FEBRUARY 2019 PCWorld 69And in my experience, it works. The effect
is more pronounced if you leave the mouse
alone for 15 minutes so it can really suck in
power, but even 15 or 20 minutes while still
playing gives you hours and hours of battery
once you unplug again.
We’ve seen a lot of creative solutions to
the wireless mouse problem the past few
years—specifically, the “Dead Wireless
Mouse” problem. Logitech’s Powerplay (go.
pcworld.com/lgpw) is probably the best,
trickle-charging the mouse at all times while
it’s in use so it’s effectively as reliable as a
wired mouse. Powerplay also runs more than
$200 though (for mouse and charging pad),
which is way more than most people will want
to spend.
The Rival 650’s fast charging is an
excellent alternative for the average
consumer. It’s not quite as foolproof, and I’ve
still had a few of those “Damn, my mouse isunnoticeable to most people.
Seriously, all the various
PWM3360 models are great.
SteelSeries pairs the
TrueMove3 with a second sensor
though, a dedicated depth
sensor. Its job? To instantaneously
determine when you’ve lifted the
mouse off the mousepad and
cease input. Most mice fold this
into the primary sensor, and
indeed the TrueMove3 handles
these capabilities on other
SteelSeries mice. But by including a
dedicated sensor, the Rival 650 can detect a
liftoff distance as small as half a millimeter—
double the sensitivity of most modern gaming
mice, which measure 1 millimeter liftoff.
Again, will it make a huge difference in
your day-to-day life? Probably not. As these
numbers get smaller and smaller the effects
become less and less pronounced. It’s
incredibly precise though, and if you’re
constantly lifting up and adjusting your mouse
you might find that the Rival 650 is a bit better
at keeping your aim steady.
The second gimmick will make more of an
impact though, I think. Fast charging has finally
hit mice, or at least this mouse. I’m honestly
surprised it’s taken so long, but the Rival 650
features charging capabilities similar to those
found in modern phones. SteelSeries claims
that 15 minutes plugged in provides the Rival
650 with 10 (or more) hours of battery life.