We’ve been using the R.A.T 9 for a while now, and we’re ready to give our impressions about it.

Hardware

This mouse is beautiful, its design is just stunning. The built in quality is exceptional as well: very good quality plastic and aluminium. This mouse is highly adjustable, you have some alternative mouse parts to make it perfectly yours. The battery is integrated in the core of the mouse, there is a second battery that is recharging all the time in the USB dock (connected to your computer). The concept is great: you have always a battery ready and charged. And it is suppose to be really easy to remove it and replace it. But in reality, it needs some time to be easily removable, when the mouse is brand new, this is really hard to remove form the mouse, that is a real problem: you have to remove some parts of the mouse to be able, with some difficulties, to replace the battery. With time, it’s getting easier. I have quite a big hand and I didn’t really see the interest to adjust the pinkie grips and the palm rest, nor the weight of the mouse, maybe that’s because I’m not a heavy gamer.

Software

Madcatz included, in the bundle, a software that allows you to calibrate your mouse and to program its buttons. What is really smart is that you can click on a dedicated button, on the mouse, that allows you to switch between configurations, in the middle of your game. This is really enjoyable. Too bad the software is not very intuitive (I didn’t really use it).

Battery life

A battery is surviving almost 24 hours, surely less if you are an hardcore player. This is ok, especially cause the mouse shows when the battery is dying, so that you can quickly, and quite easily, replace the battery. For a few days now it is not showing anymore when the battery is dying though. It is just shutting itself down. I don’t know if it is a bug.

That’s quite all, this R.A.T 9 is surely a very nice gadget, a perfect feature for hardcore gamers. It is very precise and efficient. I’m not sure to love the fact that it is wireless, and I really don’t like the software, but the overall product is perfect to me.