At first we would like to thank SteelSeries for offering the Rival 710 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!"

Product Features:

 

OLED notifications

Knowing is half the battle, and that is why we’ve equipped the Rival 710 with a completely customizable OLED Display. Access on-the-fly sensitivity settings, in-game statistics, button mapping, and personalize the display with your gamer name or favorite team’s logo.

 

Alerts you can feel

The mouse is no longer merely an input device; you can now feel in?game events, aiding in critical decision?making. Customize every aspect of the alerts from intensity to vibration patterns.

 

True 1 to 1 tracking

TrueMove3 sets the new standard for all gaming sensors in the past and the future. 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. No acceleration, no tracking errors, and no lag.

 

Swappable modular parts

A modular design allows you to swap out the sensor, cable, or cover, so the mouse fits your personal preferences, and is ready for the future when new sensors are released.

 

Built for battle

Developed with the three basic principles of revolutionary performance, unreal durability, and powerful flexibility, the Rival 710 delivers when you need it the most, in battle.

 

Armed for performance

Powerful 32-bit ARM processor allows you to save CPI settings, button remappings and lighting effects 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 2-zone RGB lighting easy and intuitive. The Discord and GameSense Engine Apps allow for chat notifications, in-game events, and more..

 

ERGONOMIC DESIGN

Every aspect of the Rival 710 design meets players' stringent demands for comfort. Whether you deploy a claw grip or palm grip, the shape will provide perfect comfort for long and intense gaming sessions.

 

 

Product Specifications:

 

 

SteelSeries has recently refreshed its flagship series, 700 with a new model, the Rival 710; the main differences between it and the older Rival 700 is the inclusion of the TrueMove3 Custom sensor and refreshed SteelSeries mechanical switches for better durability. A soft touch black back cover was also introduced by default, different from the anti-sweat finish one present with the Rival 700. SteelSeries did choose a different one because the soft touch was their best-buy model as an accessory, but if you feel otherwise, you can always choose one of the other available covers from the website (multiple colors and finishes). The product is shipped inside a signature SteelSeries packaging, that display the mouse in operation on the frontal layer, along with some of the main highlights:

 

 

 

Technical specifications can be spotted on the side:

 

 

 

The product features are described in more detail on the back side:

 

 

 

After removing the top packaging layer, we will get to see another box, with the “Rise Up” motto:

 

 

 

Moving further, we can lift the top cover and reveal the documentation, the accessory box but also the main product:

 

 

 

The Product Information Guide does introduce the user with the main mouse components and functions:

 

 

 

 

As we have already seen with the Rival 700, the 710 does ship with not one but two USB cables, for desktop and laptop use:

 

 

 

The microUSB port is shaped differently in order to accommodate with the Rival 700/710 locking system:

 

 

 

The shape has been kept from the previous iteration, which is not a bad thing at all! Rival 710 weights about 135g, does come with a height of 124.9mm, a width of 68.5mm and its depth is 42mm. It can accommodate multiple grip styles and has a total of 7 buttons:

 

 

 

The soft touch back cover does incorporate a white SteelSeries logo, that is RGB-enabled:

 

 

 

A removable nameplate is placed in the back; this one can be changed with our own design, if we do have a 3D printer:

 

 

 

The right side of the mouse does have a dotted design, in order to add some extra grip:

 

 

 

The left side panel does highlight two orange dots; as with the Rival 700, these are intended as a tactile spot, so you will know at all times where to place the thumb in order to access the three programmable buttons; the third button is placed near the OLED display and can be easily programmed with a sniper functionality. Around the buttons we will also find a rubber surface with the same dotted design:

 

 

 

A closer look at the frontal plastic panel on this side does reveal the OLED screen, even when in off state:

 

 

 

The two main buttons are more durable thanks to the new switches, rated for 60 million actuations:

 

 

 

The rubberized scroll wheel is also RGB-enabled and nearby we fill find the last button:

