Following up on their recent re-launch, Mad Catz made their presence known at CES 2018, and we got to take a look at their very expansive lineup of gaming mice. It’s not unusual for a company to debut one or two mice or keyboards at an event like CES, but Mad Catz went all out with eight, yes eight, new gaming mice being shown off at the event. These mice range from somewhat entry-level, to full-on customizable units with swappable panels and even sensors. We have a bit of a rundown for each of the mice, so let’g get to it!
R.A.T. Air
Starting things off is the Air, a totally new mouse with some amazing features. As its name conveys, the Air is a wireless mouse, but not your typical battery-powered kind. Instead the R.A.T. Air employs a German-engineered supercapacitor that is charged via the included mouse pad. By utilizing this type of power delivery, Mad Catz is able to keep the weight of the Air very low compared to most wireless mice, and there is even a 20-30 second residual charge that allows the mouse will continue to operate if it is removed from its pad.
For use on the go, you can simply remove the USB cable from the mouse pad and plug it into the front of the mouse for power and data transmission.
In addition to the very impressive power delivery, the Air features 10 programmable buttons, OMRON switches for the left and right mouse buttons, and an adjustable palm rest.
The mouse pad offers some additional cool features like RGB lighting, but the feature we really like is the option to choose between a hard or soft mousing surface. By including this option, the Air doesn’t limit itself to being used by users with one preference or the other.
R.A.T. 1+
Following up is the 1+, a fairly basic mouse with regards to its offerings, but not its shape. The 1+ keeps the very “broken up” look that the R.A.T. series is known for, and offers an adjustable palm rest, OMRON switches, and will be available in white and black versions.
R.A.T. 2+
The 2+ features OMRON switches and adjustable palm rest as well, but adds on a bit of RGB lighting for those users that need a bit of color customization on their mouse. The 2+ also has the ability to add on optional features like a fingerprint scanner that could be used to login to a PC instead of using a password.
R.A.T. Pro X3
The Pro X3 takes the R.A.T. lineup to a higher tier, for multiple reasons. The Pro X3 has your standard programmable keys, eight to be exact, as well as RGB lighting and OMRON switches. Where the Pro X3 really gets impressive is the amount of modularity and customizable features it offers.
Multiple side grips and palm rests are included with the Pro X3 for maximum fit customization, and optional “skids” give a bit of flexibility to the base of the mouse. Additionally, the sensor can be swapped out if the included 12k DPI Pixart model isn’t to your liking. All of these modular parts come packed in a nice case to keep things organized.
R.A.T. Pro S3
Designed to be an entry-level tournament mouse, the Pro S3 also features eight programmable buttons, and RGB lighting. Adjustable ergonomics are also available, as are the OMRON switches.
R.A.T. 4+
The 4+ adds an additional programmable button, for a total of nine, and also features the adjustable palm rest. Again, OMRON switches are found on the left and right mouse buttons.
R.A.T. 6+
Nine programmable buttons and RGB lighting are included on the 6+, as well as the adjustable palm rest. Where the 6+ differs from many of the other R.A.T. mice is the inclusion of an adjustable weight system to add a bit more customization to the movement of the mouse.
R.A.T. 8+
The 8+ adds onto the 6+’s features by including an improved gaming sensor. The same OMRON switches are found on the 8+, as well as RGB lighting, an adjustable palm rest, and even the adjustable weight system.
With this expansive of a mouse platform, it is obvious that Mad Catz is working to come back with a vengeance, and we are told that they are going to have a very strong PC focus. Unfortunately we don’t have any pricing for these new mice, but we can expect to see them become available sometime this summer.