MadCatz R.A.T. 8+ Gaming Mouse Review

I remember when I first started working at eTeknix and the MadCatz R.A.T. gaming mice were something new and strange. Well, here we are around 10 years later, and the R.A.T. mice are still something new and strange. There really isn't anything out there that draws comparison to the R.A.T., and you either love them or hate them. Thankfully, my big, wide and flat hands suit them quite well. However, since the original version, MadCatz effectively died off, only to be bought and resurrected by some returning loyal employees who have since revitalised the company. MadCatz R.A.T. 8+ Around six months ago, I actually put the R.A.T. 6+ through its paces, and absolutely loved what it had to offer. However, the R.A.T. 8+ is much more focused on the enthusiast PC user and gamer, and comes with even more features than the R.A.T. 6+, actually, quite a lot more. It has a class-leading optical sensor, three zone RGB LED lighting, 11 programmable buttons, including their secondary thumb controlled scroll wheel, on-board profiles and more. However, it's the extensive ergonomic adjustments that really set the R.A.T. 8+ apart from the competition, and we'll take a closer look at that shortly. Features SENSOR PIXART PMW3389DPI RANGE UP TO 16000USB REPORT RATE UP TP 2000HZTRACKING SPEED TYPICAL 400IPSACCELERATION 50GFRAME RATE 16,000LEFT AND RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON UP TO 50M CLICKSPROGRAMMABLE BUTTONS 11WEIGHT 145G WITHOUT CABLE What MadCatz Had to Say "The RAT8 is precision engineered to meet all of your gaming needs. Fitted with the fastest optical sensor on the planet, 3 RGB illumination zones, onboard memory and superior switch components, RAT8 delivers the performance and customization demanded by gamers. Each RAT possesses industry leading ergonomic customization, adapting to your gaming style. Now go even further, with our powerful FLUX Interface, and program 11 macro buttons and configure sensor performance." Packaging & Accessories The box is pretty compact and funky, with a large clear front on it, allowing you to get a really good look at the mouse. This is important for the R.A.T. 8+ as it's a very unique shape and design. Around the back, there's all the specifications detailed, as well as a few of the major features highlighted too. In the box, you'll find the mouse, the usual documenation and some little bags full of extra components. I wasn't joking when I said full either, there's a whole bunch of crap that can be bolted onto the mouse here! Two palm rests, not counting the one that's pre-installed, and two side mounts, again not counting the pre-installed one. The mouse its self comes hard-wired with a black braided USB cable. No big surprises here, but it is a nice quality cable. A Closer Look & Performance If you've ever seen a R.A.T. gaming mouse before, you'll know what to expect. They've looked just like this for the better part of a decade and while there have been some tweaks, it's still familiar to my hand as a fan of the original R.A.T. mouse. Visually, it's a stunner, it looks unlike anything else on the market and that's what I love about it. It's lower and wider than most mice, and even wider still thanks to that large wing on the left-hand size. That makes it good for a lazy palm rest for those long MMO gaming sessions. Down the side, there's quite a lot of going on. There are two switches for the forward and backward navigation buttons. Towards the front, you'll find a sniper button, albeit that's fully programmable too. Recessed into the side/top of the mouse, there's an infinite scroll wheel that you can control with your thumb. You could use this for a zoom on your sniper rifle, you could use it for a volume control... the choice is yours, it's all programmable. There's a bit of a tool-box of adjustments on this mouse too. Here you can see a small Allen key mount, a quick adjustment of this allows you move the whole left panel and buttons backwards or forwards to suit the size of your hand and fingers better. There's a large dial at the back too, which is both the weight tuning adjustment system mount, and the Allen key tool for adjusting the left panel. If you look closely, there's a spring-loaded button on the side of the top rear panel too. The numbers on the top show the range of adjustment as this whole panel can move and shorten or extend the length of the mouse quite extensively. The LMB and RMB are each mounted on their own panels with their own spring systems. They're backed up with a set of 50M rated OMRON switches that feel snappy and responsive. The long and wide mouse buttons are scooped to promote a good finger position and are very comfortable to operate. The bottom of the mouse is a metal chassis, which is shaped to look like the diffuser on a super