The SteelSeries Rival 650 Wireless is a decent gaming mouse. It's the first wireless mouse in SteelSeries' lineup, and it's nearly identical to the wired SteelSeries Rival 600. It has an incredible sensor with a wide CPI range, minimal CPI error, and low click latency. It has a depth sensor that's supposed to reduce the lift-off distance to 0.5 mm, but we don't test for this. Although it's on the heavy side, it comes with eight 4-gram weights if you want to make it even heavier. It's extremely comfortable for any grip type, but it may be too big for smaller hands. Even though it's wireless, you can only use it with its proprietary USB receiver.
Our Verdict
The SteelSeries Rival 650 is a great office mouse. It's extremely comfortable, but it's too big for people with small hands to use with any grip type. It has a lot of buttons you can reprogram, which helps with your workflow. It's wireless, keeping your setup clean, but you can only use it with its proprietary receiver.
- A lot of programmable buttons.
- Suitable for medium to extra-large hands with any grip type.
- Fully compatible with macOS and Windows.
- Too big for small hands.
- Wireless connectivity limited to its USB receiver.
- You lose three side buttons when remove side panels.
The SteelSeries Rival 650 is decent for FPS gaming. It's a bit on the heavy side, but you can also remove the side panels to make it lighter. It's an extremely comfortable mouse, and it works well with any grip type, but it's too big for small hands. It has an incredible sensor with a wide CPI range, minimal error, and low lift-off distance. It also has low click latency, which is great.
- Wide CPI range.
- High polling rate.
- Low click latency.
- On the heavier side.
- Too big for small hands.
- You lose three side buttons when remove side panels.
The SteelSeries Rival 650 is great for MMO gaming. The mouse has a lot of programmable inputs, but it's limited to only three side buttons. It has an incredible sensor with low click latency, a high polling rate, low CPI error, and short lift-off distance. It's also extremely comfortable for medium or large-sized hands, and it's suitable for any grip type.
- Low lift-off distance.
- High polling rate.
- Low click latency.
- A lot of programmable buttons.
- Too big for small hands.
- Limited to three side buttons.
- You lose three side buttons when remove side panels.
The SteelSeries Rival 650 is okay for travel, but it's a bit on the bulky side and doesn't have a slot to place the USB receiver. Sadly, it doesn't have any Bluetooth support. It's extremely comfortable, and the body feels solid, so you shouldn't have any issues tossing it into a bag.
- Suitable for medium to extra-large hands with any grip type.
- Fully compatible with macOS and Windows.
- On the heavier side.
- Wireless connectivity limited to its USB receiver.
- You lose three side buttons when remove side panels.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 22, 2023: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.3. This update adds a new Sensor Latency test and makes minor changes to several of our existing tests, resulting in test result changes in several sections. For more information, you can check out our full changelog here.
- Updated Dec 09, 2022: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.2. This update simplifies our Weight test and expands on our CPI test from Test Bench 1.1, resulting in changes to test results in both sections. For more details, you can see our complete changelog here.
- Updated Nov 21, 2022: We've added explanatory text to the Click Latency section to provide added context for our results following the update to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated Nov 17, 2022: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.1. This update revamps our Click Latency test and results in changes to test results. For more details, you can see our full changelog here.
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Popular Mouse Comparisons
The SteelSeries Rival 650 Wireless is a great overall mouse that's extremely similar to the SteelSeries Rival 600. Choosing between the two really comes down to personal preference and whether you like wireless or wired mice. However, the Rival 650 is pricey, and it's on the heavy side compared to other wireless mice, such as the Corsair HARPOON RGB Wireless.
Also, make sure to check out our recommendations for the best gaming mice, the best wireless mice, and the best SteelSeries mice.
The SteelSeries Rival 650 is better than the Corsair HARPOON RGB Wireless. The SteelSeries is better-built, feels more comfortable, has more buttons, and has a lower lift-off distance. However, the Corsair has Bluetooth support, it's lighter, and it has lower click latency over its USB receiver.
The SteelSeries Rival 650 is a bit better than the Razer Mamba Wireless. The SteelSeries feels more comfortable, and it's suitable for most hand sizes with a fingertip grip. It also has a lower lift-off distance, and the companion software is available on macOS. However, the Razer is lighter, has a wider CPI range, lower CPI increment steps, and lower click latency over its receiver.
The SteelSeries Rival 600 and the SteelSeries Rival 650 are extremely similar mice. The 600 is a wired-only mouse that's lighter, and the 650 is wireless. The two mice have the same sensor, shape, and the same customization features.
The SteelSeries Rival 650 and the Logitech G Pro Wireless are similar mice. The Logitech is much lighter, is suitable for small hands, has a better sensor, and lower click latency. However, the SteelSeries has an extra programmable input, it's a lot more comfortable overall, and you can add weights to it.
Test Results
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