It’s something we all take for granted. In the world of competitive gaming, the most discussed struggles players discuss is the mental—rarely the physical.

Repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis are no joke. They can cripple a player’s career. And they happen all the time. It’s unsurprising, considering many of them are repeating motions for more than 10 hours a day. As the amount of competitors continues growing, we see more people suffering from hand injuries every year. QuadraClicks want to end that. 

QuadraClicks RBT Rebel Real is an ergonomic mouse designed specifically for esports professionals. When I spoke with the company’s founder, he discussed how his invention will improve the lifespan of professional players’ careers. A tall claim, but one that certainly had me interested.  

One reason regular mice cause injury is because of the pressure it applies on your nerves and tendons. Constantly clicking (oh, the memories playing StarCraft) can put your finger in an awkward position. There have always been ergonomic mice—but those only do so much. While the hand’s resting position will be comfortable, the clicking activity can still apply the same pressure on the nerves. 

That’s what the RBT Mouse is trying to fix.

When I first got it, I was taken aback by the mouse’s peculiar design. It has all the makings of your standard gaming mouse—right down to the fun light-up emblem when you plug it in—only the left and right switches protruded from the front like walrus tusks.

That’s the RBT Mouse’s claim to fame: rather than clicking with the tip of your fingers, you use the area near the second knuckle. This is apparently a more neutral position for your hands and removes awkward positioning to prevent any pain or pressure.

Like I said, the design is a bit odd, though this seems to be exactly what the designers were going for. In a world of 15-button mice, however, it won’t bring any unnecessary attention from your friends. Otherwise, the design I was very pleased with—the plastic didn’t feel cheap, and had a good grip to it.

As a long-time Razer DeathAdder, I was pleased with the button layout and scroll wheel—that didn’t take any adjustment.

What did take an adjustment was damn clicking. With years of muscle memory trained to click with my fingertips, it was a surprisingly difficult transition to the new style. I often found myself attempting to click the front of the mouse to no avail. My aim and general performance when playing VALORANT was worse than usual, but as time went on I eventually relearned how to use it. After around five days I felt fully broke in with—which is quite a lot by any standard. 

I’m not someone that experiences many serious hand issues when playing (thank StarCraft for pushing me to hand-stretch), but they can start to hurt after playing for long periods of time. I must admit, I didn’t experience any hand pain when using it—even after long durations of gameplay.

Verdict

8/10

Overall, I found the RBT Mouse to be a unique and beneficial product. Though I’m an advocate for regular hand-stretching—it’s free and something you should do anyway—this is definitely an alternative for the lazyman. It has everything a standard gaming mouse offers, and could provide real help to those with hand problems. 

Pros

• Solid design and feel
• Delivers on company’s claims
• Cool bunny logo

Cons

• Fairly expensive price tag
• Long adjustment time