70 PCWorld FEBRUARY 2019
REVIEWS STEELSERIES RIVAL 650
SteelSeries Rival 650
PROS
- Gets 10 hours of charge in only 15 minutes.
- Comfortable and attractive design.
- Removable weight system provides plenty of
options.
CONS - Heavier than some might like.
- Expensive.
- Third thumb button is small and awkwardly placed.
BOTTOM LINE
With the Rival 650’s built-in fast charging and
eye-catching look, SteelSeries has finally produced
its first must-have mouse.
$114
almost dead” moments mid-game. Pulling
down almost a full day’s charge in 15 minutes
is incredibly slick though. You’re never more
than a few minutes of inconvenience away
from wireless freedom, which is a fantastic
change from the days when I needed to keep
my so-called wireless mouse plugged in for
two or three hours to make sure it’d last.
There’s only one issue, and I hope
SteelSeries can fix it in a firmware update: DPI
is tracked separately in wireless and wired
modes, for whatever reason. When I plug the
mouse in, it immediately changes my DPI,
which can have disastrous results mid-match.
Seems like an easy fix, but we’ll see.
BOTTOM LINE
If you’re looking for a wireless mouse and
don’t want to throw down for Powerplay, I
think the SteelSeries Rival 650 is your next
best bet. Sure, at $120 it’s a bit more
expensive than some of the competition,
including Razer’s 2018 Mamba Wireless (go.
pcworld.com/mbrf) refresh—but the fast
charging feature alone is worth the extra cash.
Add in the weight system, the attractive
design, and the comfortable shape and
SteelSeries has its first must-have mouse.