If there’s one problem that plagues gaming, it’s ergonomics. No two sets of hands are the same, and so the result are scenes like those we saw with the original Xbox’s massive controller. Some people called it ugly, a disgrace, while others affectionately nicknamed it ‘the duke’, and claim it’s one of the best controllers ever made.
While this has always been a bit less of an issue for PC gamers, mice suffer from a similar affliction, and for that reason the guys over at peripheral maker Mad Catz have designed the Cyborg R.A.T. 7 gaming mouse, a fully adjustable mouse that allows the user to shape it to fit their hand perfectly.
At a first glance, the R.A.T. 7 looks a bit like a futuristic tank - or at least that was what I first compared it to when I first learned of the existence of the mouse. That was on June 8th, and shortly after that I was out at E3 2010 and got hands-on time with the mouse. The guys at Mad Catz explained how it worked and showed some of the customization in their modest booth, and to be honest I found it pretty impressive but gimmicky-looking. Once getting my hands on it for real, I soon realized that this was no gimmick.
Like the average gaming mouse, it looks cool and a little intimidating, but the reality of changing the layout of the R.A.T. 7 is actually quite simple. In terms of actually changeable parts, the package comes with three different palm rests of varying textures and sizes and three different pinky rests. The pinky rests screw off with relative simplicity by using the tool that is cleverly concealed inside the mouse, while the palm rest clips on and off and is also adjustable; allowing the overall length of the mouse to be extended or shortened to best fit the user.
The other major piece of adjustment that can be made to the R.A.T. 7 comes in the form of a set of weights, which slip easily into the bottom of the mouse and do exactly what you’d expect - make it heavier or lighter. I quite liked the default heft of the mouse, but those who prefer a featherweight mouse can easily yank weights out and make it easier to handle.
In addition to this, the thumb rest can be adjusted, tilted and shifted in just about every way you could ever want to best position it for your comfort. The movement of the thumb rest is important, as three buttons are mounted on the rest - the forward and back buttons, and one other button which has a special and rather unique function.
The third button is the ‘precision aim’ button, designed almost solely for first person shooter gamers. It’s a big red button, and hitting it changes the sensitivity of the mouse, making even the smallest movement on-screen require a large movement of the hand. The idea is simple: regular gameplay can see you use the impressive 5600 DPI mouse resolution to nab players as they dash about, but for precision sniping - moments when twitch controls are not as precise as you want or need - you hit the precision aim button.
The button essentially lowers the DPI for as long as it’s pressed, slowing the movements of the mouse and allowing for highly precise aiming for a short time. As soon as it’s released, the DPI shoots back up to full strength, bringing twitch control back. Honestly, the precision aim stuff feels a little like cheating, as it seriously works brilliantly and gives you a major edge over the competition in anything that requires precise movements.
While other mice allow you to switch DPI on the fly, the precision aim is easily flicked on and off with a simple squeeze of your thumb, an unintrusive movement. This alone is a killer app, so throwing that in alongside the customization of the shape of the mouse makes what’s already a sweet deal even sweeter.
All this customization and ridiculous DPI business is all well and good, but Mad Catz hasn’t forgotten regular old-fashioned functions with the R.A.T. 7 either. The mouse comes packing everything you’d expect from a gaming mouse with the default layout of buttons and a DPI switcher that changes the DPI of the mouse overall and independently from the precision aim feature. The R.A.T. allows for four DPI settings, and you can flick between the four with a few button presses on the mouse. The software lets you choose what each of the four presets are.
The business end of the mouse, the laser, is as previously mentioned a whopping 5600 DPI, actually packing one laser for the X axis and one for the Y axis. I had mine set at around 4200 DPI, but I’ve been working my way up to higher settings, getting used to the crazy twitch-sensitivity of the higher settings.
Speaking of settings, the R.A.T. 7 also comes packed with a software disc that lets you install specialized software for the mouse and edit settings, including the function of all of the buttons. It hits all the bases necessary for a modern gaming mouse, and hits them hard and well.
One of the most worrying things about any piece of hardware with interchangeable parts is it breaking easily, but the build quality on the R.A.T. 7 is more than solid. While the changeable parts are made of the moulded plastic you’d expect from a mouse, the actual core of the mouse is a sturdy metal that feels like it’d survive the bumps and scrapes a gaming mouse may get on its way to a LAN party.
There are downsides to the R.A.T. 7, mind. The first isn’t a problem for me, but the mouse offers little to no support for left-handed gamers. The outlandish, chiselled shape of the mouse likely makes it harder rather than easier for a lefty to use than a regular mouse, and it’s impossible to switch the pinky and thumb grips around.
The software is quite unintrusive once it’s installed and is running in the background, but I found it sluggish and rather basic when actually editing settings for the mouse. While the R.A.T. 7 is fairly easy to set up, the annoying thing about the mouse is that it requires the software to have the better functions - the on-the-fly DPI editing and such - so it’s not a truly plug-and-play device.
Likewise, while the amount of customizable parts to switch in is decent - three for each changeable section and a selection of weights - a few more sizes and shapes definitely wouldn’t have hurt. Despite that, I was able to get myself a setup that was extremely comfortable, so I wound up being a happy camper.
Despite my small issues with the R.A.T. 7, I can honestly say that it is the best gaming mouse - or mouse in general - I have ever used. Ergonomics and impressive technology for gamers merge here to create a gaming mouse that not only has the bullet points for the core gamers to salivate over but top-notch, five-star comfort.
It may be pricey at £79.99 or $99.99, but what you get here is a mouse like no other. The price may be kind of crazy, but what you get here is actually surprisingly good value, great quality, brilliant features and, without a doubt, one of the greatest specialist gaming mice ever built. If the price doesn’t put you off, this is a must have.
The Cyborg R.A.T. 7 is part of a wider series including the the R.A.T. 9, 5 and 3. The R.A.T. 7 is the flagship mouse in the series, while the 9 is a wireless variant. The lower numbers have less features and a lower DPI. Prices for the full series range from £34.99/$49.99 for the 3 to £99.99/$129.99 for the 9.
Score: 9.5/10
