Mad Catz Product Review Guide
Version 1.0
Contents
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
2. Controls and Indicators ...................................................................................................................................... 3
3. Mechanical Keys ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4. Mad Catz A.P.P. Desktop Software – Lighting Customization Options .................................................................... 6
5. Mad Catz A.P.P. Desktop Software – Profile Creation........................................................................................... 7
6. Software Glossary ........................................................................................................................................... 12
7. Product Questions ........................................................................................................................................... 14
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1. Introduction
For 2014, Mad Catz has set out to create a range of products specifically targeted towards the LAN event
gamer – consumers who regularly travel to live tournaments where the very highest standards of
competitive performance are tested.
Blisteringly responsive, tough, and sporting a new design pedigree, the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. Tournament
Edition professional gaming keyboard combines the response and the control required to dominate within
competitive eSport titles. The keyboard is built around a full complement of backlit mechanical key switches.
Using the Kailh brown switch, the keyboard provides durable, responsive key input with the long key life and
tactile response needed for heavy duty competitive gaming.
The keyboard is supplied with a removable wrist rest to aid comfort over extended periods of gaming. An
updated drag-and-drop software interface enables fast setup and detailed macro creation. The software
comes bundled with the TE Game Profile pack. The pack contains pre-made profiles for over 20 of the most
popular eSport titles, making pre-game configuration faster and more intuitive.
Main Features
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Full-size 105 key keyboard
Kailh Brown (tactile response) Mechanical switches with 45 g actuation force and 50 million key stroke life cycle
Bright white LED backlighting on all keys – custom brightness for WASD, cursor, and whole key area.
12 Programmable Buttons
30-key rollover across entire key matrix.
Media controls
Windows Key Lock
Removable wrist rest
Two height adjustment feet for flat or angled use
1 m/s response time
2 Metre USB cable
Drag and Drop programming software for Windows
Box Contents
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1 x S.T.R.I.K.ETE
1 x Wrist Rest
1 x QSG
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2. S.T.R.I.K.E.TE Mechanical Keys
For many hardcore gamer, mechanical keys have become the default weapon of choice both at home, and
at eSport events. There are many flavours mechanical key out there, so when came to choosing the right
actuation profile for this keyboard, a lot of research was done into what gamers prefer and why.
We settled on the Brown class
of key. This particular switch
type provides the performance
with reduced actuation noise
and also gives tactile feedback
to the gamer when the key has
been actuated.
The advantage to having a
tactile response when the key is
actuated is that the key does
not have to bottom out to make
an input to the host PC. For a
gamer (and typist) this means
that as he or she gets used to the keyboard
they can quickly and effortless glide their
fingers across the keys to input complex game
commands or type text. Add to this the light
actuation force of 45 gf (grams force), it
means crucial in-game commands can be
quickly and confidently executed. In eSport
scenarios, where speed and accuracy is
everything, the ability to hit a key a split
second faster than your opponent can mean
the difference between winning and losing.
Kailh Brown Switch Specs
Actuation Distance
Full Travel Distance
Actuation to Reset Point Distance
Operation Force
Tactile Force
2 +/- 0.4mm
4 +/- 0.3mm
0.1 mm
45 +/- 10gf
60 +/- 10gf
Mechanical keys also bring a greater sense of robustness and durability to the gaming keyboard. Each
mechanical switch on the keyboard is rated at a minimum of 50 million key cycles. So even the fastest
StarCraft 2 player, with up to 300 actuations per minute, can rely on the keyboard to keep up with their
gameplay.
The S.T.R.I.K.E.TE keyboard also has a 30-key rollover with full anti-ghosting across the whole key matrix. This
means that up to 30 keys can be depressed at once at any point on the keyboard, and each key signal will
get through to the game in 1 ms. Not everyone has 30 fingers, but what the figure essentially means is that
even the most complex in-game action on any part of the keyboard is guaranteed to make its way to the
host PC and the game it is being used with.
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3. Controls and Indicators
The product has a full complement of 105 keys. There are 12 programmable buttons and its 3 mode software
profile allows gamers to assign three different custom gaming commands to each of those functions.
Macro Buttons
There are 12 programmable
buttons on the keyboard. These
are used to make game specific
profiles with single or multiple
keyboard key presses assigned
to the macro buttons. Each
profile has three modes, which
means each programmable
button can have up to 3
different commands assigned
to them. Profile modes are
cycled by pressing the button
labelled MODE. Each colour
corresponds to a different
mode:
Mode 1 = Red
Mode 2 = Blue
Mode 3 = Purple
Lighting Controls
The
brightness
of
the
backlighting can be controlled
across three defined areas
across the keyboard. The three
independent areas are the
WASD keys, the cursor keys
and the remaining keyboard
keys. To alter the brightness
using the keyboard keys press
and hold the FN key along with
the following keys to increase
and decrease the brightness:
WASD = W and S
Cursor = Up and Down
Rest of Keys = F11 and F12
Brightness can also be adjusted per keyboard mode. For example, if you have a profile in Mode 1 for general
use in Windows, you could have the whole keyboard lit. If Mode 2 is programmed for an FPS game you could
alter the backlighting so that just the WASD keys were lit and visible.