 

 

 

The bottom area of the Rival 710 is familiar to us; here we will be able to spot PTFE feet for smooth gliding, the frontal USB port with the locking mechanism, but also the TrueMove3 sensor module. As we have seen before with the previous models incorporating this particular sensor, it has a CPI range between 100 and 12000 and we can adjust in 100 CPI increments. It does feature a polling rate of 1ms, zero hardware acceleration and a tracking accuracy of 1:1; the modules are interchangeable between 700 and 710 and if we would like to try something else, SteelSeries does also have a Laser 9800 Module available on their website, for 30 Euros:

 

 

 

After carefully removing the four black screws, we can lift the module from the socket:

 

 

 

The module does feature a 10-pin connector:

 

 

 

 

The cable can be installed and locked into place in a matter of seconds:

 

 

 

After connecting the Rival 710 to a spare USB port, we will see the OLED screen operating; while the initial boot does have a SteelSeries logo preloaded, we can also upload animated GIFs, that will run at 10FPS:

 

 

 

Of course, we do also have the RGB zones lighted up as well:

 

Back

 

 

 

 

 

Front

 

 

 

 

 

Rival 710 is backed up by the unified SteelSeries Engine 3 software, that can also help with firmware updates:

 

 

 

From the main interface, we can work with different profiles and upload them to the internal ARM 32-bit processor, set custom functions to the buttons, adjust CPI on two different steps, enable tactile feedback by using timers, adjust the acceleration, angle snapping or the polling rate:

 

 

 

The profile area will allow us to check the current mappings for the selected slots:

 

 

 

By selecting a button from the interface, we can assign many of the available function sets; you can also note the “Vibrate on click” option, that makes use of the internal vibration motor:

 

 

 

Functions

 

 

 

Default

 

 

Keyboard buttons

 

 

Macros

 

 

Media buttons

 

 

Mouse buttons

 

 

Deactivate button

 

 

 

Launch application

Launch configuration

Launch Engine apps

OS Shortcuts

Record On-the-Fly Macro

 

The Macro Editor does open up in a separate window:

 

 

 

For the RGB-enabled areas, we can set separate lighting effects:

 

 

 

Each effect does have different configuration options available:

 

Steady

ColorShift

 

Multi Color Breathe

Trigger

Disable Illumination

 

The GUI can be configured in order to show the mouse from the side:

 

 

 

The OLED display does have a separate configuration window; we can edit a bitmap right from the interface or upload nice GIFs from files:

 

 

 

The Tactile Cooldowns are useful because they can alert you when you need to act in a specific game (for example cast a spell):

 

 

 

Vibration effects are plenty to choose from:

 

 

 

Besides the actual configuration GUI, we can use Engine Apps for enhancing the product value:

 

 

 

Profiles can be mapped to specific applications or games:

 

 

 

People that did not have a chance to try out the Rival 700, it is now a good time to give it a go, since it features an updated, proven sensor (SteelSeries TrueMove3), better switches and a modular design. As we have experienced with the Rival 310, Sensei 310 or the Rival 600, the sensor performed great in games such as CS: GO, Diablo III, Bless Online or GTA V. During our testing, we did not encounter any erratic movements and the haptic feedback does help at times, if configured correctly.

 

For eye-candy, we have two separate RGB areas, but also one frontal OLED screen, that can display both still images and GIF animations with an FPS of 10.

 

The top cover is interchangeable and if you are not a fan of rubber coating (picks up skin oils after a while), you can always order different other cover packs, in order to match your style.

 

The sensor modules are interchangeable between the Rival 700 and 710; for both we do have a separate Laser sensor kit available separately for purchase, via SteelSeries web page.

 

The Rival 710 mouse can be found online at the time of the review for about 100 Euros, coming this way with a good price/performance ratio, while incorporating lots of features as well.

SteelSeries Rival 710 Gaming Mouse is Recommended for:

 

 

 

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