Quality control

There are a lot of controllers out there for our favorite consoles. Heck, I have reviewed more than a handful of them across the board. These companies have started to dig more into the premium controller market with tons of features that are always interesting. Turtle Beach is the latest to jump into the mix with their Stealth Ultra controller for Xbox Series consoles. The main draw on this one is of course tied into what Turtle Beach does best, the audio. Combined with a full LED screen for customization, we have one of the most unique designs to date. Does it justify the large asking price though? We are about to find out.

Let’s kick things off with design and what is included in the box. Getting a premium controller I expect to see that spill into what is included. The Stealth Ultra comes with a similar clam shell case that comes with Microsoft’s own Elite controller. This even includes the charging cable compartment so you can charge it while it is still in the case. Not practical for my use case, but still nice to see. Inside the case we get a USB charging cable, two sets of analog covers for various styles, a charging dock, USB connector, and of course the controller itself. Quick setup instructions and the patented Turtle Beach sticker are also included.

MSRP: $199.99
Compatible With: Xbox, Mobile, PC
Price I’d Pay: $199.99

The charging dock works similar to their headset line where you can opt to use the included USB dongle if you want to place the charger somewhere else in the room, or you can opt to plug the dock directly into the Xbox with a nice compartment for the USB. I love having the option, I just wish the dongle was a little less protruding as I had to use it on the front port of my Series X. The back ports are already designated to my external HD and of course my favorite headset, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pro. The dock is also a quick charge, I was able to get a full charge rather quickly and the battery lasted about 25 hours on a full charge.

The controller is by far the star of the show. For starters all of the buttons excluding the triggers are built using a microswitch technology for faster response. This is not going to please everyone. For example it can be noisy hearing a click with every single button press or movement on the d-pad. I got used to it after a while and thankfully it is rather quiet, but it is always there. The buttons feel good to press, but again having used the original controller for so long, it took me a while to get accustomed to the feedback of a shorter press.

With any premium controller, the Stealth Ultra also comes with four back buttons located on the back. These are laid out in a horizontal fashion with two on each side respectively. These are also microswitches and their placement is fine. My biggest gripe is that I am constantly hitting them. This forced me to set them to something that might not irritate me if I accidentally pressed it during game play. Otherwise I might be hitting my ultimate in Overwatch when I didn’t want to. I am also not a fan of the placement of the start and back buttons, or whatever Xbox decided to label them as. Hitting my stats screen or pulling up a map is cumbersome. The back button for example is so close to the left analog, I have to maneuver just to hit it properly.

OK now let’s get into the most unique part of this controller, the LED screen. This screen plays host to a bevy of features that are normally assigned to an external app on your phone or PC. Accessing the menu is as simple as holding the extra button and tapping the Y button. This gives you control over a host of options that range from setting analog stick dead zones to creating your own EQ settings for your connected headset. Navigating these menus are intuitive with the buttons on the controller and can be accessed at any time.

From within these menus you can change the dead zone of your sticks with a simple button press. Modify the RGB lights on the controller. Set power modes, check firmware settings, and even reassign buttons across the board. As for the EQ settings there are ten profiles you can save and even create your own using the built in EQ function. This can also be used to change mic monitoring and chat levels. It feels like a fully functional app built right into the screen. It works way better than I expected and everything is simple to read and navigate.

There is even a social feature where you can see messages from friends, but this does require the mobile app paired with the controller. There is also a PC app you can download to perform all the same functions as the screen, but it is only required to update the firmware itself. Otherwise you can perform any action from this app, directly on the controller’s screen. This is extremely handy and doesn’t make the controller feel any more bulky in the process. It is truly a masterclass in design.

The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is by far the best third party controller I have used for the Xbox console. It also works on PC and mobile as well as Smart TVs, so it is a versatile piece of tech. The price may look steep for something not coming directly from MS, but what is here delivers. It can easily replace all your controllers for the console and should last a long time. Build quality of Turtle Beach accessories has always been great, and with my time with the controller I didn’t have any quality issues. Definitely recommended for the controller enthusiast.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.