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Window Key Lock
The Windows key is useful for
speeding up operations when
navigating and using the OS.
However, if it’s accidentally
pressed during gaming it can
have the unwanted effect of
minimizing the game at
crucial times. The Windows
key input can be locked off
when you are gaming. To
make sure the Windows key is
locked slide the lock switch
into its down state.
Media Controls
A full set of media controls
are also included for hassle
free control of your music
during gaming or when
watching movies. To access
the media controls using the
keyboard press and hold the
FN key along with the
following keys:
F5 = Previous Track
F6 = Play/Pause
F7 = Next Track
F8 = Mute
F9 = Decrease Volume
F10 = Increase Volume
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4. Mad Catz A.P.P. Desktop Software – Lighting Customization Options
The S.T.R.I.K.E.TE retains the adjustable nature of the R.A.T. and M.M.O. mice. Not only can the wrist rest be
removed, the keyboard angle is adjustable, and the lighting options can also be adjusted via our software.
To alter the lighting, launch the software by left clicking the system tray icon or by double clicking the desktop
icon.
Click onto the settings tab, and select the desired keyboard mode.
Drag the sliders to the desired lighting level and then click the Apply button to save the settings to the
keyboard.
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5. Mad Catz A.P.P. Desktop Software – Profile Creation
Creating game-specific command profiles are created using the Mad Catz A.P.P. desktop software.
Do more…
• Set custom game commands to 12 functions on the product.
• Each function can have up to three macros assigned to it. Use the Mode button to cycle each function
and get up to 36 macros per profile.
• All new custom command generator with full multi-press and time record capability.
Drag and Drop Software
• Easy to use, intuitive software for Windows will have you setup in seconds.
• Link profiles to games for automatic profile activation.
• Low memory footprint – keeps your rig’s resources focused on the game.
What can be programmed?
• Macro Buttons M1-M7
• Macro Buttons C1-C5
Before you start…
 The software can be launched from a desktop icon or system tray menu icon.
 User profiles are stored in Documents\Mad Catz\S.T.R.I.K.E.TE folder.
 Profiles are stored as .pr0 files and can be transferred to other computers that have the drivers and
software installed.
 The software allows users to access and assign pre-made commands and keyboard key presses to
the buttons of the device by dragging and dropping icons to the button callouts.
 The software will also allow users to create their own commands and associate those commands to
icons. These can then be dragged onto your buttons to create profiles.
 Gamers can program all 20 functions across three profile modes.
 Profiles can be linked to programs for automatic activation. This occurs when the associated program
is in Window focus.
 If you have an existing Mad Catz .pr0 profile for a game, and want to transfer the commands to a
new device you can. Simply, drag and drop the profile into the folder shown above. Next, open the
software application and select the old profile. Next, go to the custom tab, there you will see all of
the commands that were created for the old profile. You can then drag and drop these commands
onto the product and apply the new profile.
How to…
 In its basic form, the software is presented as below. In this state, the customer is using and altering
a Mad Catz default profile. This is a blank canvas for users to create a basic macro setup and is active
as a ‘start up’ profile. The default profile is great for setting commands to make browsing the internet
and controlling media quick and intuitive.
 The commands are displayed on tabs in the right hand section of the interface. These are then clicked
and dragged onto the desired button.
 To remove a command the user must hover over the button callout to show an X. Click this X to
remove the command.
 If the user right clicks inside the commands area they will see a context menu. The context menu
allows the user to change the size of the command icons, and quick jump to an available tab.
 The user can change this profile as much as they want and activate these changes by clicking the
apply button.
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If the user clicks reset, the profile reverts back to our factory settings.
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In its expanded state, the software is presented like this. In this state, the gamer can create multiple
profiles for their device and manage their behaviour and settings.
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The user accesses this state by clicking the arrows in the middle of the left hand side of the interface.
Clicking the ‘create new’ button will create an untitled profile in the profile list. The profile will be
blank and not have any assignments.
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Users can then switch the profile that is being edited by left clicking the profile name. The red
highlight indicates which profile is open to be edited in the programming area.
Once the user has populated their profile, clicking the apply button will save their changes and
activate the profile on the device.
If the user clicks the reset button, the profile commands will be cleared.
All user profiles will be accessible from a System Tray icon menu.
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The user can access a context menu for each profile. To do this, the user must left click the menu
arrow, or right click anywhere within the highlighted area. The profile must first be highlighted before
you can access its context menu.
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The context menu allows you to name the profile, set it to default (same as Start Up profile), delete
the profile, print the profile and test the profile.
The commands for apply and reset can also be used in this menu.
The Link to program option opens an explorer window that allows the user to bind the profile to a
program or game. Once bound, the icon appears in the context menu.
Clicking the ‘Remove Link’ option will remove the program link.
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As part of the Tournament
Edition initiative, we have
expanded the features and
functionality of our desktop
software. The main focus of
development has been on
creating an updated custom
command generator. This is
intended to give gamers more
freedom with their profiles, and
how their commands are
executed in-game.
