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SteelSeries Rival 3 Wireless gaming mouse runs for a year on two AAA batteries

The $50 mouse can also run on just one battery to cut out some weight.

Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials
  • More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
Joshua Goldman
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Steelseries

Steelseries has been quiet this year, but maybe that's about to change. Last week it announced the SteelSeries Arctis 9 dual-wireless gaming headset for PC and PS4 and now it's releasing the Rival 3 Wireless gaming mouse, a cordless version of its entry-level Rival 3 mouse announced in January. 

The company always seems to offer a bit more than the competition and that's the case here. The Rival 3 Wireless has a new sensor made with help from sensor experts PixArt. The TrueMove Air sensor is rated at 18,000 counts per inch (CPI) for more precise onscreen movement and a top tracking speed of 400 inches per second (IPS) and tilt tracking. 

The mouse can be used via Bluetooth or the Steelseries' 2.4GHz Quantum 2.0 Wireless. Running on up to two AAA-size batteries, the Rival 3 Wireless can be used for more than 400 hours. If you'd rather have a lighter mouse, you can remove one of the batteries to drop the weight to 95 grams (3.4 ounces) -- lighter than its wireless competition from Logitech and Corsair. Adding the second battery brings it up to 106 grams (3.7 ounces). 

The Rival 3 Wireless has onboard memory to store up to five profiles for CPI, polling rate and RGB. Its switches are rated for 60 million clicks, too. It's available today for $50, which converts to £39 or AU$69. 

Correction, Oct. 5: The Rival 3 Wireless mouse cannot be used with a wired connection.