The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is a good budget gaming mouse with an aggressive gamer look and an adjustable palm area. It's lightweight and feels reasonably well-built, but it lacks side buttons. Also, the plastic segments that make up the body feel cheap, and the mouse rattles when you shake it. It's well suited for all grip types, but it's only suitable for medium and small-sized hands. Performance-wise, it has a low lift-off distance, a reasonably wide CPI range, and you can adjust the set CPI by increments of 100. Unfortunately, the sensor on our Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is very inaccurate. It undershoots the set CPI by nearly 12% during slow cursor movements and over 20% during fast cursor movements. Also, it has high click latency.
Our Verdict
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is okay for office or multimedia work, but the plastic pieces that make up the body feel cheap, and the mouse rattles if you shake it. However, this shouldn't present a problem during normal use. You can program most of the buttons using the customization software, but the software is only compatible with Windows. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any wireless connection options, and the shape and size of the mouse make it unsuitable for large and extra-large hands.
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Feels well-built.
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You can adjust the palm section to lengthen or shorten the mouse.
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Wired-only.
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Scroll wheel lacks L/R tilt buttons and doesn't unlock for free scrolling.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is a good FPS gaming mouse, but it has high click latency. Its rubber cable isn't very flexible, and its mouse feet don't glide as smoothly as most gaming mice. Also, the plastic surfaces that make up the body feel cheap and pliable. That said, it's well suited for all grip types, but only for small and medium-sized hands. It has a low lift-off distance, a reasonably wide CPI range, and a CPI you can adjust by increments of 100. Unfortunately, the sensor on our unit is very inaccurate. It undershoots the set CPI substantially during slow and fast cursor movements.
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Feels well-built.
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You can adjust the palm section to lengthen or shorten the mouse.
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Lightweight.
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High click latency.
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Rubber cable isn't very flexible and retains kinks from packaging.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is sub-par for MMO gaming as it doesn't have any side buttons. Also, it has high click latency, its rubber cable isn't very flexible, and the plastic surfaces that make up the body feel cheap and pliable. Furthermore, the overall shape isn't very comfortable and is only suitable for small and medium-sized hands. Performance-wise, it has a low lift-off distance, a reasonably wide CPI range, and a CPI you can adjust by increments of 100. Unfortunately, the sensor on our unit is very inaccurate.
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Feels well-built.
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You can adjust the palm section to lengthen or shorten the mouse.
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Overall shape isn't very comfortable, and it isn't suitable for larger hands.
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High click latency.
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Doesn't have any side buttons.
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Rubber cable isn't very flexible and retains kinks from packaging.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is very good for fans of ultra-light gaming as it's quite lightweight. Unfortunately, it has high click latency, its rubber cable isn't very flexible, and its mouse feet don't glide very smoothly compared to other gaming mice. That said, its shape is suitable for small and medium-sized hands using any grip type. It also has a low lift-off distance, a reasonably wide CPI range, and a CPI you can adjust by increments of 100.
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Feels well-built.
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You can adjust the palm section to lengthen or shorten the mouse.
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Lightweight.
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High click latency.
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Rubber cable isn't very flexible and retains kinks from packaging.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is inadequate for travel. It's fairly bulky and may not fit in most laptop cases. It's also a wired-only model without any wireless connection options, which can make it cumbersome to use in tight spaces like planes or trains. Unfortunately, the plastic surfaces that make up the body feel cheap, and the mouse rattles when shaken. Also, it's only suitable for small or medium-sized hands.
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Feels well-built.
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Onboard memory.
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Overall shape isn't very comfortable, and it isn't suitable for larger hands.
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Wired-only.
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Rubber cable isn't very flexible and retains kinks from packaging.
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Bulky; may not fit in most laptop cases.
- 6.5 Office/Multimedia
- 7.6 Video Games (FPS)
- 5.8 Video Games (MMO)
- 8.1 Ultra-Light Gaming
- 5.2 Travel
- Updated Aug 09, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Jul 12, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jun 08, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jun 07, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Apr 30, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ we tested is the black color variant. There's also a white color variant available. You can see the label for our unit here.