To access the Custom Command
generator, click the custom tab
and then click Create Custom
Command.
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Initially, you will be presented with a simple command editor. This can be used for short key commands, and
are output very quickly when the programmed button is pressed.
Hovering over each element of the interface will display a description, in the about box, of what it is and how
it can be used.
If users want to customize command timings then they will need to click the mode button in the software so
that it displays advanced.
To record the timings between key presses – click the Timing button, and then re-enter the command. Make
sure that you have cleared any previous command presses.
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To customize the timings between key presses, left click the red areas that indicate the delay period. You
can either manually enter a time delay, drag the slider to set, or choose from pre-set timing delays. The delay
change can either by applied to a single delay, or applied to all the delays in the command.
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6. Software Glossary
The following terms should help explain some of the naming conventions used in the software and how they
apply to programming the product.
Custom Command
A user generated string of keyboard key presses and/or mouse button clicks. These strings can then be
assigned to programmable buttons and used to condense complex in-game actions into a single button
press.
Timing
Record Delays
When the custom command is created, the time delays between keyboard key presses is recorded. When
the programmed button is pressed, the command occurs exactly as it was entered.
No Delays
When the custom command is created, the time delays between keyboard key presses are not recorded.
When the programmed button is pressed, the command occurs as fast as possible.
Play Back Mode
Open
When a command is ‘open’ it will stop execution as soon as the programmed button is released, even if the
full custom command string is not complete. This is best used for gaming commands that you may need to
interrupt.
Closed
When a command is ‘closed’ it will always complete execution, even if the control has been released. This is
best used on gaming actions that you don’t want to interrupt.
Press, Repeat, Release
We refer to a button press as being comprised of three distinct events. The Press event is first. This is when
the button is depressed fully until you hear or feel a click. Second, is repeat. This is when the button is held
in its fully pressed position. Release is last. This when the button is released, and it returns to its normal
‘home’ position.
Each event in a single button press can be programmed using our software, which enables some very
complex commands to be created.
If you are not concerned with some of the button press events, they can be minimized to help focus your
programming attention. To do this, click the black triangle next to the event titles.
Mode
Simple
Limits the options for custom command creation. Users are only able to create commands that are activated
when a programmed button is pressed. Time delays are not recorded and the command will occur as fast as
possible. This is best used in commands with two or less inputs.
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Advanced
Allows full control of custom command timing and execution. Both the down and up elements of a keyboard
key press are recorded. Time delays can be manipulated down to the micro second, whilst the command
itself can contain key strings for the Press, Repeat and Release events. This is best used in commands with
more than 2 inputs.
Type Delay
When editing a delay interval between key presses, use this section to manually enter the desired duration.
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7. Product Questions
1. Does the product support firmware updates?
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Yes. The product is firmware update compatible. If there are any updates to the firmware, Mad Catz will
release a firmware update application to update the product.
2. How do I adjust the supplied game profiles?
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We have supplied a profile pack for the most popular eSport games with all TE product software. Each
profile contains the default keyboard commands for the associated games, and we have assigned some
control to the programmable buttons on the device. If you would like to adjust the assignments:
o Open the programming software.
o Click the arrow in the left hand side to reveal the profile menu.
o Click the Game Profiles folder, and then left click the desired profile.
o Select the Custom tab on the right hand side of the programming page. You will see all of the
keyboard commands associated with the game.
o Drag and drop your preferred commands on to programmable buttons and click the apply button to
activate the new profile. If you do not want to use the profile straight away the profile will
automatically save itself.
If you have modified the default keyboard commands for the game to your preferred playing style, the
commands we have created will not match. To adjust the profile commands:
o Open the programming software.
o Click the arrow in the left hand side to reveal the profile menu.
o Click the Game Profiles folder, and then left click the desired profile.
o Select the Custom tab on the right hand side of the programming page. You will see all of the
keyboard commands associated with the game.
o Left click one of the custom command icons to open the command editing page.
o Left click the clear button to remove the current keyboard command.
o Hover your mouse cursor inside the press area and press the desired key on your keyboard.
o Click the ok button to confirm the modification to the command.
3. Can the mode button be programmed?
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No. The mode button is locked off from being programmed – and is there to enable the 3 x as many macro
commands to be used on the product.
4. Can I set a custom profile to be active when my PC boots up?
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Yes. To do this, expand the interface to show your custom commands. Click the context menu and then click
Set as Default. This profile will now be active when your OS loads.
5. I have a favourite profile for my R.A.T.7/M.M.O.7 that I would like to use on S.T.R.I.K.E.TE Can I import
the profile commands and use them on the new keyboard?
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Yes. As long as the file type is .pr0 then you can import the old profile and use it on your new mouse. Follow
these steps:
o Drag and drop the old profile in the S.T.R.I.K.E.TE profile folder.
o Open the programming suite, reveal the profile and menu and select the name of the old profile.
o Click onto the custom tab, the tab will show all of the commands that were created for the old
profile.
o Drag and drop the old profile commands onto the buttons of the new device.
o When you are happy with the new profile, click apply to save the changes and make them active.
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