Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Gaming Mouse

This is one of those rodents that really doesn’t need much in the way of an introduction; the pictures do a fine enough job as is. When this mouse was announced last year, it left a wake of salivation behind it – Mad Catz had come up with a real eye-opener of a mouse.

The new Cyborg R.A.T. series of gaming mice are a collection of 4 models, including the R.A.T. 3, 5, 7 and 9, catering to different price and feature ranges. Under review today would be the spearhead of the collection, the R.A.T. 7. Not the most expensive of the bunch, but one that is likely to interest most of our viewers.

The basic technical specifications are nothing terribly exciting. A variable 5600 DPI laser sensor, 7 buttons (plus a couple extras), 1000Hz poll rate; just another high-end gaming mouse.

There are, however, a few interesting additions not found on other mice: a programmable horizontal thumb scroll and a ‘Sniper’ button. Logitech has toyed with thumb scrolls in the past, but these have been vertical and align with the middle mouse. The Sniper button on the other hand is definitely a new feature in the market, and one I hope to see more of in the future. Both of these features I will touch on later in this review. There is also a mode switch next to the left mouse button and a rocker style button behind the scroll for DPI switching, neither of which can be reprogrammed.

Technical specs not withstanding, anything else about this mouse is far from normal. If a picture could portray a thousand words… then this would be a short review. The Cyborg R.A.T. series of mice are the most unique on the market, with a style inspired by some real cult status films. Transformers and Batman’s Crawler are often stated and accurately describe both style and function. It all starts with the box. [Ed: Yes, I’m prolonging the inevitable, but really, the box is cool too].

No simple ‘Box’ box here. Angular, aggressive – despite the predominant use of white, this really does stand out and shows it’s different from the other rodents on the market. The front panel has a magnetic latch on it, allowing you to see the mouse itself.

Around the back and side; details and a rather sinister rendition of a cybernetic rat; duly portrayed of course as a reminder of the imminent uprising of our supreme robotic overlords.

Past the packaging and onto the mouse itself, we’re presented with something not out of place from a sci-fi cult fiction novel. Black, sharp angles, segmented – it just screams ‘killer’. It’s not all just for style either, the Cyborg mice are heavily customizable.

Without modification, the standard R.A.T. 7 looks like the above. Closed up and straight out of the box. It’s quite compact with a low profile at only 1.5" high. Take a gander over the next page as we take it apart and show you the level of customization that’s available.