Mad Catz is one of the leading brands specialising in hardware for PC and game consoles. Their latest model in their gaming mouse range, the R.A.T. 8+ aims to improve on everything over its predecessor, providing maximum comfort and improving performance, whether it’s creating documents, photoshopping, digital art, video editing, and of course, gaming.

The R.A.T. 8+ is available in either back or white and comes neatly packaged in a sleek-looking box, with a clear cover to show what the mouse looks like up close, and the specifications displayed on other panels. Opening the box, however, isn’t quite as simple as it should be, and I ended up tearing part of it because there wasn’t a clear way to open it due to its complicated design. It seems others have had the same issue too, unfortunately, so while this isn’t a problem for those who usually discard the boxes, anyone wanting to keep it will have to be extremely careful.

Regardless of the complex box design, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Inside, of course, comes the R.A.T. 8+ mouse, extra attachment pieces, instructions, and Mad Catz logo stickers. The mouse has a very unique and interesting design, looking like something out of a Transformers movie or even the Batmobile during the Christian Bale era. There are even some fancy lights that change colour, but as interesting as it looks, the real test is how it performs.

While it can be used to perform various tasks on a computer, first and foremost the R.A.T. 8+ was built with the gamer in mind, especially first-person shooters. It features a 16,000 DPI sensor, providing precise accuracy when aiming at the enemy. I tried it with ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’ and it feels like a massive upgrade over the old cheap mouse I was using previously. The differences are night and day. I’m not really an FPS player, and my win-loss ratio is pretty embarrassing, but the R.A.T. 8+ made me feel like I stood a much better chance against the more experienced players online.

I also made sure to try it with a few other games such as ‘Angry Birds’ and ‘Worms Armageddon’ where precise mouse movements are very important, and the R.A.T. 8+ did not disappoint. It’s heavily advertised as a gaming mouse and it absolutely delivers. I also tried it with some photo editing, video editing, and digital art, and it definitely makes those tasks feel smoother than ever. As of this writing, there hasn’t been one occasion where I had to lift the mouse or move it in multiple directions to get the cursor working again. If the life expectancy of 50 million clicks is true, gamers may very well be using this mouse for a very, very long time.

There are an incredible amount of features, including eleven buttons in multiple places that can be programmed to specific commands depending on the individual, the barrel scroll for peaking around corners in FPS games, and removable/adjustable parts to better suit the user’s hand size and shape. Different parts can be adjusted to make it feel bigger or smaller in the hand, helping make it more comfortable since we’re all built differently.

Other parts, such as where the palm, thumb, or pinky finger would be, can be removed and replaced with the other attachments packed in the box. Some attachments can help make it feel more like a traditional mouse, other pieces will give you a plastic or rubber grip, and there are even parts designed for the user to rest their thumb or pinky finger on and not have them drag along the desk or mouse pad. Adding to all this, an allen key is even provided and it can be found at the back of the mouse. Simply unscrew it, use it to remove certain parts as mentioned above, and screw it back in when finished.

With its design, dust could easily build up inside, but fortunately, it’s just as easy to clean out thanks to the removable parts. The only real downfall is that it’s strictly a wired mouse with no wireless capability, which means it’s another wire to get tangled up in amongst all the other wires behind the computer. While it would be nice for it to be a wireless mouse, it more than makes up for it with everything else it has to offer.

The Mad Catz R.A.T. 8+ is no doubt an excellent mouse, ideal for gamers to get the edge in online matches. Its unique design might look odd at first, but after using it for a little while, it instantly becomes one of the most comfortable mouses to have in your hand, and it has a wide variety of options to suit different hand shapes and sizes. With a price range of $120 – $150 AUD, the R.A.T. 8+ is, without a doubt, one of the absolute best mouses out there and it’s available now. Mad Catz proves once again why they’re one of the leading brands in PC and gaming hardware.

Written by: Sammy Hanson