Those who wanted a better, more stylish way to control their games often turn to specialized gaming mice. Our friends out at the Max Borges Agency sent over a SteelSeries Rival 500 gaming mouse for us to try, and this little beauty will do just about everything you could ask for it. Perhaps the only downside to it is that it will also do a lot of things no one will ask for, wondering why those functions are even there in the first place.

The Rival 500 comes with a host of controls, including a series of side buttons that allow for different levels of control. A flickdown switch in the range of the thumb buttons allows for further control options, and a mechanical button lock on the mouse's underside allows those flickdown buttons to become a thumb rest. Several customizable functions, from tactile alerts for various conditions to the nature of the buttons' operations, are all available with the help of handy software wizards.

It's not just about controls, as the game also includes a Pixart 3360 optical sensor for maximum responsiveness, durability rated in the 30 million click range, and a series of light-up points that shift color according to various responses.

I put this mouse to use in place of my normal mouse for three normal working days, and in the process, I discovered something deeply important. With all these points of possible customization, sometimes it has a tendency to be a little excessive, and though many of its features are terrific, some are just plain unnecessary.

For instance, the mouse's light-up points are great. They look wonderful and give the mouse a little extra style. There's one big problem: there are two of these, one on the scroll wheel, and one on the back of the mouse near the top. Sounds all right, until you ask, where do you put your hands on a mouse? Yep, you put your hand right over the top rear of the mouse and your index and middle fingers to either side of the scroll wheel, effectively covering up the two lighting points. Why are they even there? They're beautiful, but they're invisible thanks to how you have to hold the mouse.

Additionally, consider the buttons. I love the buttons. Better, I love the thumb rest; the thumb rest actually makes the whole mouse experience feel a lot smoother than would be had without. Yet at the same time, this mouse, all told, has around a dozen buttons. For most gamers, this could be good news. For some users, this could be an embarrassment of riches that gets in its own way. Thankfully, the customization options makes this as simple or as complex as one could ever ask for.

The best part of this mouse was that it was a clear and substantial improvement over my old mouse. With smoother operation, the thumb rest, the overall feel in hand, the customization options and even a longer cable than my old mouse, the end result as a wonderfully made mouse that delivers on every front, including some fronts it shouldn't.

Those interested in getting one of these--and if you're a PC gamer, this is a good place to start looking for a game mouse--will be able to get these starting October 21 for $79.99 on Amazon.

All told, after three days with this mouse, it's an excellent mouse. Its only crime may be that it's too good for its own good, and some of its features might be a little unnecessary.

Pros: Huge array of features, absolutely customizable, great hand-feel, long cord, light-up bits

Cons: Could be confusing, light-up points unfortunately placed