PC gaming has been on a continuous rise, bringing out the latest and greatest accessories and hardware to allow users to fully have control of their desired game. One company in particular has really done a fantastic job when it comes to gaming accessories. Mad Catz, The Cyborg R.A.T.9 takes the cake on gaming mice. I had the privilege to test the Rat 9 out for about two weeks thanks to Mad Catz, who has graciously sent the product over for review. After fully testing the Rat 9 out I found that this gaming mouse is killer, and would make any PC gamer grimace at the thought of going back to a standard mouse. This is by far the number one mouse of choice for any PC gamer.
Even the packaging looks smooth, but once you open the box you are greeted with the following:
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The R.A.T. 9 gaming mouse
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A receiver / battery charger
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Software
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Manual and guides
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Two rechargeable batteries
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A aluminum case which holds interchangeable pinky and palm rests along with weights holder
The overall design looks incredible. The mouse is made to fit your hands with the ability to customize the weight, pinky and palm rests which are easily assembled or adjusted to the lengths of your needs by using the screw driver located on the back of the gaming mouse itself. I personally was able to find a style and feel that I was comfortable with quickly. Not only can you adjust the size and feel, but weight is another adjustable asset Mad Catz brought to the Rat 9. Under the mouse you are able to add a full 42 grams to the mouse. While testing the mouse out for two weeks, I had no problems with any of the buttons not being responsive. I had enough room on the mouse to efficiently and comfortably press any buttons when needing to.
As I said before, you have options to switch out palm and pinky rests. If you prefer a certain feel, you have the option to change the structure of the mouse to customize comfortably to your hand or style. Customization is something I really enjoyed with this mouse, no longer do you have to search for a gaming mouse in which you try to find the right size. Now when I play any game on the PC, I sometimes have the dreaded pinky drag, however I found a pinky rest that I was able to attach and easily glide the mouse without my pink being exposed to the desk surface.
The receiver connects via USB and acts as a battery recharger and a 2.4GHz wireless transmitter. Rat's 9 receiver grips to your desk and gives off two lights. A red light will show it picking up the signal from the mouse while another light will give off red or green depending on if you have a battery connected in the receiver and if it's charging or fully charged. The top space is given to hold the weight cartridge. On the subject of the batteries, there was no problem with the lithium-ion battery cartridge when removing or connecting it to the mouse or receiver, you simply have to pop in the battery or pull it out, which was great knowing I didn't need to unscrew or remove any rests or parts of the mouse in order to get at the battery.
The Rat 9 uses a 5600dpi sensor. Mad Catz's claims to only be a 0.001ms latency and from the total time I used the mouse, I can honestly say there was no problem with latency. Battery life was great on this mouse, after several minutes of not moving the Rat 9 will cause it to turn off however one click does activate this mouse again. I averaged about 8-9 hours of full use of the mouse before needing a recharge however with two batteries, I could continue using the mouse while swapping out the spare and charging the dead cartridge.
You're given four modes for this mouse to customize. Every button to the scroll-wheels can be customized to any key along with changing the DPI from using the software that comes with the Rat 9. During use of the mouse you are able to switch modes from a button located next to the center scroll-wheel you will have a indicator on the left of the mouse showing which mode you are currently in.
Lastly you have buttons accessibly easy by your thumb. A back and forward button along with a small red button. The red button is for you snipers out there, by holding on to the red button, you will be able to immediately lower the DPI. You can drastically change the DPI when needing to take out your enemies in your favorite FPS game (Note: The red button can be customized to change the DPI from the software). I never was the greatest sniper in the world when it comes to any video games, however, the red button did help me out a little more then what I would have been able to do.
In closing:
If you are a gamer in search of a completely customizable gaming mouse then Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 9 is for you. This is not your every day surf the web mouse, this is made for gamers who are looking for a sleek gaming mouse. Not only can you customize it to your hand size or grip, but you can also change it based on a certain game or work. It's like you have a bunch of different mice all in one. You can pick one up for about $130, a little pricey for some but highly recommended if you can pick this up, you will not regret the purchase.
You can check out more Mad Catz products here:
http://cyborggaming.com/prod/rat9.htm
Full disclosure: Mad Catz provided the product for review
