78 PCWorld APRIL 2019REVIEWS MAD CATZ R.A.T. 8+
Transformers film. I can’t say it
speaks to my tastes, but it’s
surprisingly comfortable once
configured, and feels durable
as well.
Also worth mentioning, the
RAT 8 is packed with buttons.
There are the standard Left, Right,
and Middle buttons, plus an
additional button to the side of
Left Mouse, a DPI rocker behind
the mouse wheel, a second wheel (scrolling
sideways) next to the thumb, two more traditional
thumb buttons, and a sniper button towards the
front. There’s so much happening, it’s hard to
even capture it in words. Suffice it to say, you’re
not short of options there either.
And in the two years since Mad Catz died
and came back, the RAT 8’s gotten a
hardware upgrade as well. It’s on par with the
rest of the competition, packing a Pixart
PMW3389 optical sensor—the same 3360
variant Razer uses on the DeathAdder,
Mamba, and so on. That means pinpoint
accuracy, with up to 16,000 DPI.BOTTOM LINE
Overall, it’s a great return to market for Mad
Catz, or at least the Mad Catz brand. The
mouse isn’t without faults. It’s still a RAT, and
bound to be as divisive as ever when it comes
to appearance. Dust is a constant struggle as
well, since it gets down into every nook and
cranny on the mouse. But if you’re the type ofperson who loves to tinker and make a
product your own, the RAT is about as
modular a mouse you’ll ever find, with a
top-tier sensor underpinning what feels like a
durable chassis.
My only reservation: Mad Catz of old was
known for a high rate of device failure. Since
those are issues that typically crop up a year
or two down the line, it falls outside the scope
of this review. We’ll keep an eye out, but only
time can tell whether new Mad Catz is more
reliable than the old. Fingers crossed.Mad Catz R.A.T. 8+
PROS- Eminently customizable.
- Uses a reliable PMW3389 sensor.
- Feels durable.
CONS - Customization options aren’t always intuitive.
- Heavy, even with the weights removed.
- Hard to know whether Mad Catz peripherals are
more reliable nowadays.
$65