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Gaming Mouse Changes Shape For a Custom Fit
crookedvulture writes "Most of us spend a considerable amount of time with a mouse in our hand, but finding the right fit can be tricky. Mad Catz subsidiary Cyborg Gaming attempts to solve that problem with its adjustable Rat 7 mouse, which changes its size and shape to accommodate different hands. This review takes a closer look at the Rat's customization options, its myriad of programmable buttons, and an interesting scroll wheel for your thumb. Despite looking like a torture device, the Rat is said to be very comfortable for gaming and even better for general desktop use." Just look at the pictures. This is truly a wacky device. I want one.
Judging by the pictures, it looks like you have to manually set the "length" of the mouse. When I read the description, I was picturing an amorphous blob that transformed to your grip.
I want the blob. Maybe I'll just wrap silly putty around my standard crappy mouse.
looks like one of those shoe sizing machines they used when we were kids....
1. Get article from TFA.
2. Breed it with the OpenOffice Mouse.
3. ???
4. Profit, I guess. Or just stare at the combined ugliness.
catch (HumourFailureException e) { e.user.send("You, sir, are a humourless idiot."); }
This mouse is so configurable, yet can't be used naturally by left handers. This is fail for 10% of the population.
What other people think of me is none of my business
I don't play video games now, but that mouse looks like a great everyday mouse. The ability to change various distances and sizes would be very helpful in alleviating hand strain. It's a shame it has a cord, but I imagine they are giving us something else to look forward to.
The only question is build quality and reliability, and of course price.
I would hope for other colors and better (less robot-y) industrial design, but for a first step, this thing looks good.
Just go with the classic Kensington Expert Mouse. Hard to beat.
Living With a Nerd
... but I find all mice way too small; instead of holding them in my hand, I have to hold them in kind of a claw-like manner. So one of these will show up on my Christmas list, fo sho.
I actually own a RAT5 (a downgraded version of the RAT7) and I can't say I'm disappointed. It feels great, looks great, and is totally customizable. I would recommend it to most people, if it wasn't for the price.
... dust magnet!
Champion Umehara Daigo uses a MadCatz joystick for street fighter.
They do produce excellent peripherals these days(I argue the Hori Real Arcade Pro series is slightly superior, but WTF ever.)
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
Mad Katz... ROLL OUT!
I'd be a little concerned about something getting caught in that mouse trap.
The model 9 was reviewed by ARSTechnica way back in January. It looks virtually the same to me.
All these years there has been so much development in mice, but still we are nowhere near the feel of a real mouse. I mean the warm furry feeling of a live mouse, the little squeaks when you squeeze it just can't be substituted with any shape shifting, high-dpi laser mouse.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
Biggest thing when getting a mouse is the comfort level. Fitting is part of the comfort but not if it comes at the cost of a jagged surface or things poking you in awkward places.
Also how is the durability? The more moving parts anything has the more likely it wont last very long.
did you forget to take your meds?
is that a stainless steel RAT?
My main computer is used by the entire family. It would get highly annoying to have to adjust it every time I wanted to use it, assuming others adjusted it as well. I'm a Mac user, but I've found the best mouse for my money has always been the Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer. It has always had a better contour (at least for right-handers) than any mouse from Apple, Logitech or any other I've tried, all for a much better price. The regular Intellimouse has buttons on both sides making it ambidextrous, but I find having both buttons on the thumb side is much more convenient & accessible.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
With all the big metal parts and solid chunks of plastic, that must be the heaviest mouse I've ever seen. The heft probably feels nice in the hand, but it is definitely not ideal for gaming, where mouse inertia is your enemy.
I have arthritis in my right hand (thanks to chemo) and in the last six months or so I found that all my Logitech mouse hurt my hand. My fiancée said "we need to get a mouse that doesn't hurt your hand so we can game."
I picked out the R.A.T. 7, bought it off Amazon and so far it's been a really good mouse. I switched out the palm and pinkie rests, adjusted the size and use it about 6-12 hours a day.
I really like the long bradded USB cable, they got the details down.
... at the i-series LAN events in the UK.
:)
I have to say I didn't like it. Even the lowest setting that the rear part of the mouse could be set to was too high, and a few other people who tried it felt the same way. I'll stick with my ROCCAT Kone
From an industrial design standpoint, I love the mouse. It's not nearly as expensive as I expected either and it seems to have decent reviews on Amazon. I do have concerns about long-term reliability, about the various parts loosening up over time, and cleaning out dust.
Another issue I see is that despite all the adjustment the mouse seems designed around the palm grip. It would be neat if it's range of adjustment allowed it to transition from a craw grip to palm. I'm also curious to know how much it weighs, although I assume can't be much worse than a mouse loaded with 2 AA batteries.
It's definitely a neat mouse otherwise but my inclination, if you're shopping for a new mouse, to do a bit of research and find something that fits how you use mice. I spent a few weeks before I settled on mine, a Logitech Anywhere MX. I was tired of dealing with Apple's Mighty Mouse and it's failing trackballs. The Magic Mouse was out of the question, sharp edges and too low a profile; as far as I was concerned it was a step backwards regardless of the fancy features. Initially I had considered some of the bulkier Logitech mice. Eventually I found some useful information regarding the claw grip vs palm grip, realized (more like reminded of the fact) that I use the claw grip and decided to avoid desktop mice. For some reason the vast majority of those are designed for the palm grip. Plenty of fondling of mice in stores confirmed this and helped narrow down my selection.
