Software

The R.A.T. 8+ ADV comes with its own software. It requires .NET framework 3.5 to run, but other than that, I haven't encountered any issues during use. The first page allows for button remapping, including to mouse, keyboard, media, and macro functions. Drag and drop is used to do so, which is unusual but works quite well. The second page has options for CPI adjustment, ranging from 50 to 20,000 CPI in increments of 50, along with the option to adjust x and y-sensitivity independently. Additionally, the CPI switch button as well as the "precision aim" button can be programmed. Further options are provided for polling rate (125/250/500/1000/2000 Hz) and angle snapping (on/off). By choosing "common settings" in the first drop-down menu, another set of options is revealed: LOD adjustment (2 mm/3 mm/calibration) and "Rotax," which enables one to adjust the sensor angle. The third page concerns lighting settings and is detailed below. Profile management is available, too. All setting changes are saved to the on-board memory, so the software does not need to be running (or be installed) all the time. On my system, the software had a RAM footprint of 75 MB on average when running in the foreground, which doesn't change when minimized. Upon exiting the application, all processes are terminated, as they should be.

Lighting

The R.A.T. 8+ ADV has three zones for RGB lighting: the CPI button, R.A.T. nameplate, and a zone below the barrel scroll. Each of these zones can be adjusted individually, but any lighting effects apply to all zones uniformly. Four pre-defined lighting effects are available: Rainbow, Breathing, Color Cycle, and Color Chase. Depending on which effect is chosen, transition speed, brightness, and/or color can be customized further. Of course, disabling the lighting altogether is possible, too.

Color accuracy and vibrancy are excellent throughout. Here's a short demonstration video in which I'm going through the Rainbow and Breathing lighting effects: