Pros: -One of the best mouses I've used in my 4000 hours of CS:GO
-Switched to this after my old g502 mouse died and it fits comfortably
-Great sensors and DPI's available

Cons: -The cord is a bit "loose" i would say but not a huge con to take off an egg

Other Thoughts: -As mentioned in cons the cord may feel really loose or kind of out there for some some having a mouse bungee or something would really help lots

Pros: It is packaged well and very easy to set up. This mouse is well made. The panels align well, there are no creaks or rattles, the buttons have a great feel, etc. It fits my hand very well. I can reach the buttons easily. The downloadable software pack allows for a ton of customization. I've used keyboards with macros for a long time; its been fun to play with mouse macros. The USB cable is nice and long.

Cons: Its a bit pricey. It doesn't track well on all surfaces. I often had to slide a piece of paper under it to get good tracking.

Other Thoughts: It almost seems a bit boring because the design is so good.

Pros: - The feet on this are very slick. There is very little friction and the mouse does not vibrate as you move it. This is almost a con as I couldn't detect if I made a small movement.
- Decent shape and size for right hand
- Programmable buttons
- Adjustable lighting
- Not expensive at $60
- Button clicks are quick and have a solid click feel
- Software is rather nifty I have to admit. There are a bunch of things you can change including acceleration and deceleration. I personally like pointer acceleration when working but want a constant speed relative to my hand speed when gaming

Cons: - Mostly glossy plastic = BIG con in my book
- Occasionally freezes and I have to unplug and replug it in but seems more stable after firmware update
- Cord is rubber and doesn't always glide well. Make sure you have slack near your mouse pad. It also suffers from heavy coil memory out of the box.

Other Thoughts: - Scroll wheel is on the medium side of resistance and does not keep spinning after you release your finger
- Asymmetric shape (could be a pro or a con depending on your preference)

Pros: Large
Programmable multicolor LEDs
Programmable buttons

Cons: Freezing on one system

Other Thoughts: When first unboxing the SteelSeries Rival 300 Gaming Mouse, I noticed it was very light compared to my other mice. This was slightly disappointing as I prefer heavier mice. The mouse has two programmable multi-color LEDs, one in the rear and the other under the scroll wheel. In both my testing scenarios, I used the mouse directly on a solid composite desktop.

First, I plugged the mouse into my Windows 7 Enterprise Intel i7 work laptop and it stopped working after a few seconds prompting for a reboot. After reboot, the mouse was working but would freeze every few seconds. I then installed Engine3 from Rival, which also required a reboot. After rebooting a second time, the mouse continued to freeze but Engine3 reported a firmware update was available. I tried to install the firmware, but it failed with no error cause and required another reboot. After the third reboot, the mouse continued to freeze and Engine3 no longer displayed a firmware update. After several frustrating hours of trying to use the mouse between freezes, I unplugged the mouse and started using my old mouse.

I next tried to use this mouse with my personal desktop which runs Windows 10 on a AMD APU. The mouse worked fine out of the box on this system so I installed Engine3 which required the first and only reboot. After the reboot, Engine3 reported a firmware update was available and it installed successfully. The mouse continued to work without freezing during daily tasks and while playing Starcraft 2.

Pros: My point of view is a little different than other reviews here in that i can game in either left or right-handed setups. My preference is for left-handed gaming. My hands are not large, and most of my gaming over the years has been done with a variety of standard mice rather than gaming mice. In that case you simply assign important commands to the number pad on the right side of the keyboard, conveniently situated right beside the arrow keys which are used for forward, back, left, right. Generally, i've been unimpressed with gaming mice because they seem too heavy, too complicated, too expensive and the often numerous side buttons are placed too close together. Also, trying to use most of those for left-handed gaming is a simply a disaster!

So, enter the SteelSeries Rival 300 - White. (It also comes in black for the same price currently.) Others have commented on the elaborate customizing software so no point in going over that again except to confirm that it works and my Avast anti-virus didn't pose any problems for installing or using the mouse software. Also confirmed is that the mouse works great right out of the box. Regarding the feel of the mouse it has just the right click action, a positive trait that speaks to its superior quality construction as does the tactile rubber-like side grips. It's a little on the large side compared to a standard mouse but no problem using it for me, at least, and it glides smoothly over whatever mousing surface i tried. The 2 side buttons can be useful even for a left-hander and they didn't accidently click when i was playing left-handed which, frankly, surprised me!

Other gaming mice such as Logitech's fancy G-series and Razer models never convinced me to spend $120 to $180 on a mouse. They're too heavy and i kept hitting the wrong side button too often. More is not always better. This Rival 300 is the perfect compromise - quality built, very responsive, medium weight, a few well-spaced customisable buttons, and still affordable.

Cons: The lights on the mouse are a distraction. They caused me to look away from the screen and - Bang - i'm dead. You may feel differently.
The mouse cord doesn't glide smoothly over the edge of my metal keyboard tray. However, taping a strip of tin foil along the edge of the tray resolved the problem.