I suppose some will consider that overkill. But I use the mouse all day long. I'm quite happy with this one, about the only complaint I have is that it's a bit heavy. I guess a good reason to get a Rat 7 would be to have an interesting conversation piece.
You just sold me a mouse. And there I was thinking I was inmune to online advertising... ohhh look free emoticons!
This mouse has been out for a while now. Maximum PC gave it a "kick-ass" review in their September issue. It seems to be the best mouse for the money if comfort and fit is a priority. If I were a computer gamer, this would be the mouse hands down.
looks interesting but i've never found overall ergonomics to be a problem. i have a logitech mx revolution and it feels great actually for me its dam near the perfect mouse if only i could refine it slightly.
but even the average bean shaped mouse is usually ok. what i want is more buttons. its hard to find a good mouse with more than the two thumb buttons with maybe left and right tilt. i wish Logitech had refined the revolution instead of abandoning it, a few tweaks and i would have bought 10 of em and be done with mice forever :-p
bullshit. this mouse doesn't change "itself", as soon as i read the summary i knew what the model was, and this one is just slightly more accessible-looking than what i had in mind, which was a nasty machine-shop-prototype looking mouse that claimed ultimate 'adjustability' and so on, probably just the earlier version from the same company. this mouse looks nasty and freaked-out, too. and it doesn't adjust "itself". you have to adjust and prod at all this shit to get it into the dimensions you require. slashdot shouldn't be an advertising clearinghouse.
"Stratigraphically the origin of agriculture and thermonuclear destruction will appear essentially simultaneous" -- Lee
I just got in one I ordered from the internet. It is awesome, satisfied my tech fix urges
I can tell he's lying because he said he had a fiancée
Bought one of these when they first came out. It's great - it looks like it would eat your hand, but it's so smooth and comfy, especially the thumb and little finger rests - talk about debauched hedonism.
Three caveats:
- Be prepared to spend a couple days tweaking it till it fits perfectly. You can dial it in coarsely pretty fast of course. If you are a compulsive adjuster this mouse may not be for you.
- If you like to rest the base of your hand (the meaty bit) on the mouse, no go - it supports the front and middle. This is like most mice, but if you're used to one of those big tall Logitech brick mice it may take some getting used to.
- I still haven't found any use for that horizontal spinner control.
Pondering getting one for work, even though the DPI doesn't matter so much there.
These fucker's PR firm has been spamming 4chan with this shit every day for the past few months. The general consensus at 4chan is that it's a piece of shit gimmick built with the cheapest components possible and those that have purchased the various incarnations of the Saitek Rat have been very disappointed with its jumpiness, cheap build quality and odd shape. Someone even went so far as to look up the optical sensor and compare it to other bargain basement pieces of shit using the same crap component. I now wish I had saved that post. Anyways, it's disheartening to see taco foisting this shit on his community but I suppose that's par for the course for the ghost town slashdot has become. I don't even know why I still visit this site.
Always nice to hear from those marvels of technological information and advanced reviewing over at 4 Chan. It is informative to see them doing something more useful than posting pix of their penises and of women they'll never get near to. I suspect they think a hex key is something to photograph after it has been inserted into someone's pooper. Right next to the sharpie. There are dozens of reviews available, both tech sites and in blogs from users for those who seek reliable information. The main drawback is price. This thing is built like a tank. It is durable, and has more adjustments than a 4 chan b/tard has perversions. If you don't really know why you continue to visit slashdot, you can spend more time at /b/ until something occurs to you, or whats left of your brains finish rotting away.
Does it run on Linux?
How many more years will slashdot have an off-by-one error on your Score in your profile?
This would address one of my complaints about mice, (lack of length) but I didn't see anything about adjusting the weight. I use a Logitech mouse that has since been discontinued, and I have yet to find a suitable replacement. Most of the mice I've tried are either to short or too light. My current mouse is slowly wearing out (I've already replaced one button), but I've started using the keyboard more, so that is less of an issue now than it was 3 years ago.
that you need to spend that much money on a mouse like that then you need to get out and get a fucking life.
Ars did a review of this at least a month or two ago. They were missing the the screen shots of the configure utility. Also I think the company is pushing hard to get the 7s out before the 9s come out (wireless).
Beware of those who profit off the docile and persecute the unbelievers.
Once it is configured, then it can be more comfortable than any other mouse and be better for you ergonomically. If you game seriously, it is nice to have a lot of options. Plus it looks cool.
And learn the difference between lose and loose.
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I think I could use these mouse as well. Though my current mouse is really cool and with superb speed, reaction and refresh times, it would be better if everything could be customized according to your hand's contours. Laptop Troubleshoot Videos
My kingdom for just one trackball with scroll wheel and a finer tracking resolution than those I had in the 80's. Please just one?! Hasn't it been long enough?
+= E