You don’t have to be Mad Catz to make it but it helps
The question of how many dpi is “enough” is one that’s been batted around by tech companies for as long as we’ve had optical mice. Whether it’s 800, 1,600, 5,000, or more, everyone has an opinion—and it often coincides with the maximum sensitivity of whatever pointing device they’re trying to sell you at the time.
Mad Catz—a company that doesn’t so much scratch the technological itches of prospective purchasers as leave them tearing at their heads with a baffled expression on their faces—thinks that it has solved the dpi conundrum once and for all, and invites you to splash the price of a GTX 960 on… a mouse with an interchangeable sensor.
Three sensors are available at launch. Ours came with a 5,000 dpi, 3.3m/s, PixArt PWM 3310 optical sensor, about which we have no complaints, and they all snap into place rather satisfyingly as long as you get the alignment right. Magnets then hold the sensor tight against a retractable pingrid array, which is just asking to be bent if you’re the type of person who can’t resist taking things apart multiple times to shove them under your buddy’s nose, shouting, “Look how cool this is!”
Two laser sensors are also available, both topping out at 8,200 dpi: a Philips Twin-Eye, with a tracking speed of up to 6m/s, and a PixArt model that can do 3.8m/s. All models cost the same, and the idea is that, when the quantum mouse and the X-ray sensor are invented, Mad Catz can release an updated module, so you don’t have to give up your five-year-old, hand-gunk-filled mouse body in order to upgrade. (Early experiments with quantum mice have been unsuccessful as they can’t know where they are and how fast they’re going at the same time.)
Each module can store nine profiles, set using the PC software, with an LED display showing which you’ve selected. There are no fancy lighting effects on the body, although it is such a horrific livid lime green color, you’re not going to lose it in a hurry, even in the dingiest of dens.
The mouse body is made from a magnesium alloy, leading Mad Catz to label this its lightest and strongest gaming mouse. If you prefer a heavier device or like your weight distributed differently, you’re out of luck, because there’s no ability to add more mass. And it certainly is light— what you at first think is going to be a heavy metal frame feels so insubstantial it could be made of plastic, until you squeeze it. The buttons and wheel really are plastic, however, and have been left feeling a little flimsy in the race to shave off ounces.
Prior experience with RATs tells us it’ll probably be fine, and surely no one would design a future-proof mouse without giving thought to the longevity of the rest of the body.
The wheel is also swappable, with three options included in the box. Flipping the wheel up prior to replacement looks like something from Robot Wars—a circular saw blade poised to smash down on the competition—but we found the thickest wheel to be the best in use, with its positive click and the thunks as it rotated leaving no ambiguity about what you’ve just done. The whole wheel assembly pivots left and right, adding an analog dimension to strafing controls—a really nice touch.
The rest of the body is customizable, too, as is RAT tradition. A small tool is included to adjust bolts (along with a cleaning brush for that hand-gunk), and the palm rest can be raised so high it almost looks like a dragster version of a Lamborghini Veneno. Even with this, however, we found it a little small for our meaty hands, and a few more millimeters in height would have done it a lot of good. Replaceable plastic and ceramic plates, attached by magnets, live underneath, providing a low-friction slide over most surfaces.
If you love RATs, and never want to use anything else, this is for you. For anyone else, approach with caution and consider the RAT 9—it’s half the price. Ian Evenden
SPECIFICATIONS
Sensor PixArt PWM 3310
DPI 5,000 dpi
Buttons 10
Weight 5 oz
Connectivity USB