SteelSeries Rival Pro & Sensei Pro Gaming Mouse review: Always locked in
The Rival Pro and Sensei Pro boast some of the most accurate polling rates you'll find in a mouse, and they do it in incredibly lightweight and comfortable fashion.
by TJ Denzer · ShacknewsFor the last week or so, I have been playing with something truly exciting in the world of gaming mice: SteelSeries’ latest entries, the Rival Pro and Sensei Pro. These are all-new competitive-level gaming mice meant to provide some of the best combination of lightweight and comfortable handling and pinpoint accuracy with an 8K polling rate and a wireless frequency that can actually maintain that level. It’s got a chunky price tag on it, but like the Arctis Nova headset, the Rival Pro and Sensei Pro feel like a new benchmark in SteelSeries quality in yet another sector of its peripherals.
What’s in the box?
The SteelSeries Rival Pro and Sensei Pro each come in white and black designs, with standard full-size and lighter Mini forms. The main difference between the two is the Rival is ergonomically designed for right-handed use while the Sensei is built for ambidextrous use, offering left-handers a better form. Both of them feature a wireless transmitter, two removeable and swappable battery discs, optional grip tape, and spare replaceable gliders. The wireless transmitter connects via an USB-C to USB-A wire and both mice operate in optimal condition at about one to two feet away. SteelSeries staff recommended a limit of three feet for best performance and that tracks in my testing. All of this comes at a retail price of $179.99 for all forms of the Sensei Pro and Rival Pro.
A lightweight bullseye device
I have to say, the comfort, utility, and performance of the Rival Pro and Sensei Pro might be some of the best I’ve handled on a mouse. I used the Rival Pro while I handed the Sensei Pro to my left-handed spouse. We both found it comfortable, light as a feather, and enjoyable to use for long periods of time. My spouse enjoyed the optionality of being able to switch to comfortable left-handed use and still enjoy what these mice had to offer.
The big feature on these two new mice is an 8K polling rate powered by Ultra Wideband Wireless (6GHz and higher frequencies). The way SteelSeries figured, just about every wireless device uses 2.4GHz frequency which clog up the waves and create higher latency. By switching to a higher and lesser used frequency, the goal is to allow these mice to play in a place where the wireless signal won’t be stifled by other devices, creating a more seamless connection and response. I have to say, after much use in games like Deadlock, I felt like I could switch targets, stop on a dime, hit my shots, and rinse-and-repeat in satisfying fashion.
The other big winner here is the battery pucks. SteelSeries created a new battery form for the Rival Pro and Sensei Pro that operate similar to their Arctis Nova Pro headsets. You get two batteries. Leaving one on the wireless transmitter/charger while you have one in the mouse means that when your active battery is running dry, you just swap it out with the charged spare. They’ll last through a good business day's worth of operation at middle settings. It’s worth noting, however, that depending on how taxing your settings are, the battery could run dry faster, but the swap is so easy and fast that I barely ever registered an inconvenience.
You can also augment your aim with the SteelSeries GG companion aim, which has a 3D aim trainer to help you practice and hone your skill in a number of programmed games, as well as being able to change any number of settings, including polling rate, button programming, and more.
I would almost say the Rival Pro and Sensei Pro are sterling in their overall performance and design. There was only one issue I was consistently able to clock that dampened the overall experience and it seems to be a matter of battery power and the scroll wheel. After long usage, I found that use of the scroll wheel started to get less response, resulting in slow scrolling throughout various applications. This seems to be directly connected to battery life because I found once I swapped to the fresh battery, scrolling went right back to normal. I will admit that $179.99 is a thick price tag for a mouse, but with the utility, performance, modularity, and ease-of-use it provides, I think it more than meets the cost for anyone that plays on PC regularly.
Become a dangerous Rival… Pro
I’m not going to sit here and tell you the SteelSeries Rival Pro or Sensei Pro will make your use of a mouse better than it is now. But much like SteelSeries itself markets, I do believe it helps good players work to their potential and can help improve those legitimately looking to get better if you engage in the full suite of options it offers. It’s a hefty price tag for the experience, so you’d best be sure that’s what you want. That said, I’d say it’s even just worth it to have such a comfortable and responsive wireless mouse with a battery that can be switch this easily. Those features and more easily make this feel like the new premium benchmark in SteelSeries mice.
This review is based on testing of sample models of the Full-Size Rival Pro and Sensei Pro provided by the manufacturer. The Rival Pro and Sensei Pro are available in white and black, Mini and Full-Size forms at a retail cost of $179.99 USD on SteelSeries’ website and partnered retailers.
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Review for
SteelSeries Rival Pro
9
Pros
- All-day comfort
- Top-tier wireless performance
- Long battery life and easy swaps
- Programmable and modular with SteelSeries companion app
Cons
- Very big price tag
- Battery life may affect performance
- Some features require companion app