First Impression
Well I have to say that seeing the RAT line of mice for the first time totally blew me away. I finally have found a mouse design that takes into consideration your 2 outside fingers that usually end up dragging on the mouse pad making aiming a very difficult thing to do. Not to mention all of the other great design features built into these mice.
The first thing you notice looking at the RAT 7 is the non solid look it has and I mean that in a good way. Each section of the mouse is adjustable or interchangeable with other parts and it kind of looks like a transformer mouse.
The Frame
The frame of this mouse is made from solid lightweight aluminum which creates a very stiff and rigid core. Inside of this core is where the five 6 gram weights are kept that allow you to add or subtract weight to give you a perfect feel. If you don't use all of the weights at once the extras can be stored in a supplied case.
Performance
The Cyborg RAT 7 is one of those high end gaming mice that comes with 5600 dpi sensitivity along with a new generation "twin Eye Laser" sensor that has the ability to read each axis separately and can track up to 5.4 meters per second. No matter where you set your sensitivity the RAT 7 will always track precisely.
Grip Position
Whether you grip your mouse by the palm or the claw method you will be able to find the perfect ergonomic fit for your hand. The RAT can be adjusted in its length by moving the palm piece in and out. Also, the thumb plate can adjusted in and out from the body and forwards and backwards to give you perfect positioning for your thumb. In addition to these adjustments you can choose between 3 pinky plates for want of a better word that keep your outer 2 fingers off of the mouse pad. One plate is far wider than the other so personal preference will play a role here.
A Weighty Issue
As mentioned earlier, this mouse comes with five 6 gram weights that can be accessed from the rear of the body. Simply unscrew the rear nut and install or remove the weights to the amount that you find comfortable. One of the neat things that this mouse has is a tool that sits in the rear and can be accessed by unscrewing it. With this tool you can adjust all the plates by turning adjustment screws in or out. When you are done just replace it so you never lose it.
The Buttons
This mouse gives you 6 programmable buttons along with the 2 left and right keys on top. The thumb scroll wheel can be configured to do whatever you want like change weapons, spells or whatever you want.
Smart Technology Software
This mouse has 4 dpi settings that max out at 5600 dpi, 3 savable profiles and 1 button on the thumb that I call the "sniper shot" button. When you see your target and are going to set your cross hairs on it press this button and it will automatically decrease your sensitivity by 50% so you’re not going back and forth trying to get the target lined up. A great Idea! The only drawback to this design is that the profiles are saved and if you unplug it and move to another computer you have to reload the software on that computer as well as nothing is saved in the mouse.
An Overview of What it does
Three types and sizes of palm grips to choose from.
Three Swappable pinky grips to use.
Thumb rest is able to be moved in and out also up and down.
The unit is weight able, this is most important in gaming.
Left and Right click
Center click
Center scroll wheel
Thumb scroll (two way "up/down")
Forward and back buttons
What I call the "sniper shot" button on the thumb.
Mouse profile button
Dpi up and down
This mouse when set up for your hand will most likely be the most comfortable mouse you have used to date. If you have a problem with your current mouse with your fingers dragging on the pad then this mouse will solve that. You also get a storage case that comes with the mouse to keep all the parts that you are not using in a safe place.
My name is Allan Stewart and I have several websites dedicated to health and well being for people and pets as well as product information. Want to learn more about Saitek products, go to: Saitek Cyborg Command Unit Or visit my website at Saitek Cyborg for more information about Saitek products.
Showing posts with label cyborg command unit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cyborg command unit. Show all posts
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Saitek Cyborg Command Unit Review
Keypad Controller
The Saitek Cyborg Command Unit game pad controller tops out at 8 inches tall, 5.5 inches wide and is about 1.5 inches off the surface. This unit comes with a total of 21 buttons of which 20 are programmable.
Game Pad Layout
This mini keyboard is designed for a right handed person, i.e. uses the mouse with the right hand and uses the keyboard with the left hand when gaming. The defining feature that makes this so is the thumb rest on the right side of the pad which can not be changed over to the other side. The thumb rest is very interesting in that there are 2 buttons that lie underneath your thumb and there is a thumb use joystick, albeit a mini one. There is a very healthy wrist rest that even the largest of hands should have no problem using this pad.
The overall takeaway from the layout is total ergonomic comfort. The back of the unit has a couple of pad strips that are covered in rubber to keep the unit in place during fast and furious action. If you use this device on your desk on the opposite from where your computer is you might have to reconfigure your equipment positioning as the USB cable is a bit shorter than most peripheral cables.
In the upper left hand side on the controller is a mode switch that allows you to toggle between FPS, Role Playing and MMO. Each one of these settings creates a different color on the board and they are Green, Yellow and Red. The keys of this board are laser etched and the light shines through with good efficiency for easy viewing in low light conditions.
The 18 main buttons are arranged in a layout normally found on the left side of a normal keyboard. Above the 11 main keys are the F1-F4 keys. There are 3 more keys that sit to the left of the main body of keys and above those 3 is the mode button. The other 3 keys are the 2 keys that are on the thumb rest and a key on the right side of the wrist pad. The thumb control area has a 2 way tilt function and can be slid forward and back.
