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The most problematic issue in my time with the Mad Catz R.A.T. Air was the frequent wireless connection issues. The mouse can be used with a wired connection, sure, but Mad Catz only included one microUSB-to-USB 2.0 cable that can either be used with the R.A.T. Air itself or the Wireless Activation Board. The board doesn't light up if it's not connected to a PC, of course. Being a true gamer, I want the best RGB mouse pad, or at least as much RGB as possible, so I left the Wireless Activation Board plugged in. Plus, the wireless aspect is one of the key features of the pricey peripheral. I'd think of it this way: if you're using the Mad Catz R.A.T. DWS to edit some spreadsheets, then use Bluetooth, if you want to game then use the 2.4Ghz connection instead. The RAT DWS isn’t available anywhere on UK shores right now, with a launch expected in the coming weeks.
One of my colleagues who uses a palm grip, however, could comfortably reach it with her fingertip grip. But using it didn't always go smoothly. Sometimes she'd miss the thumb wheel if not looking at it directly, and other times she'd accidentally hit the left mouse button while trying to spin the unfortunately located wheel. Gamers are going to want to use the 2.4Ghz connection over the Bluetooth, though. The Bluetooth connection is kinder to the battery life of the R.A.T. DWS, with up to 300 hours possible on a single AA battery, while the 2.4GHz connection means you only get up to 200 hours instead. However, the 2.4Ghz is more precise and stable. The big caveat to this design choice is the possibility of debris and dust getting into the mouse. You can actually see the circuit boards inside if you look closely, and if there’s one thing that is dangerous to electronics besides water, it’s dust. While we didn’t experience any issues regarding debris affecting the mouse, it is a concern for long-term use. However, with a good dust blower and regular maintenance, this shouldn’t be that big of an issue. I tested both connections during testing the Mad Catz R.A.T. DWS and can confirm that both took seconds to setup. 2.4Ghz connection just requires you to plug in the dongle, while the Bluetooth connection can be enabled simply by opening the Bluetooth options menu on your PC. None of that is great. Neither is the fact that loading the EXE prompts Windows 10 to warn that it's from an unverified developer -- a warning I haven't received when launching any other manufacturer's software companion for the first time. Next, a Mad Catz logo appears on screen for what feels like forever before the software actually becomes usable.Let's get this out of the way: I couldn't find a single reason to use the Mad Catz R.A.T. Air's thumb barrel. That's partly because of its placement, which was difficult to reach when using a palm grip, and partly because it didn't seem any more convenient than the scroll wheel. I couldn't get the tilt wheel to work reliably enough to judge its effectiveness for myself, either. Unfortunately, the Mad Catz R.A.T.. Air doesn't feel any better to use. It's supposed to be somewhat ergonomic, and Mad Catz even included an adjustable palm rest to accommodate different hand sizes, but there's simply too much going on for it to feel good. The plastic itself feels okay, but at no point during my time with the R.A.T. Air did I find myself liking the way it felt in my hand. Besides its odd shape, the mouse is short. There are just 2.5 inches from the mouse's bottom to the the part that touches your palm, compared to the 3.5 inches in the Roccat Kain 200 Aimo and Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro wireless mice. Adding to the actual feel of the mouse is the weights system I've already mentioned, giving a fair bit of adjustment between reasonably weighty to what can be a very light piece of kit. Personally, I have to have all the weights on because the base of the mouse is so well designed it skims across any surface like it's covered in grease. The base is a solid piece of metal, with a few pads. Strong, smooth. I'd actually argue it's perfect, offering the best movement I've found from a mouse.
I've used this for a good few weeks now and I would say that it feels durable with every component and button doing the job that you'd expect them to. This works in line with my earlier mention of the build quality being fantastic. Over long sessions, I have noticed a cramp in my palm and thumb, though that only comes around when I try to use the side-scroll wheel. I honestly think my hand is just too wide for it. The fact that I keep trying to use it, knowing this, shows how insanely useful it is. Using the scroll wheel on the R.A.T. Air was a lesson in frustration as well. Sometimes it scrolled too much, which left me cycling through weapons like a fool, and at other times it wouldn't scroll enough. I was never able to find the sweet spot where I could reliably use the scroll wheel to switch between weapons (or, you know, browse the web) on the first try. The old Mad Catz was primarily known for 'good enough' game controllers in recent years. Most people probably didn't choose to use them over a first-party controller, but the controllers did what was expected of them. But despite a high price and busy design, the R.A.T. Air failed in some of its most basic functionality when running wirelessly. With the RAT DWS being exclusively wireless, it’s great for those gamers who just want a bit more freedom, even if that comes at the cost of it being powered by one AA battery.In theory, the R.A.T. Air's Wireless Activation Board means you can game wirelessly forever, so long as the mouse pad is plugged in. And while you could also stay charged forever by using a Qi wireless charging mouse and mouse pad, that's not a cheap endeavor either. The shape also adds weight. At 4.80 ounces, the R.A.T. DWS is among the heaviest mice I’ve reviewed. That isn’t necessarily a problem, but it indicates that the design favors extra inputs and customization over competitive performance. This may not be your preferred esports mouse. The RAT DWS features a 16,000 DPI sensor right out of the box. This is comfortably sensitive enough for competitive gamers, although you can get a higher DPI with rivals such as the Razer DeathAdder V2.
Even with this claim, I didn’t feel too much difference when testing, but the mouse buttons on the RAT DWS remain tactile and solid to the touch, as do the extra buttons – although the scroll wheel doesn’t feel as smooth as those on other mice. Basically, when just looking at the performance of the mouse, you’ll be able to keep up with just about anyone out there. It easily keeps up with our frantic gunning and running (away) in Doom: Eternal and Metro Exodus while also moving accurately in first-person games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Firewatch. So has it always been with the R.A.T. line, though, and clearly plenty of gamers do dig the futuristic starfighter aesthetic as otherwise it wouldn't have endured.
At 70g, it seems to have worked. It’s a very lightweight mouse that still has enough weight to it for easy control. By taking off that extra material, Mad Catz makes it possible for the inclusion of a thumb wing – something that’s usually missing from ultralight mice like this.
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