Pros: First thing I noticed when taking the mouse out of the package was the quality USB cord. Another hardware feature I liked is the tactile scroll wheel. It has ridges instead of just a smooth circle which makes it easier for playing games.

The software that you can download for this mouse is pretty cool. It has many of the same features other gaming mice software has. However, it also has some features I never saw in any other software like pointer acceleration and deceleration (yes, they are 2 different adjustable values). It also lets you adjust the angle snapping rate (doubt I’d use this though). The last thing I can say that makes the software cool is that you can change the scroll wheel and main light colors independently of each other.

Cons: This is a pretty lightweight mouse but I like more weight to mice. This is just my preference though.
Another problem I came across is that since the cord is completely rubber and not a plasticky-rubber like most cords, the mouse cord kept getting stuck at the edge of my desk. Depending on your setup, this might not be a problem but I have my mouse and keyboard on a sliding tray.

Gamesense is a thing that makes it so the light colors can change depending on your health, or do other game specific things but it only works with Counter Strike: Global Offense, DOTA 2, and Minecraft (with a mod).

My last complaint is this does not seem any better than any other gaming mouse. You can’t tell a difference with the increased pull rate. The programmable keys offer the same customization as all other gaming mice. I also prefer mice with more programmable buttons. I like having about 5 programmable buttons with 3 of them being thumb accessible.

Other Thoughts: If this mouse was cheaper, I think it would be pretty cool. However, it is $40 more than I would pay for it (currently $60). I just don’t see many advantages of this mouse vs any other gaming mouse.

Pros: * SteelSeries’s Rival 300 Gaming Mouse is a good-looking, comfortable, functional mouse. If you are on a budget and are looking for a simple gaming mouse that’ll get the job done without much flair, the Rival 300 may be a suitable match for you. *

- Aesthetically, the Rival 300 is deceiving. At first, its appearance reminded me of an old school mouse back to the days of the 90s, due to the white, glossy plastic and beige undertones. The cord looks exactly like the thankfully obsolete PS2 mouse cables (see Cons). However, my distaste for its appearance abated the longer I used it, and after a few people remarked on it. There are two LEDs, one under the mouse scroll wheel and one at the back of it. The thumb rest and right side are made up of a fittingly comfortable soft rubber material.

- The Rival 300 is a hefty mouse. There isn’t a weight modifying feature, so it’d be agreeable to people who like heavier, bulky mice. I happen to like its solidity and weight, although it’s a little long (see Cons).

- It’s rare, but it seems like SteelSeries found a decent balance between a mouse for a claw grip and a palm grip. I personally have a palm grip, so mice designed for claw gamers just don’t feel right, but in the Rival 300’s case, it strikes a middle ground between the two grips. I still have some gripes about it, however (see Cons).

- The scroll wheel is responsive and feels just right on the finger. Sadly, it can’t switch between a leveled haptic or smooth scroll, but I like the feel of it, and its satisfying middle click. The same applies to the additional button below the scroll wheel.

- The two additional side buttons are gratifyingly clicky and mechanical. They are responsive and are honestly one of the best, if not the best, mouse buttons I’ve ever used. The side buttons are also well spaced and easily distinguishable. I just wish there were more of them.

- The bottom is designed well—offering little resistance. The mouse moves smoothly and quickly as expected.

- The software (SteelSeries Engine 3) is more than customizable. It allows you to change the LEDs on the mouse to a 256 RGB color range, also with different color effects like breathing and gradient color shift. The LEDs are striking and appealing. It will allow up to a whopping 6500 CPI/DPI mouse setting, making the cursor fly across multiple monitors. While there are essentially just three additional buttons, all of the six buttons are reprogrammable with a bunch of different categories. Every macro is programmable to the furthest extent; including Quick Record Macros, toggle/repetition, and a Macro Editor. You can also set different profiles for separate uses, which can change according to programs you launch. The software is practically everything you’d expect from a customizable peripheral program, but not too overboard and obfuscating like Corsair’s Utility Engine.

Cons: - After having used many premium gaming mice from Logitech (my personal choice) to Razer to Corsair, the plastic surface material just no longer feels comfortable on mice–like the Rival 300. It’s resistant against your skin, and after a while, the heat from your hand sticks to it. Also, if you engage in long gaming sessions or are prone to sweating, the surface just doesn’t feel comfortable; the moisture builds up and stickiness is annoying.

- Though the heft and build quality are fitting, the mouse is too long for me despite my rather long fingers. Subsequently, I imagine a good amount of people with short fingers may dislike its length. With my personal G602, I love its shorter left index finger button, which allows quick repetitive mouse clicks. The same isn’t true for the Rival 300—at least for me. There’s about an inch of wasted space, slowing click speeds with a palm grip. My other fingers also fall short in every area of the mouse. If you have a big hand, this may be a good solution. However, I like my palm grip to encompass the entire mouse, and with the Rival 300, my hand barely covers half of it.

- I already have mentioned the cable looking like it belongs to a 1990s mouse, but it also sticks to surfaces and gets tangled easily. Spending a few days with this mouse makes me yearn for my wireless G602 or the sleek, slippery braided cable of the Corsair Raptor. A braided cable isn’t much to ask for, and I think SteelSeries could have pulled it off without exceeding the bang-for-your-buck price range.

