Key Takeaways
- Enjoyable and colourful tech merchandise as soon as dominated the patron electronics scene.
- Within the 90s and 00s, many PC peripherals — together with optical mice — shipped with translucent casings and even liquid-filled interiors.
- The so-called Aqua Mouse lives on, however provided that you are fortunate sufficient to stay in Australia.
The 90s and the early 00s have been a time to be alive — we had sit-down Pizza Hut eating places, Blockbuster video rental shops, and even the downright legendary AOL On the spot Messenger. This time interval additionally gave delivery to a very artistic tech product: the aqua mouse.
Aqua mice hit the scene at a time when tech producers weren’t afraid to get artistic. Translucent client electronics have been all the fashion, with their semi-see-through casings and shiny colorways. This was the period of the bondi blue iMac G3, the atomic purple Nintendo 64, and the clear yellow Tamagotchi.
Aqua mice adopted this similar design mantra, however with a twist: injecting fluid inside their clear casings, whereas suspending collectible figurines or different floating decorations inside these aquatic chambers. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that at one level within the late 90s, aqua mice may very well be discovered on desktops the world over.
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The Cat Aqua Mouse is a vestigial reminder of the great outdated days
This heavy responsibility machinery-themed mouse is not fueled by diesel, however somewhat by nostalgia
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Lately, it is almost unimaginable to search out an aqua mouse on the market exterior of the used market. The model’s distinctive mix of translucent plastics and fluid-filled interiors fell out of vogue within the mid 2000’s, and hasn’t reemerged since. However, one holdout nonetheless stays, and it is known as the Cat Aqua Mouse.
One TikTok user by the name of ratgirl.333 went on a mission to search out herself an aqua mouse nonetheless in lively manufacturing, and she or he stumbled upon what may be one of many remaining choices nonetheless in the marketplace. Say hey to the Cat Aqua Mouse: a $17 AUD (roughly $11.30 USD) optical mouse bought by the Aussie-based Cat tools supplier WesTrac.

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As you may anticipate, the Cat Aqua Mouse leans closely into its equipment aesthetic. It is a wired USB-A mouse with a outstanding Cat design print, and it incorporates a floating D11R Cat machine reproduction inside its liquid-filled base. In response to the WesTrac storefront, the peripheral is suitable with Home windows 98, NT, 2000, ME, and XP machines. Whereas there isn’t any phrase on compatibility with newer variations of Home windows or different working techniques, I might think about little or no tinkering can be required to get it up and operating on Windows 11, macOS, and even Android.
As you may anticipate, the Cat Aqua Mouse leans closely into its equipment aesthetic.
Sadly, the Cat Aqua Mouse is available for purchase completely inside Australia, and there isn’t any choice to ship internationally. When you’re like me and stay 1000’s of miles away from the island nation, then you definitely’ll should expertise your serving to of nostalgia vicariously by ratgirl.333.

Cat Aqua Mouse
An optical USB mouse that hearkens again to the great outdated days of enjoyable PC peripherals, with a translucent casing and a floating D11R Cat machine reproduction.
Might we be in for an aqua mouse renaissance?
Aqua mice most likely will not be coming again anytime quickly, however translucent units look like on the rise
Sadly, I do not anticipate aqua mice to make a triumphant comeback within the client area anytime quickly. As enjoyable and distinctive as they undoubtedly are, their fluid-filled insides are restricted by sensible manufacturing constraints. Modern PC mice have rather a lot happening internally today, cramming lithium-ion battery packs, Bluetooth radio antennas, USB-C sockets, and complex optical sensors right into a somewhat small bundle.

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That being stated, we’re bearing witness to one thing of a resurgence in translucent client tech merchandise on a broader scale. The UK-based Nothing smartphone brand is arguably main the cost with its lineup of smartphones and Bluetooth equipment, together with the agency’s new semi-transparent Nothing Ear (Open) earbuds. Even trade juggernaut Samsung has jumped on the bandwagon with its newest Galaxy Buds 3 and Buds 3 Pro fashions. It is unclear whether or not this development is just a play on nostalgia, or if it is a real design ethos with legs.
On a private degree, I might like to see the return of Nintendo’s legendary atomic purple colorway.
On a private degree, I might like to see the return of Nintendo’s legendary atomic purple colorway in its upcoming successor to the Switch gaming console. A translucent Magic Mouse would even have me grabbing for my pockets, however Apple’s current USB-C refresh of the peripheral makes this an extremely unlikely prospect.

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