If you happen to be a space sim fan like myself you should be well aware that just a couple of weeks ago David Braben announced the launch of the Elite: Dangerous Premium Beta open only to backers and just yesterday Chris Roberts announced the pre-alpha availability of Squadron 42 (Arena Commander V0.8) again for backers of the game. Thanks to both Chris Roberts and David Braben these two space sim titles alone may be more than enough to cause a serious ripple effect in the gaming industry not only because both are solely funded via crowd funding and thus many more will most likely follow in the near future but also because fans of both legends will be willing to spend quite a bit in order to play these games at maximum graphics (trust me when i say they are more than just worth the investment). Of course joysticks, gaming keyboards and mice will be the primary peripherals people will look to get and so today we are taking a look at one such peripheral the latest RIVAL Optical Gaming Mouse by SteelSeries.

From day one, SteelSeries has been focused on making professional gaming gear that provide meaningful benefits to gamers of all skill-level, with the most demanding being those gamers whose lively hood depends on the performance of our products. We believe, as most gamers do, in winning, not trying! What originally began as a small two-person operation in Copenhagen back in 2001 has become a global leader in professional gaming products. SteelSeries recognized the need for superior, high-quality professional gaming gear that would give players a competitive edge. 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!

The SteelSeries RIVAL is actually the 3rd gaming mouse we've received to date that uses the very fast and accurate Avago ADNS-3310 IR-LED optical sensor that features zero hardware mouse acceleration for a more consistent performance. What's somewhat strange is that unlike the other two products we've reviewed in the past that use the same sensor SteelSeries seeks to be using a "slower" version that goes up to 6500 CPI and 200 IPS with a force of 50 Gs (as opposed to the 7000 CPI/215 IPS of the other models). Of course that rather tiny gap between speeds doesn't make a difference really and I?m certain that SteelSeries has a good reason for doing so but regardless we do need to point that out. The 2nd most important feature of the RIVAL is the switches SteelSeries used for the primary buttons since they are custom made by them and have a lifespan of up to 30 million clicks meaning 10m more compared to the popular switches by OMRON used in many other mid/high-end gaming mice. SteelSeries didn't really "pitch" the RIVAL as their top of the line gaming mouse but since its specifications say otherwise let's see of what it's capable of.