Mad Catz’s bankruptcy in 2017 was a blow to peripheral fans everywhere. The company was known to take chances on products that deviated from the norm, like building the Rock Band 4 controllers and releasing the R.A.T. mice. Fortunately, Mad Catz Global International formed in January this year and have just shipped the first batch of a refresh of the R.A.T. line.
The R.A.T. 4+, R.A.T. 6+, R.A.T. 8+, and R.A.T. Pro S3 continue the development of the very atypical looking mouse line. These mice don’t have the same aesthetic as your typical mouse, and at first glance look incredibly alien and uncomfortable. However, once you examine a R.A.T., you’ll see that there’s a ton of customization to get it at just that perfect point where it fits into your hand like a glove.
I’ve used a R.A.T. 6 for a while now, and I was really bummed when I heard about Mad Catz’s bankruptcy, there’s nothing quite like these mice on the market, and as robust as my R.A.T. 6 has been, I haven’t looked forward to the prospect of having to replace it at some point. Fortunately, it seems like aside from a few tweaks the mice R.A.T. fans love is back.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. models will be hitting Europe first, and North American distribution should begin in the weeks to come. This is the first product line from the new company, and I’m glad to see the Mad Catz name continue. Mad Catz Global International is headquartered in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and will continue to develop products for the PC, mobile, and console gaming market as time goes on.
You can check out details on the refreshed R.A.T. mouse line at the official Mad Catz website.