Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 5 review

It's difficult to see where the corners have been cut in creating this great budget R.A.T. gaming mouse

Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 5
The R.A.T. 5 misses out on swappable palm rests

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Super smooth glide

  • +

    Adjustable in weight and length

  • +

    Good price

Cons

  • -

    No swappable palm rests

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You'd be hard pushed to find a bad word uttered against Cyborg's R.A.T. series of mice. They're well built, highly customisable, highly functional and despite resembling a baby terminator's foot, sit very comfortably under hand.

That said, the wireless R.A.T. 9 was too pricey at £120 and serious gamers might think twice before going wireless and having to switch batteries.

But the precise and adjustable wired R.A.T. 7 series hit the mark perfectly. That 90 nicker is still a fair wad to spend for the 7 though, so like the terrifying emotionless army marching relentlessly and crushing human skulls underfoot that it is, Cyborg has covered each end of the market and released R.A.T.s for the less fiscally liberal gamer.

The R.A.T 5 is nearly half the price of its big brother, and at first glance it's hard to see where the costs have been cut.

It's built around that same robust metal chassis and sports the same buttons and scrolling wheels. It's adjustable in weight and length to suit gamers of the leprechaun or gorilla-handed variety, but doesn't come with swappable palm rests like its senior. A very small concession there, then.

The way the mouse glides, though, is still just as phenomenal. We noticed the difference in FPS gaming straight away – it validates that price tag in an instant.

There aren't any significant features missing from the 7 series here, making this an absolute steal and a new must have for gamers.

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Phil Iwaniuk
Contributor

Ad creative by day, wandering mystic of 90s gaming folklore by moonlight, freelance contributor Phil started writing about games during the late Byzantine Empire era. Since then he’s picked up bylines for The Guardian, Rolling Stone, IGN, USA Today, Eurogamer, PC Gamer, VG247, Edge, Gazetta Dello Sport, Computerbild, Rock Paper Shotgun, Official PlayStation Magazine, Official Xbox Magaine, CVG, Games Master, TrustedReviews, Green Man Gaming, and a few others but he doesn’t want to bore you with too many. Won a GMA once.