 which improves TrueMove 3 tracking (Rival 310, Sensei 310) by adding an extra sensor for detecting lift-off down to 0.5mm. Besides the new technology which is named TrueMove 3+, SteelSeries did also add a fully-configurable weight system with removable panels.

The product is shipped in a small cardboard enclosure, with the usual SS boxart and on its top cover we will get to see some of the product highlights listed:

 

 

 

On the side of the packaging, we will be able to check out the technical specifications:

 

 

 

The back side of the packaging does describe the TrueMove 3+ system in more detail, along with the Weight System and the Split-Triggers:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will get familiar again with the “Rise Up” motto of SteelSeries:

 

 

 

The enclosure can be opened quite easily, in order to reveal the Rival 600 sitting well inside a custom black plastic mold but also a smaller box that contains the bundle:

 

 

 

We did also receive a Product Information Guide, in order to get more familiar with the mouse:

 

 

 

 

The customization of the weight system is also described here:

 

 

 

Let’s open the accessories box and see what we’ve got inside!

 

 

 

Here SteelSeries has included the USB cable, but also a weight transfer container:

 

 

 

 

The weight transport container is made of rubber and comes with eight separate 4g components:

 

 

 

Each 4g piece was designed to fit the dedicated weight system of the Rival 600:

 

 

 

 

 

The USB connectors do feature a custom design, but are not gold-plated:

 

 

 

Rival 600 does sport a more aggressive design compared to the smaller Rival 310 and comes with additional RGB segments as well; the split-trigger system found for the left and right mouse buttons do feature mechanical switches, rated at 60-million clicks:

 

 

 

Near the large RGB-enabled scroll wheel, we will find an additional button for CPI switching on-the-fly:

 

 

 

As the frontal buttons, the curved mouse back does feature a rubberized layer, which feels nice to the touch and enhances the grip; here we can also spot the RGB SteelSeries logo:

 

 

 

The left removable side panel does come with three programmable buttons, but also a silicone compound layer:

 

 

 

The right side panel is also removable, with two separate silicone compound layer, but no extra programmable buttons:

 

 

 

The left/right buttons do extend a bit outwards, unlike the Rival 310; in the frontal area of the chassis, we will immediately spot the USB port:

 

 

 

The bottom area of the mouse does reveal the TrueMove sensor lens that was also available with the Sensei/Rival 310 offerings, but also the secondary Pixart optical sensor, which is only dedicated for tracking lift-off distance; in the corners we can also spot the usual PTFE feet, which help the mouse glide smoothly on the surface we are using it on:

 

 

 

Since the panels are fixed to the chassis with magnetic force, these are easy to remove; after this process, we can spot the compartment which will hold the dedicated weights:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to the rubber gasket, the weights can be attached to the designated areas with minimum amount of force:

 

 

 

The right side panel can be removed in a similar way, for attaching four more weights:

 

 

 

Right after we did plug in the Rival 600 into a spare USB port, the RGB lighting system started operating right away:

 

 

 

A firmware update was prompted and afterwards the mouse was ready for configuration; the interface features the same styling as we have seen with the previous versions and from here we can re-program the buttons, launch the Macro editor, adjust two independent CPI values for easy switching, the Lift Distance, Acceleration/Deceleration, Angle Snapping but also the Polling Rate:

 

 

 

The dedicated configuration area for the buttons is pretty self-explanatory:

 

 

 

Here are the categories of functions we can assign to the programmable buttons:

 

 

 

Keyboard Buttons

 

 

 

Macros

 

 

 

Media Buttons

 

 

 

Mouse Buttons

 

 

 

Button Deactivation

 

 

 

Launch Application

 

 

 

Launch Configuration

 

 

 

Launch Engine Apps

 

 

 

OS Shortcuts

 

 

 

Record Live Macro

 

 

 

The Macro Editor opens up in a separate window:

 

 

 

The illumination configuration options can be easily accessed from the same interfaces; there are various effects available in the top left side of the GUI:

 

 

 

 

Depending on the chosen effect, we will get different options:

 

Steady

 

 

 

ColorShift

 

 

 

Multi Color Breathe

 

 

 

Reactive Key

 

 

 

We can also disable the illumination completely:

 

 

 

The LED lighting effects can be configured in separate segments:

 

 

 

Different other SteelSeries modules are available for getting even more functionality out of the device:

 

 

 

Depending on the detected games/applications, we can load different profiles to the mouse:

 

 

 

After installing two 4g weights on each side of the mouse, we started gaming in CounterStrike: Global Offensive, Guild Wars 2, Diablo III but also tried a bit of Agents of Mayhem; Rival 600 succeeded to keep the comfort level optimal even 2-3 hours of continuous gaming and during this time we did not spot any erratic movement. While our lift-off setting was set at 0.5mm, players that use to lift the mouse more during the sessions should adjust the value as necessary. The main sensor (SteelSeries TrueMove 3) remains the same as with the Rival 310, but sports a more aggressive appearance, while much more RGB segments are available for configuration.

 

If you are a fan of Macros, you can always use the powerful Engine software to set different other mappings; the LED lighting functions are easy to program and multiple other modules can be accessed for syncing the effects with other compatible peripherals, for getting extra effects with Discord application, render the audio spectrum dynamically across all SS devices and many more!

 

The integrated 32-bit ARM processor does provide low-latency performance and also allows saving CPI/lift-off distance/lighting effects/custom button mappings without the need of installing the application on each and every computer.

 

Rival 600 does come with easy to remove panels in order to work with the customizable weight system; however, the manufacturer did not also supply different other sets of panels which would allow more usage patterns.

 

In order to carry the mouse easier at tournaments, SteelSeries went for a detachable USB cable design, but we would have also liked to see an included carry pouch.

 

Rival 600 can be found online for about 75 Euros, a bit more versus the smaller Rival 310 which is now available for about 56 Euros.

SteelSeries Rival 600 Gaming Mouse is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to SteelSeries for making this review possible!