Manufacturer: MadCatz

Colors: Black

Release Date: 11/3/2010

MSRP: $149.99

Gamers are probably the pickiest people on the planet, especially PC gamers, who want everything contorted and shaped to their needs and comfortability. Cyborg got the message and said, “Hey, how about you build your own mouse?” That’s kind of what we got here with the R.A.T. series of gaming mice, and although you may not actually build it, you can customize everything on it.

The mouse may look ugly to some and slick to others. It has a lot of sharp angles and exposed metal, so it looks kind of like a robot. There are a lot of buttons on this thing, but what’s most interesting is how well the mouse is designed despite having a tool, weights, and a lot of other things in it. You adjust everything via a tool that screws out of the back, and this lets you adjust two things. First is the thumb rest, which is where most things happen. There’s the sniper button (more on that later), a back and forward button, and a side scroll wheel (that doesn’t work in browsers, unfortunately). You can move this piece from side to side and up and down for maximum comfort. Second, you can change out the pinky rest for a textured grip one or a pinky “scoop.” This reduces pinky drag and lifts it off the table.

They could have stopped here, and those are huge issues gamers have with mice. But how about the palm rest? Sure, with an easy button press, you can adjust the length of the palm rest or swap it out for a textured one. Is the mouse too light or too heavy? Add some weights to the bottom via 1-gram discs that sit right behind the tool. The mouse is already heavy enough for most people without weights, but people who don’t like their mice flying everywhere or getting lift-off during frantic shootouts can add up to 8 grams, so it makes it pretty heavy. While the adjustability stops there, it pretty much solves every problem that PC gamers scream about.

The mouse itself is super sturdy, with nice, hard plastic that feels smooth. The bottom is an aluminum track with Teflon feet, so this baby glides like butter across any surface. It also just fits so nicely in your hand after fine-tuning that you don’t even notice it’s there half the time. Both the left and right buttons are very wide and long, so people with different lengths of fingers won’t have to contort their fingers. The middle scroll wheel is very big with thick grips, so it never slips. I found the wheel a tad too far forward compared to most mice, but after a few hours, you won’t notice.

Now for features on the mouse, there is a mode button. You can switch between three different button configuration profiles (from the software), and the LED changes colors. There is also a button to change DPI on the fly from four levels. Each level can be adjusted in the software, but there is an LED light on the side that shows which level you have selected. My favorite feature is the sniper button. Hold it down, and it slows down the DPI so you can get awesome headshots or increase accuracy for whatever reason you need. You can adjust the sensitivity in the software, but I use this all the time in games.

The mouse also comes with not one but two rechargeable batteries. They are about 3 inches long and are tiny little cartridges that slide in right next to the pinky rest, and you never even notice it. It is a bit of a pain to pull out, so some people may need to remove the pinky rest or palm rest every time to get to it. The other battery charges in the receiver, and your weighted cartridge holder sits in there as well. The battery takes about three hours to charge and lasts for about nine hours. I also noticed no lag in the mouse at all, and it is extremely responsive, so wireless mouse naysayers don’t have to worry about this.

The software is pretty standard, and it lets you program macros, shortcuts, etc. I have very few complaints about the mouse, such as not being able to move the pinky rest forward or back. I also don’t like that the side scroll wheel doesn’t work in browsers, and you can’t program it to work like that. This mouse may also be too heavy (even without weights) for people with weaker or smaller hands. The receiver is also very light; anyone with a movable laptop tray may have to tape it down. Like I mentioned above, the battery is a bit hard to get out, and I wish it would last longer than only 9 hours, but thanks to the second battery, this alleviates that otherwise major problem. The mouse also has a steep price point of $150. It’s more expensive than even some other top-tier wireless mice, but it’s worth every penny once you get it in your hand.