First things first: As already mentioned in the introduction, the R.A.T. DWS suffers from massive issues when running on the launch firmware. USB polling is utterly broken to where noticeable stutters can be observed in-game, tracking highly erratic, and even click latency suffers. These issues are almost entirely resolved with the recent firmware update. As the firmware update merely establishes basic functionality, applying it is imperative. While I appreciate Mad Catz having addressed these issues, I would've much preferred had they never been a thing in the first place. Frankly, it is beyond me how such glaring issues ever made it to the finished product unleashed upon unsuspecting customers. In any case, updating the firmware is strongly recommended, which automatically happens upon first launching the software.

With that out of the way, let us tend to the actual mouse. Essentially, the R.A.T. DWS is a wireless version of the classic R.A.T. 8 shape. In terms of shape, handling, and materials, it is very much what one would expect, though the degree of customization isn't as great as on the R.A.T. 8+ ADV. Of course, realizing this sort of functionality comes at a price, which is the weight. At 136 g including the default AA-battery, the R.A.T. DWS is genuinely heavy. At the same time, the loss of the ultra-stiff cable of the equally heavy R.A.T. 8+ ADV makes it feel much more maneuverable by comparison. When it comes to buttons, the R.A.T. DWS does fairly well: The main buttons are the best part, providing light yet pleasantly snappy actuation. The nice click feel is further complemented by the very low click latency, which is on par with the Logitech G Pro Wireless. The side buttons aren't as good for two reasons: First, they are weirdly positioned, as the back button sits too far back, making it difficult to reach without changing grip. Second, the forward button becomes very mushy when pressed towards the front, which is what usually happens since the side buttons sit way back. That said, this criticism mostly applies to when the back isn't extended, so large-handed users may be less affected. At least the sniper button is out of the way. The scroll wheel feels loose and flimsy, but works decently well for the most part.

As for wireless performance, with the most recent firmware installed, the R.A.T. DWS does surprisingly well. At times, polling still breaks for some unknown reason, but for the vast majority of time, it is stable across all available polling rates. Tracking is fine, and there is no onset motion delay either, which is something many 3335 implementations suffer from. The most impressive aspect, however, is the isolated wireless motion delay, which sits at around 1 ms despite the lack of a wireless extender. That said, while wireless performance isn't hampered by the absence of a wireless extender, I nonetheless would've liked one to be included as plugging the dongle directly into a USB 3.x port may introduce wireless interference. Bluetooth is on board as well, which can be used to squeeze additional battery life out of the R.A.T. DWS. Speaking of which, there is no battery life indicator whatsoever in the software or on the mouse, so that part essentially amounts to a guessing game.

This brings me to another important point: the price. Battery-driven wireless mice are usually priced around the $50 mark, with the Razer Orochi V2 being a notable exception at $69.99. At $119.99, the R.A.T. DWS competes with wireless mice running on a rechargeable battery, many of which of course also include a wireless extender and lack the maintenance cost associated with buying batteries. Sure, they don't have the sort of hardware customization the R.A.T. DWS offers, but frankly, aside from the extendable back, the R.A.T. DWS is actually quite limited in that regard, too. This further extends to the software customization, which is rather barebones compared to other Mad Catz offerings. As such, while I consider the R.A.T. DWS superior to the R.A.T. 8+ ADV, it still doesn't make the cut for a recommendation, let alone an award. However, those generally sympathizing with this type of mouse may want to consider the R.A.T. DWS over its wired siblings as the lack of a cable elevates it greatly provided they can live with a smaller range of customization options. I've also been informed by Mad Catz that the remaining issue outlined in the review, which is intermittent polling stability, is continually being worked on and may be resolved fully at some point in the future.