- For an entire day, out of nowhere, the left button would only work if I mashed it down forcefully. This defect happened after about three days of using it, and I thought the issue was permanent. Thankfully, after a day or so, it returned to normal. This malfunction did make me question the Rival 300’s durability and whether the problem will eventually reemerge.

- The Rival 300 only has three additional buttons to the traditional mouse. I personally prefer more than that, and at least four on the side. Although, you may prefer only the side two. To each their own, but I think in most cases the more the better, sans the Naga.

Other Thoughts: - Nothing about the Rival 300 blew me away. The mouse feels to me like a stripped down gaming mouse, with minimalistic layout and lacking a few bonus features from higher end mice—possibly even some mice in similar price ranges like the Corsair Raptor series. Overall, it will do its job, but I think there are plenty of options on the market that may be a wiser choice.

* The Rival 300 is a simple mouse for gamers. It lacks a good amount of bells and whistles compared to competing gaming mice, and I could recommend plenty of other mice if you’re a serious gamer with a healthy budget; however, the Rival 300 is well-priced and gets the job done in a barebones sort of way. *

Pros: -- customizations
-- large
-- pretty lights
-- stores profiles

Cons: -- large
-- AV may prevent software from loading
-- support site needs info

Other Thoughts: This is a very nice mouse, suitable for medium to large hands. It feels good in the hand, the rubber inserts fall nicely, it’s pretty lightweight. Small hands may not reach buttons without moving. With just the plug-and-play drivers, the mouse is ready to use and the Steel Series icon slowly pulses orange. When computer sleeps, it goes out. The extra small button on top and front left button are not configured unless software is loaded. A lot of effort went into designing exact placements and shapes.

You’ll need to download the 77+MB (!) configuration (http://steelseries.com/engine). My AV alerted on “goose-sqlite.exe” and quarantined it. The software wouldn’t run after restoring the file. I had to uninstall, reboot, stop the AV, and reinstall. Luckily I could re-enable my AV without any alerts. The configuration program then worked and automatically updated the mouse’s firmware (blue light blink). It’s difficult to find answers on the SteelSeries support site, as there are no Rival 300 specific faqs. You send email for support; no chat. There are more settings and profiles possible than I would ever use. Everything can be customized. If you like playing with mouse settings to get game advantages, this is one to get. There are some pre-made profiles for games. It can “gamesense” and even change the icon light to reflect “hunger level” and “health” light (on the scroll wheel) for Minecraft. It’s good to see examples of what can be done, as there is no manual. You can even “swipe” it to spin.

The mouse is highly accurate and feels good in the hand. The default dpi is 800, but it goes up to 6,500 dpi. The materials are good and it glides smoothly. If you have a 3D printer, there is a custom template for download to replace the pry-out “Rival” piece below the icon.

Comes with 2 SteelSeries stickers, so your friends know you’ve got one.

Pros: Fantastic fit and feel. This mouse is on the bigger side which is perfect for people with bigger hands. As a claw gripper, a lot of mice with sides that cave in for your fingers actually hurt my hands but because of the slightly bigger size, this is actually one of the most comfortable mice for claw grip that I have ever used. There is also just enough curvature so that others who rest their whole hand on the mouse have a comfortable grip as well. The buttons all feel very nice, with just the right amount of feedback (although clicking the scroll wheel takes too much effort IMO). I'm also glad the mouse is not gloss all around- the rubber grips make it so the important parts are grippy without attracting dirt all over. Personally, I also like that the mouse is a little on the heavier side. It doesn't have adjustable weights but the weight feels just right and not super light and cheap like the mice that are usually bundled with your typical Dell desktop.

Quite a pretty mouse too, fits very well with a light colored PC build. Customize-able LED lights make it so you can match the color scheme as well (the logo and scroll wheel light up and pulse), although you need to download extra software for that. The software is nice and lets you customize the usual options (such as resolution, extra button functions) but since this isn't a hugely customizable mouse with a million buttons you may not need it. Works very well just in plug and play mode.

Cons: Not many deal-breakers here since it is a really solid mouse but a couple things to point out:

First, the gloss finish may not be for everyone. If you have somewhat sweaty/greasy hands this mouse will become pretty nasty pretty quick. The sides do have rubber grips but it could be pretty oily on the body of the mouse where it's glossy.
Second, the scroll-wheel clicking effort is a little high. This can get annoying in games which use it a lot (for example, I have it set to scope in and out on a sniper rifle in a lot of FPS games).
Finally, the price is a little on the high end for a fairly basic mouse. But really I think it is still a good deal- it is a solid quality mouse for sure.

Other Thoughts: Perfect for FPS gamers. Nice and simple to use, easily adjustable resolution with the button under the scroll wheel. Two extra buttons do come in handy for mapping to in game controls, but are also out of the way enough on the side that they won't get accidentally clicked (some mice place extra buttons right where you would hold the mouse which I never understood). Overall you can't go wrong with it!