Ever since I can remember, there’s always been a wide amount of third party controller offerings for just about every console I’ve owned. Some offered incredible features not available with first party gamepads such as the ability to play wirelessly via something like the WaveBird while others were cheap trash.
Well in the year 2024 that scenario is largley the same except now it’s even more-so thanks to the rise of digital marketplaces like Amazon and Aliexpress coupled with the flood of devices coming out of China. First party offerings have almost always been more than enough for me ever since the Xbox 360 era, although I do admit the DualShock 3 was by far my least favorite controller from Sony. Similar to how Microsoft and Sony thought of offering premium ‘Pro’ versions of their consoles, they too both offer something akin to ‘Pro’ controllers as well. Xbox with the Elite Series of and PlayStation with the DualSense Edge.
It was only a matter of time before third parties threw their hat in the ring with varying levels of success. The latest contender I’ve had the privilege of using comes from a well know company in gaming, Turtle Beach—the Stealth Ultra, although with this much RGB there’s nothing stealth about it (you can turn it off). According to Turtle Beach, the Steal Ultra is made of “durable materials” which, to my surprise, seems to be entirely plastic. There were two things that immediately stuck me upon first picking up the controller. The first is that the bottom half is brown which I mistook for more of a gun metal gray in the marketing materials and the second is just how light it is. I’m used to playing on my Elite controller which is substantially heavier than the Stealth (I’m calling it that from here on out).
Let me get something out of the way right now: if you can’t stand clicky buttons that sound like MX Blues, this controller is not for you. Nor is it likely for anyone hoping quietly play a game in bed on their TV while their significant other snoozes away. I wasn’t a fan of the clicky feel at first but it quickly grew on me. This controller is jam packed with lots of features, however, some of which I seldom found myself using. With that said, I can see the appeal for streamers and those who want yet another thing connected to their phone. Here’s a rundown of what Turtle Beach’s premium controller offering provides:
PATENTED, ON-BOARD SOCIAL NOTIFICATIONS
Receive social notifications from your phone for all your favorite social media platforms on the Command Display dashboard to keep you in the loop while gaming.
ANTIDRIFT™ THUMBSTICKS
Contactless, hall effect thumb sticks use internal magnets instead of full contact analog-style sticks to provide high-resolution, smooth control without drift. You can even dial in stick performance to suit the exact game you’re playing with linear input for consistent steering in racing games, or precision input for pinpoint aim in action & FPS games. Plus, two sets of additional thumbcaps are included for tactile preference.
PRECISE, MICROSWITCH BUTTONS
The Stealth™ Ultra was designed with high-end components throughout to boost performance and longevity. Tactile micro switches in the D-Pad, ABXY cluster, map-able buttons and bumper buttons give every button a faster, more reliable response, and are rated at 5 million clicks, or up to 5X as long as standard buttons.
ADJUSTABLE TRIGGER STOPS
Modify the throw distance of the triggers on-the-fly to suit the games you play. Shorter hair trigger locks provide a faster return profile for FPS games or set to full travel for precise throttle and brake control when racing.
FOUR MAPPABLE QUICK-ACTION BUTTONS
Four mappable microswitch buttons on the back of the controller allow you to set up the Stealth™ Ultra to your exact preferences depending on the types of games you play. Within the 10 onboard profiles available, you can set specific button mappings and settings for multiple games and loadouts.
PRO-AIM™ FOCUS MODE
Select-able as one of preset functions for any of the four map-able buttons, Pro-Aim™ tunes thumb stick sensitivity for enhanced long-range accuracy. Whether it’s a long-range snipe, or a daunting free kick, Pro-Aim™ is fully adjustable to dial-in the sensitivity just right.
CUSTOMIZATION WITH CONTROL CENTER 2 COMPANION APP
Open the Control Center 2 app on your Xbox console, PC, iOS, or Android smartphone to adjust settings on the controller like social notification preferences, customization of button mapping, dead zones & axis response modes, vibration intensity, audio enhancements, and RGB lighting. Plus, the Control Center 2 app lets you quickly make product updates.
ADVANCED AUDIO TUNING
Enhance any 3.5mm connected headset with easy access audio features only available from Turtle Beach including four EQ presets and Superhuman Hearing®. Plus, you can set the game & chat volume mix to your exact preference, adjust mic monitoring and more, all directly from the Command Display dashboard.
INTELLIGENT RGB LIGHTING
The intelligent RGB LED lighting system allows you to personalize the Stealth™ Ultra with 16.8 million distinct colors and effects. You can also set up different color combinations for notification alerts and low battery warnings to keep you in tune with product status.
IMMERSIVE VIBRATION FEEDBACK
Dual rumble motors in the handles and triggers provide immersive vibration feedback and are fully adjustable via the Command Display dashboard. Tune the levels of vibration to suit the games you play, from maximum vibration for intense racing games, to minimum feedback for reduced interference when precise aim control is needed.
PREMIUM MATERIALS
Designed for longevity and comfort, the Stealth™ Ultra has soft touch finishes, long-lasting microswitches, and comfortable, ergonomic grips.
CHARGE-THROUGH CASE
Stow away your controller, charge dock, cables and included additional thumb caps in the hard shell travel case, plus a built-in slot lets you charge your Stealth™ Ultra while in its case.
That’s a lot of stuff! The more I held and used the controller, the more I got used to the lightness of the game pad. The micro switch buttons really grew on me and even my wife said it’s a cool looking controller. Updating the firmware for both the receiver and the controller were a breeze and the Stealth Ultra has become my default controller for the Steam PC connected to my living room TV. Overall, I don’t have any complaints nor have I ran into any hardware or software issues with the Stealth Ultra. I will say that, for me, it’s definitely overkill in its feature set and I would be happy with the Elite Core Series controller from Microsoft. With that said, if you want a controller that’s stacked with features, this may be the one you’ve been looking for.
