Mad Catz R.A.T. 4 Mouse Review

After Mad Catz died, people were worried that the well-known brand was gone forever. Well, it was bought by a Chinese firm and has come back, releasing mice, keyboards and headsets galore. I took a look at the R.A.T. 4, which is the mid-tier priced mouse.

It comes with the quick start guide, sticker sheet and a 1.5 meter cable in the box, so not a lot but you don't need a lot. The mouse honestly feels a little cheap, which was disappointing to find. Due to the design there are a lot of parts that creak when any kind of pressure is exerted upon them. They’ve gone for a lightweight, “see-through” design, which lets you see the inner workings. Well, a couple of cables, really. It kinda looks like an off-brand Deus Ex Mankind Divided tie-in mouse.

Also, the bit at the back that nestles in your palm can be moved, depending on the size of your hand. It’s a pretty neat idea, but the further you move it, the looser it feels.

There are five buttons (apart from the three usual), with one behind the scroll wheel, and three on the thumb rest. Two are the usual “forwards” and “backwards” buttons, but the third by default is a “Fine Aim” button that will slow your cursor down. The one behind the scroll wheel adjusts your DPI, so that your cursor moves faster or slower, by rates selectable in the program you install with the drivers. The final button is to the left of the left mouse button, and it changes which profile you’re using. Each one has its own colour, so you don’t need to worry about using your League of Legends bindings when you’re playing SMITE.

One thing I should point out is that despite the quick start guide telling you where to download the drivers from, it was a dead link. They might change that by the time you’ve read this, but be prepared to have to find them yourselves on the official website, like I did.

At the time of writing this, I’ve been using the R.A.T. 4 for a few weeks. I’ll admit that it’s pretty decent. I’m bummed that the scroll wheel doesn’t move to either side, which my last mouse did, but I’ve been making do.

I know that I’ve mentioned this, but honestly this is not an expensive, high quality mouse. After only a day or two of use, a smooth section on the thumb rest unclipped itself, and is raised ever so slightly, so I can feel it whenever I use the mouse. Which, as a keyboard & mouse gamer who does video editing, is often.

I really do like the design and feel of the Mad Catz R.A.T. 4 mouse, just bear in mind that you get what you pay for. I am glad that Mad Catz are back, though, as there should always be peripherals at different price ranges.