Compared To Other Mice
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is a good budget gaming mouse with a palm section you can adjust to change the length of the mouse. It has a similar angular design shared across the rest of the Mad Catz gaming mice lineup. However, this is the most basic model. It lacks more premium features available on other Mad Catz mice, such as ergonomic finger rests, modular parts, upgraded sensors, and additional buttons. Nevertheless, this mouse may be a good choice for you if you're looking for a straightforward, entry-level gaming mouse with a distinctive look.
For other options, see our picks for the best wired mice, the best gaming mice, and the best cheap gaming mice.
The Razer Viper Mini is a better wired gaming mouse than the Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+. The Razer is a bit lighter and feels much sturdier. It has a more flexible cable and mouse feet that glide more smoothly. Also, it has a pair of side buttons on the left, which the Mad Catz lacks. Performance-wise, it has a wider CPI range and a much lower click latency. The Razer is best-suited for a fingertip grip for all hand sizes and small hands for other grip types, while the Mad Catz is only suitable for small and medium hand sizes using any grip type.
The Logitech G502 HERO is a better wired gaming mouse than the Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+. The Logitech has a right-handed shape and feels much sturdier. It also has three side buttons, while the Mad Catz has none. Performance-wise, it has a much wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, a lower lift-off distance, and much lower click latency. It also has customization software compatible with Windows and macOS. On the other hand, the Mad Catz has an ambidextrous shape and an adjustable palm rest. It's also much lighter, but it has customization software that's compatible with Windows only.
The Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is the base model in the Mad Catz R.A.T lineup, while the Mad Catz R.A.T. 4+ is a mid-range model. The R.A.T. 2+ is significantly lighter and has an ambidextrous shape. On the other hand, the R.A.T. 4+ has a right-handed shape with a thumb rest. It has a wider CPI range, a more precisely adjustable CPI, a lower lift-off distance, and three side buttons, which the R.A.T. 2+ lacks. The R.A.T. 2+ is suitable for all grip types, but only for small and medium-sized hands. The R.A.T. 4+ is universally suitable for all hand sizes using any grip type.
The Cooler Master MM720 is a better wired gaming mouse than the Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+. The Cooler Master is lighter and has a right-handed shape. It also has a more flexible cable, mouse feet that glide more smoothly, and a pair of side buttons, which the Mad Catz lacks. It has a much higher maximum CPI, a lower lift-off distance, and much lower click latency. On the other hand, the Mad Catz has an ambidextrous shape and an adjustable palm rest. It also feels better built. Both mice are suitable for all grip types, but the Cooler Master is a better option for larger hands using a fingertip grip.
The GLORIOUS Model D is a better wired gaming mouse than the Mad Catz R.A.T 2+. The GLORIOUS has a right-handed shape and two side buttons, which the Mad Catz lacks. It also has a much more flexible cable and mouse feet that glide more smoothly. Performance-wise, it has a wider CPI range and much lower click latency. On the other hand, the Mad Catz has an ambidextrous shape with an adjustable palm rest and it feels sturdier. Both mice are suitable for all grip types, but the Mad Catz is only suitable for small and medium-sized hands, while the GLORIOUS is suitable for all hand sizes except small hands using a claw or fingertip grip.
The Logitech G502 LIGHTSPEED is a better gaming mouse than the Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+. The Logitech has a right-handed shape and feels sturdier. It has a thumb rest, eight additional buttons (including three side buttons), and a scroll wheel with L/R tilt buttons and free scrolling. It has a wider CPI range, a more adjustable CPI, a lower lift-off distance, and much lower click latency. Its companion software is compatible with Windows and macOS. Comparatively, the Mad Catz has an ambidextrous shape and is much lighter. It also has an adjustable palm rest. Unfortunately, it doesn't have any side buttons, and its software is only compatible with Windows.
Test Results
The Mad Catz R.A.T 2+ has an adjustable palm rest that changes the length of the mouse. 4.6" (116 mm) is its length when fully extended, but you can adjust it to be as short as 4.3" (109 mm).
For a very similar mouse that you can use wirelessly, have a look at the Mad Catz R.A.T. DWS.
The available polling rates on the Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ are 125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, and 1000Hz. Unfortunately, the sensor on our Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+ is very inaccurate. It undershoots the set CPI by 11.74% during slow cursor movements and 20.06% during fast cursor movements.
You can reprogram several buttons on the Mad Catz R.A.T. 2+, including the right click button, the scroll click, and the CPI button behind the scroll wheel. By default, the CPI button cycles through four CPI settings that you can adjust using the software.
