The latest addition to Mad Catz’s line of modular gaming mice is the B.A.T 6+ ($95), an ambidextrous mouse that sports a slick, eye-catching design. It pulls inspiration from “spaceships, hypercars, and batmobiles,” Mad Catz claims. It’s not as cyberpunk-inspired as its mechanical cousin, the R.A.T. 8+, but it still sports many of the features included in Mad Catz’s other premier mammal, including programmable buttons and swappable parts that give users tons of options for comfort and customization—at a price, of course.
A B.A.T.-like Mouse
The idea of a modular mouse may seem intimidating at first, but the B.A.T. 6+ is fairly easy to parse. Right out of the box, you get a clear view of the B.A.T.’s exoskeleton. There are left-click and right-click panels, a scroll wheel with a rubber grip, a dots per inch (DPI) cycle button right at the center, and two buttons tucked between the folds of each side. The silver B.A.T. plate at the bottom of the palm reads like the license plate of a car, and you’ll spot the RGB lights on the mouse’s side.
Things start to get interesting when you factor in the included attachments. You’ll find two interchangeable side grips and a palm rest. All of the pieces easily snap into place thanks to the magnetic inserts. When all three pieces are in use, the B.A.T. 6+ is a sight to behold, and it’s very comfortable too, no matter your play style. The 5.4-ounce mouse glides back and forth with ease, and the wing attachments add some width to the 1.6-by-4.9-by-2.5-inch (HWD) frame, but not enough to cause concern.
The mouse is perfectly useable out of the box, but the attachments are vital to getting the most out of the B.A.T. 6+. The ergonomic shape of the mouse fits my hand perfectly, and movement was satisfying in every game I tested. If you grow tired of one of the attachments, or just want to change your configuration to match the game you’re playing, you can just pull the part off of the mouse. You don’t need to worry about any additional plastic parts like you would if you were using the HP Omen Photon. Just snap off and snap on as you please.
Under the hood, the B.A.T. 6+ sports Mad Catz Dakota technology, the company’s signal-detection algorithm that accelerates response time for more accurate clicks. That’s paired with a PixArt PMW3389 sensor, which is accurate up to 16,000dpi and has a polling rate of 2,000Hz. In layman’s terms, this all means that your inputs will be fast and responsive—perfect for fast-paced shooters, action games, and the like. You can quickly adjust the DPI by pressing the DPI cycle button in the center of the mouse to hop among four preset options.
It all feels and looks premium, and that’s because it comes with a premium price tag. The B.A.T. 6+ retails for just shy of $100, a price typical for wireless mice but a bit on the high end for a wired one. It feels even steeper if you consider that the older R.A.T. 8+ is roughly the same price and offers a few more bells and whistles than its winged contemporary.
Make It Your Own
The Mad Catz B.A.T. 6+ app makes use of the company’s Flux software platform, so if you’ve used the R.A.T. DWS, or any other mouse from Mad Catz, you’ll probably be familiar with the layout. It’s basic, but it’s easy to navigate.
Users can customize up to five profiles in the programming tab, and make use of every one of the B.A.T. 6+’s 10 buttons. The Settings tab handles the mouse’s DPI, polling rate, and enabling or disabling the DPI switch. You can even enable Angle Snap to help with more consistent input.
Finally, the Chameleon tab of the Flux software lets you alter the RGB lighting to your liking. You get only four options for light effects, and one of them is to just turn the lights off completely. The wing attachments also cover the RGB lights, so they remain pretty understated even with the brightness turned up all the way.
A R.A.T. With Wings
While the B.A.T. 6+ has fewer customization options than other R.A.T. variants, and it doesn’t quite measure up to our Editors’ Choice pick for premium gaming mice, the HyperX Pulsefire Haste, it’s still an excellent mouse. The comfortable, ergonomic design wins us over, and the peripheral looks good, too. The customization options offered, including the detachable wings and palm rest, are enough to please most gamers, though some might find themselves pining for more control, or for something easier on the wallet.
