When it comes to premium controllers, I’ve been to the top of the mountain many times. I know those first-party ranges well, having twice hiked the Elite trail Microsoft blazed back in 2015, right up to the Edge of not too long ago (DualSense, that is).
Clearly, I’m a man of fine taste and poor impulse control, so I’m always keen to treat my mitts a little more if a third-party peripheral maker can point me toward some new peak of luxury. Even if said provider is relatively new to this category of product and thus seems like an unlikely competitor.
Because that’s the thing, isn’t it? When one hears the words Turtle Beach, thoughts turn to eardrums, reasonably priced aural pleasures, or some sort of tropical getaway overrun by amphibians. That name being linked to a premium Xbox controller out to rival the legendary Elite Series 2? It sounds improbable, even though the React-R and Recon ranges were turtley solid beachheads for better mid-range controller designs.
In a minute, I’m going to dive into the features of the surprisingly excellent Turtle Beach Stealth Elite. That said, if you’re an impulse buyer who’s already made their mind up, let’s sort you out quickly with the current best prices. Anybody else who’d prefer to do some homework before a major purchasing decision can click to skip past the window shopping and continue.
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Aussie Stealth Ultra Deals
Current Aussie prices
- Preorder at Mighty Ape – $328
- Preorder at JB Hi-Fi – $329
- Preorder at Kogan – $328
Stealth Ultra hands-on
As you might have guessed from something that looks like a two-handed Swiss Army knife crossed with a DJ set, there’s quite a features list to get through. So, let’s get started with what I think matters most with any wireless peripheral—connection reliability and performance under fire. I’m happy to confirm that the 2.4 GHz USB transmitter delivered a flawless, high-performance connection to my XSX and PC battlestation during a few marathon play sessions. A test jaunt on my Galaxy Fold 4, via Bluetooth, delivered a zero-issues experience too.
Extra kudos to Turtle Beach here for providing some versatility with the transmitter connection as well. Obviously, you can direct-connect the dongle to your system of choice, but when it comes time to charge ‘n’ play, you can avoid hogging two USB ports by fusing everything into the dock for a singular link/recharge solution. As somebody with way too many external SSDs competing for I/O love, I dig this.
And it’s not like any of that piggybacking has to happen for long. Not only is the aforementioned dock svelte and stylish, it earns that Rapid Charge moniker. Cramming in a full tank of sweet, nourishing electricity into the Stealth Ultra took me slightly less than two hours. Mind you, the advertised 30 hours charge life seems unrealisitc—I had to turn off a ton of accoutrements to achieve 12-15 hours. (Game choice will hugely vary the mileage here, obviously.)
Moving back to the topic of clever internals, I’d best highlight the highly responsive and lovely-feeling Hall Effect analogue sticks. TL;DR: Turtle Beach markets them as anti-drift, which, if the unexplainable miracle of magnets is to be trusted, will prevent your exy investment from going the way of a V1 Joy-Con.
As I’m not a Chronomancer who can shift life forward hundreds of play-hours, I can only guess as to how accurate that claim of reliance is. The science of this “contactless-ness” theory looks solid, however, and not living with the creeping dread of fallible potentiometers is comforting. Sometimes, usually in the wee hours of the evening, I can feel the spectre of stick obsolescence approaching my warranty-less Elite 2…
Another big selling point for me are the lovely microswitch buttons present in this thing (even if their slightly clickier-than-usual nature is anything but ”Stealth Ultra”). The main use buttons here—face, shoulder, and the extra, all-important quadruplets on the back—feel tactile and super-responsive. I would be remiss, though, if I didn’t mention that the (perfectly serviceable) concave D-pad isn’t the best I’ve ever used. Chalk it up to nitpicky personal preference—something didn’t click completely during that hadouken test.
Premium shopping newcomers should take note of the benefits of the aforementioned reprogrammable back buttons. Essentially, being able to wholly dedicate your opposables to circle-strafing targets with the sticks (as you handle face buttons with your third and fourth fingers) will keep you alive longer. It’s more or less the same deal with Stealth Ultra’s ability to lock your LT/RTs into quicker-responding hair triggers.
Basically, I want you to know that the “base experience” of the Stealth Ultra is that of a great-feeling, top-performing controller even before we start to consider its more nice-to-have features. Namely, the mammoth in the room—that screen and the on-the-fly delights it provides.
Officially named the “Command Display,” the Stealth Ultra offers a full-colour, VMU-esque window into the info you need to know. As expected, a ton of game-changing tweakables reside in here—like, button remaps, dead zones & axis response modes, RGB lighting, audio enhancements, etc. They’re all saveable to 10 quick-select profiles, and switching mid-match to (hopefully) wrong-foot your enemies is a cinch with the extra ‘+’ button provided.
Things of particular note include vibration intensity and social notifications. Vibration is interesting because the Stealth Ultra has feedback a touch beefier than I expected and actually needed to be turned down a smidge. And as for keeping connected with the world, you can view some Android app notifications if you’ve set them up beforehand in the accompanying Control Center 2 app. That list includes Discord, Facebook, Instagram, Outlook, Threads, Twitch, WhatsApp, X (Twitter), and the Xbox app.
Did I find myself using the Command Display for such things? No, not really. But I did find it pretty invaluable for shifting through the four EQ sound enhancements for my connected headphones. And even if you’re not into the various “Superhuman Hearing” settings available, just being able to effectively use 3.5mm headphones like wireless ones away from a Xbox or PC is always appreciated.
As for downsides or minor concerns, I can’t level many at this. I suppose the biggest omission is the Stealth Ultra not having more replaceable components, like other premium controller offerings. Instead of swappable stick modules and magnetically detachable stick tips, the best you’re getting here are two pairs of swimming cap-esque rubber tops (textured convex or concave).
Beyond that niggle, it’s clear that Turtle Beach’s Stealth Ultra delivers the sure-fire performance, gorgeous looks, and generous extra features needed to justify its deep-end RRP. From a sexiness and stick tech standpoint, at the very least, this is a more than worthy competitor to my old faithful (but by no means perfect) Elite Series 2. In almost every way, RGB colour me ultra impressed with this.
Adam Mathew is a connoisseur of fine controllers. He once paid way too many pesetas for a Resi 4 chainsaw controller.
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