You’ll be amazed at the amount of accessories a gamer can get his/her hands on. Narrowing it down to just to mice you will find yourself in a bit of a puzzle trying to figure out which one is worth your money. So we try our best to make it easier for you, one gaming mouse at a time.
Overview
Here is the Mad Catz R.A.T TE (haha…the irony in the name is too much!) which is a pretty mean looking mouse. However I didn’t think too highly of the mouse when I laid my eyes on it for the first time. It looked like it tried too hard with the overly-busy design and made me think that not too much was done on the other aspects of the mouse.
But I’ve got to say the mouse proved that looks can be deceiving and proved that it was a decent, quirky, performer for competitive use, offering a number of high-end features and mostly super software at a little over the 7k mark.
Design and Build Quality
The mouse, as I mentioned before is something you’d look at twice if it were to pass right by your eyes. It’s definitely got the looks, but how does it fare otherwise?
The mouse doesn’t have anything unnecessary on it, just like the box it comes in—along with the mouse you get a quick start guide and a sheet of Mad Catz stickers. This mouse retains the signature looks of its R.A.T predecessors, with segmented pieces rather than an all in one shell which adds to its deadly looks.
When I first held the mouse I was a bit surprised as it barely weighed anything. I was expecting some weighty, solid, perhaps even metallic; instead it was a lightweight, black and blue plastic mouse. But this worked to its advantage as the decreased inertia allows the R.A.T TE to perform far more accurately and also translates into longer hours of gaming without strain.
Here is a breakdown of the device. It has a pair of extended claws which are the left and right buttons. The scroll wheel has a nice bumpy feel to it. The high point of the unit’s arch is only 1.6 inches, with an overall length of just over 4.25 inches.
Another feature is the ‘Lift-Off’ height calibration, usually defined as the distance you can move the mouse away from the surface it sits on before it ceases detecting movement. The palm rest on the mouse is adjustable. On the bottom right is a small spring-operated lever, which when pressed, allows you to extend the R.A.T. TE up to a total length of roughly 5 inches. So you can set it to whatever length you wish between each end. The dynamic surface detection is also an aspect worth mentioning, which are additions created for professional gamers (hence the name T.E. –tournament edition)
A decently long chord (1.8m) is provided to make sure nothing “shortens” your gaming experience. Also programmable button mapping has been optimized for popular e-sports games.
The mouse also features four power consumption settings that vary the length of time before it enters a sleep state and responsiveness of the sensor.
Software
A gaming mouse is nothing without its customizations. The R.A.T TE software works on both Mac and PC and is very easy to install. Once the software is running on your system, you can then tweak your mouse to make it an asset to your gaming experience. It allows you to create three sets of macro profiles as well as functions for sensor dampening, power usage and precision. It is everything a serious gamer would need.
The mouse is highly customizable, with nifty icons to assign functions to a particular button. The software is very user friendly and allows for an assortment of variations. The settings category allows you to set the degree of sensor damping, lift-off height, precision aim, and the four DPI defaults.
Features
- Adjustable Lift-off Height
- True 8200 DPI laser sensor
- Remap programmable buttons and create custom macros
- Precision aim mode – on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment steadies your aim
- Adjustable lightweight construction
Tech Specs
- DPI Levels: 4
- DPI Range: 100-8200 dpi (in 25 dpi steps)
- Acceleration: 50G
- Polling Rate: Dynamic up to 1000Hz
- Tracking Speed: Up to 6m/sec (240ips)
- Lift-off Height: 0.2 – 1mm
- Programmable Controls: 9
- Profile Modes: 3
- Weight: 90g without cable
- Always On: Yes
- “Slick” PTFE Feet: Yes
- Gold-plated Connector: Yes
- LED Colors: Red, Blue, Purple for each mode
- 2-year warranty
Pros
- Very fast and responsive
- Detailed lift off and sensor damping controls
- Good macro and configuration software
Cons
- Effectively only 5 programmable buttons
- DPI raise button is stiff
- Mode switching button awkwardly placed
Verdict
It’s priced decently at approximately Rs. 7,500 considering the 8,200dpi laser sensor. It is a great option for hardcore gamers who are looking to turn things up a notch. This feather-light mouse performs with unprecedented calibration accompanied with a simple to use customization software makes for a solid choice for a competitive gamer. Some might argue that the lightness may make it feel a bit cheap but it does help in maneuverability.