The keys are mostly black with the WASD keys being silver. All of the keys are numbered and this will correspond to the action given it. The wrist rest area has a red stripe that lights up in the center. The key that is on this rest is your shift key and it is palm activated. This will take some time to get used to no doubt. The good news is that when you do get comfortable using your palm that frees up a finger for other keystrokes. One thing to note is that when the mode switch is changed and the keyboard color changes the red stripe on the wrist rest does not.
While the thumb joystick is useful, I would think most people will still use their mouse as it is more responsive in this case and it will reduce the number of things that your left hand has to do.
Configuration
Probably the best feature of this device is the SST programming software that you use to configure your pad for gaming as it is extremely easy to use. Just install the drivers and it will prompt you to plug in the unit. After installing test all of the keys and then install the software. You can use as long a macro as you wish and use as many shift states and profiles as you want. With the 3 modes and 21 keys you can program 144 commands. The only annoyance with this software is that you have to re-load the profile after a reboot of your system.
Conclusion
As with all of Saitek's products you will get a 2 year guarantee on the Cyborg Command Unit. Here are some of the pros and cons:
Pros:
Backlight Colors of Red, Green and Yellow
Easy to Configure with the SST software
Custom Macros, up to 144
Cons:
For Right-Hander’s only unless you want to forgo the thumb rest
Short USB Cable
Commands Reset after You Restart Your Computer
Soft Keys (Don't make a "click" sound when pushed)
I would recommend this to anyone who has a lousy keyboard and was thinking of an upgrade to a gaming board but can't afford to go over say $45. This would also be an upgrade for a laptop application as well. But if you already have a decent gaming board I would not recommend this device.
My name is Allan Stewart and I have several websites dedicated to health and well being for people and pets as well as product information. Want to learn more about Saitek products, go to: Saitek Cyborg v5 Review Or visit my website at Saitek Cyborg for more information about Saitek products.
The Saitek Cyborg Command Unit game pad controller tops out at 8 inches tall, 5.5 inches wide and is about 1.5 inches off the surface. This unit comes with a total of 21 buttons of which 20 are programmable.
Game Pad Layout
This mini keyboard is designed for a right handed person, i.e. uses the mouse with the right hand and uses the keyboard with the left hand when gaming. The defining feature that makes this so is the thumb rest on the right side of the pad which can not be changed over to the other side. The thumb rest is very interesting in that there are 2 buttons that lie underneath your thumb and there is a thumb use joystick, albeit a mini one. There is a very healthy wrist rest that even the largest of hands should have no problem using this pad.
The overall takeaway from the layout is total ergonomic comfort. The back of the unit has a couple of pad strips that are covered in rubber to keep the unit in place during fast and furious action. If you use this device on your desk on the opposite from where your computer is you might have to reconfigure your equipment positioning as the USB cable is a bit shorter than most peripheral cables.
In the upper left hand side on the controller is a mode switch that allows you to toggle between FPS, Role Playing and MMO. Each one of these settings creates a different color on the board and they are Green, Yellow and Red. The keys of this board are laser etched and the light shines through with good efficiency for easy viewing in low light conditions.
The 18 main buttons are arranged in a layout normally found on the left side of a normal keyboard. Above the 11 main keys are the F1-F4 keys. There are 3 more keys that sit to the left of the main body of keys and above those 3 is the mode button. The other 3 keys are the 2 keys that are on the thumb rest and a key on the right side of the wrist pad. The thumb control area has a 2 way tilt function and can be slid forward and back.
The keys are mostly black with the WASD keys being silver. All of the keys are numbered and this will correspond to the action given it. The wrist rest area has a red stripe that lights up in the center. The key that is on this rest is your shift key and it is palm activated. This will take some time to get used to no doubt. The good news is that when you do get comfortable using your palm that frees up a finger for other keystrokes. One thing to note is that when the mode switch is changed and the keyboard color changes the red stripe on the wrist rest does not.
While the thumb joystick is useful, I would think most people will still use their mouse as it is more responsive in this case and it will reduce the number of things that your left hand has to do.
Configuration
Probably the best feature of this device is the SST programming software that you use to configure your pad for gaming as it is extremely easy to use. Just install the drivers and it will prompt you to plug in the unit. After installing test all of the keys and then install the software. You can use as long a macro as you wish and use as many shift states and profiles as you want. With the 3 modes and 21 keys you can program 144 commands. The only annoyance with this software is that you have to re-load the profile after a reboot of your system.
Conclusion
As with all of Saitek's products you will get a 2 year guarantee on the Cyborg Command Unit. Here are some of the pros and cons:
Pros:
Backlight Colors of Red, Green and Yellow
Easy to Configure with the SST software
Custom Macros, up to 144
Cons:
For Right-Hander’s only unless you want to forgo the thumb rest
Short USB Cable
Commands Reset after You Restart Your Computer
Soft Keys (Don't make a "click" sound when pushed)
I would recommend this to anyone who has a lousy keyboard and was thinking of an upgrade to a gaming board but can't afford to go over say $45. This would also be an upgrade for a laptop application as well. But if you already have a decent gaming board I would not recommend this device.
My name is Allan Stewart and I have several websites dedicated to health and well being for people and pets as well as product information. Want to learn more about Saitek products, go to: Saitek Cyborg v5 Review Or visit my website at Saitek Cyborg for more information about Saitek products.
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