The Rival 500 isn't a great mouse, but its innovative thumb layout and the inclusion of haptic feedback are interesting glimpses of the future.

Intuitive and useful thumb-button layout; Beloved PWM3360 sensor; "Tactile Feedback" is like controller rumble in a mouse

"Tactile Feedback" is only in a handful of games; Short; squat; and heavy; Tons of buttons; but none feel great to press

The Steelseries Rival 500 reinvents the MMO and MOBA inspired gaming mouse.

Good button placement; Intuitive design; Useful software tools

Poor build quality; Chalky exterior

We've spoken a few times here at Techaeris about getting a leg up on fellow gamers with better game controllers, keyboards, and mice. MOBA/MMO gamers are no exception and while there are a number of multi-button gaming mice on the market, the SteelSeries Rival 500 takes a new approach to the...

Easy to use, great customization features, comfortable; Has the ability to bind games and applications to configuration setups; Useful for both gaming and office applications

A braided cable, or swappable cables like the Rival 700, would be a nice addition; Only three games work with Gamesense

If you have spent some time studying biology, you will realize your thumb is the most important digit on the human hand. Because of its large range of movement and high relative strength, as well as the fact humans have what are known as opposable thumbs, we rely on it to do a whole lot of things.

Gone are the days of normal gaming mice. These days we have gaming mice that are designed

– 15 programmable buttons; – Side buttons are actually functional; – Tactile feedback; – Comfortable design; – Engine 3 software

– Could be too cumbersome for people looking for something more streamlined; – Can only quickswitch two different DPI levels

The Rival 500 is the best MMO/MOBA mouse we have ever been presented! With the addition of SSE3, this mouse is outstanding in its abilities and customization. Accuracy and control, all in a comfortable, affordable, and ergonomically designed layout.

is a bit of a novelty mouse. Its tactile alerts are useful, but its tiny OLED screen isn't. Unfortunately, while it's a high quality product overall, I discovered a few issues with it in my review. I also thought the Rival 700 was priced too high, possibly because of its gimmicky OLED screen.

I love testing gaming gear and, in some way, for one of the strangest reasons: No one else in my house likes gaming gear. If I give them a headset designed for hours of comfort, maximum sound quality, and perfect voice capturing – they use speakers.

easy use

-wish it had more preset options for dpi

Please don't hate me, but I'm going to mention the fact of how many gaming mice there are right now. With that out of the way, there are so many gaming mice around right now, it's getting real hard to do something that is truly innovative in the market right now.

Excellent quality; Great aesthetics; Pixart 3360 Optical Sensor; Ground breaking design that's perfect for MMORPGs; Engine 3 Software is still the best

Buttons closest to the front of the mouse are hard to reach and there's no tactile bump to distinguish different buttons around the thumb