[section_title title=”Performance”]Performance
Being firmly pitched at competitive gamers, does the TE offer the performance that demographic expects?
Ergonomics
Ergonomics has got to be one of the most crucial parts of a mouse for me, after all you can have a great sensor but if the mouse doesn’t feel good in hand it doesn’t matter.
Starting with overall shape and I find the TE very comfortable, which surprised me as I have big hands and I am used to the larger Logitech G500. The mouse buttons have a ridge either side which helps with grip and the left mouse button is flanked by the mode button which served as a good stop to prevent my index finger coming off the mouse.
The thumb pad on the left hand side fits my hand well and is a nice rest to reduce friction between your thumb and a cloth mouse mat if you use one.
The right hand side of the mouse is also slightly shaped to fit your fingers and although my little finger still touched the mouse mat it is a comfortable fit, even for my big hands.
I did find that the palm rest adjuster was useless to me though, as even at its 5mm setting I found the extra leverage would lift up the front of the mouse and interfere with the sensor, so I kept it as it was and I had no issues with the size of the mouse. Your mileage will vary depending on the type of grip you have though, so it may still be useful for some.
Buttons
This is kind of tied to ergonomics but firstly I want to say that I found the Precision aim button to be superb to reach and using it to crouch was ideal in CSGO.
Secondly the thumb buttons are reasonably good, they are pretty generic in terms of feedback but they are positioned as well as they can be and are still useful in game.
Finally the two mouse buttons are what really shine on the TE, the OMRON switches are superb, the weighting is just right and they have a lovely tactile click to them. They are also rated for 5 million keystrokes, Mad Catz claim they will last five years, and that’s if you play six hours a day, six days a week!
Tracking
Mad Catz speak highly of the 8200 DPI Laser Doppler sensor which is claimed to not only provide zero acceleration and angle snapping, but it also meant to adapt to surfaces dynamically to provide the best possible tracking in all situations.
I’m delighted to say that it’s not all marketing fluff either, the R.A.T TE is the smoothest tracking mouse I have ever used. There really is no discernible snapping which makes minute aim adjustments easier than my G500 ever did.
The lift off adjustment was also a great adjustment as I often find it too high on mouses that don’t allow you to change it. The sensor damping also worked very well in my experience, purists may disparage it but I certainly preferred having it on to disabling it.
I noticed an instant improvement with the TE in CSGO and it only got better as I got used to the shape, I should imagine this mouse would be a real weapon in the hands of highly skilled players.
I really am pleased with the performance of this mouse; it certainly lives up to Mad Catz’s claims.
Time to wrap things up with a conclusion…
