Mad Catz RAT DWS, a wireless mouse

The Mad Catz RAT DWS wireless mouse was recently supplied to us by the Mad Catz company. As we will discover during this test, a mouse with many assets makes it an ideal ally, particularly in FPS. First, let's go through the mouse's technical specifications.

We have a PAW3335DB optical sensor with a resolution of up to 16000 DPI and a maximum speed of 400 PPS. The acceleration is set at 40G, and the sampling rate is set to 1ms. Dakota switches have a lifespan of 60 million clicks.

Furthermore, the mouse is 113 mm long, 87 mm wide, and 38 mm tall, with a weight of 113 grams. We are using a wireless mouse, however, there is no battery, only an AA battery with a range of up to 200 hours in 2.4 GHz and up to 300 hours in Bluetooth 5.0. We would have preferred a battery, even if it did not come with a charging station, for a mouse in this price range.

The mouse's overall design is quite mechanical and rather unique. On top, we have the wheel, which can be moved from left to right, as well as the scroll mode. We have the DPI button directly behind it, which allows you to change the DPI.

There are also the "traditional" left and right buttons. On the left, there is also a button that is activated with the index finger. We also have a "barrel scroll" wheel on the top of the mouse, which is placed between the primary buttons and the wrist rest and allows you to alter the length of the mouse.

A power and pairing indicator, a thumb rest, a precision button (particularly handy in sniper mode), and two forward and back buttons are located on the left side. On the right side, there is a small finger rest that can be replaced with one of the two others included in the bundle.

The Bluetooth, off, and 2.4G mode buttons are located on the underside. Of course, there's the PAW3335DB optical sensor, and then there's the dongle slot. The position for the battery is on the back of the mouse. To our dismay, we are not using a battery, but rather a normal LR6 AA battery.

For mouse management, the Mad Catz RAT DWS program is employed. Upon opening, we are immediately taken to the "programming" menu, one of three tabs along with "Settings" and "Assistance." The software is version 1.0.61.0 at the time of this test.

Programming

This tab serves as the mouse's nerve center, allowing you to assign functions to the mouse's fourteen buttons. As an example, the wheel can be assigned the function "open a new tab." It is even possible to map keyboard keys to mouse buttons.

Settings

The second tab of this software allows you to fine-tune the sensor's DPI values. The drop-down menu provides several alternatives. Four profiles are suggested, and they can be modified. DPI can be adjusted from 100 to 16,000 DPI. Then, you can change the button that you want to assign to the DPI setting. We can also change the precision of the buttons.

It is also possible to change the DPI, which ranges from 100 to 16,000 DPI. However, the assignment of the button can be changed. Following that, we have the polling frequency setting, which may be adjusted from 125Hz to 1000Hz. Finally, you can use the angle correction feature to rectify slight mouse deviations.

First and foremost, the mouse is not powered by a battery, which is unfortunate because you must always have an LR6 battery on hand in case the battery dies. Then there's a point that doesn't directly depend on the mouse, but the management firmware is quite impracticable. It's slow, and you occasionally wonder whether it didn't crash. We also had a crash while modifying a parameter. It's a pity we had to connect a wired mouse!

For the most part, there is nothing to complain about. The mouse has a very good design. The absence of RGB allows for a more sober product to be held in the hands. Then, the use of black and silver colors gives a matt appearance. With 14 customizable buttons and the flexibility to replace the pinkie rest, everyone can customize their mouse to fit their hand. We're looking at a mouse that's 113 mm long, 87 mm wide, and 38 mm thick, with a weight of 113 grams.

The ability to connect it via Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz allows you to pick the optimal balance of performance and connection quality, though we didn't observe any difference in use.

The Mad Catz RAT DWS is outfitted with a PAW3335DB optical sensor with a resolution of up to 16,000 DPI and a g-force of 40G. Dakota 60M data switches are used in this mouse, which has a lifespan of 60 million clicks.

This mouse is undoubtedly the most effective in play. In FPS, both the scroll barrel and the precision button are ideal. Other types of games benefit from the mouse's various programmable buttons, which allow you to associate many shortcuts to make your life easier while playing.