car. Actually, this may be the next Lamborghini, it may be a new mouse... it's hard to tell. Recessed into the middle, a nice and large scroll wheel with a soft rubber grip. It's very easy to control and it has a nice possitive click to it too. There also a little wing on the front offering up a profile button, albeit that can be programmed, but it's great for swapping between your work and gaming modes. Even the underside of this mouse looks pretty awesome. I like how they cut-away to allow the mouse wheel to fit, as this really is a low mouse! The 8+ comes equipped with the truly stunning PixArt PWWM3389, offering up 16000 DPI, a step up from the old model that only had 12000 DPI, and certainly more than I'll ever use. Tucked into the back , you can see there are three weights in there allowing for some weight and ballance tuning. Now, this is where things get even more complicated. There are three, yes THREE palm mounts for this mouse. The one that's installed is the middle size one. However, there's this taller one to raise the angle and height of the back. Then there's this lower one with a durable rubber grip on it too. Push in the lever on the back and you can slide this bit backwards and forwards by a rather huge amount. Slide it all the way off to remove it and slide the alternative ones on as you see fit. Remove the tool from the back of the mouse... ...then you can adjust the screw for the side panel. As you can see it's a long screw, allowing you to turn it and that'll move the entire left wing backwards or forwards. With the tool out of the way, you can also remove the three weights that as on their own adjustable spring mount in the middle of the mouse. You can have the mouse short and stubby like this. But I've also moved the left side panel back a little, and I've put that much wider right wing on too, making this mouse as wide as it is long! The rear adjustment is good though, it took a few attempts, but once it was dialed in, it fit my hand like a glove. The RGB is nice and understated, with a few small zone lights dotted around it. There's the front DPI light, the RAT logo and a side light buried in the guts of it. I like the look of it, it's less in your face than a lot of modern RGB products, and it can be used for a bit of glitz or to highlight the profiles you have selected. It takes some tinkering, but the overall design is awesome. You get 11 fully programmable buttons to play with, and that funky thumb wheel, and a truly flawless sensor. Plus, I thinkered with it so much, it looks and feels extremely different from the mouse I took out the box a few days ago. How Much Does it Cost? The MadCatz R.A.T. 8+ Gaming Mouse doesn't come cheap, clocking in at £99.99, but for the level of hardware and features that you get, it seems like a pretty solid investment to me. It's a mouse that grows and changes as you need it to, and it's versatile enough to please any style of gamer, any age, any hand size and grip type. It's cheaper than the ASUS RoG Spatha, and around the same as the G502, so it's certainly competitive with other high-end models, but it has them all whipped when it comes to ergonomic adjustments. Overview There's nothing like a R.A.T. and that's as simple as it is, you either love it or you hate it. It doesn't feel quite like anything else to hold in your hand. However, I should stress that while it does feel unique, the R.A.T. 8+ has the most adjustment features I've ever seen, and with some tinkering it can feel closer to a more traditional mouse shape. The mouse is so heavily engineered, that it can take a good half hour to get it all setup with a bit of trial and error. It all felt a bit pointless and excessive, if I'm completely honest. However, after several failed configurations, I put my hand on the mouse and it just locked into my grip and it's been a superbly comfortable fit ever since. I had it longer, wider, lighter, and lower, and that suited my hand style perfectly. It meant my hand was just resting nearly flat on the mouse and not really having to grip; a very relaxing hand position overall. As for the sensor, it's pretty fantastic. There's no angle snapping, no acceleration or deceleration issues, and it'll track at up to 400ips, so even the most enthusiastic eSports gamers won't be able to run this out of range. You get quality OMRON switches, the PixArt PWM sensor, durable metal construction on the mouse, and easy to use software. It really does tick all of the right boxes. Should I Buy One? It's not a cheap mouse, but you do get an awful lot of features for your investment. If you like the design of it, you'll enjoy the extensive customisation options that it has to offer. Albeit, I suspect that once you have it set up just right, you're unlikely to make many changes in the future, but it's nice to have the option!