Our Verdict
The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is an good controller ultimately let down by the absence of a real focus on raw performance and, at times, noticeable input lag when used wirelessly on a console. While its overall price just can’t be justified, I did find the command center to be a cool and unique addition, but I fear so much effort went into cramming this into the controller that little else was given the required thought and attention it needed to make this a great controller.
Reasons to buy
- Command Center is a cool feature
- Tactile microswitches are great on controllers
- Charging dock is useful and well designed
Reasons to avoid
- Latency issues on console
- Priced too high vs current performance
Every so often, a controller comes along that tries its hardest to revolutionize how we play games. The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is no different in its goals, with it taking the best parts from other products and packing them all into one convenient unit. Most prominently, it includes a display that can be used to check on the status of the controller, customize its settings, and even have it read out your Whatsapp messages. It’s an interesting addition but elsewhere this controller doesn’t do anything truly unique from a control perspective, merely refining what other controllers started.
There are some things to like about the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra, but it’s a stretch to call it one of the best PC controllers on the market right now. A few recurring software and connectivity issues that are now fixed should provide hope that the initially rough launch is behind us, but I’m cautious that these problems could rear their ugly heads once again and spoil what could otherwise be a great gaming peripheral.
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Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra features
The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is a wireless Xbox and PC controller built around its command center display that allows you to play around with audio and RGB settings on the fly, while also connecting to your phone in order to allow social notifications to come through to your controller. While it’s a visually interesting design, it unfortunately feels like too much effort has been put into including this command center, leaving other far more important features behind.
A charging dock is included to provide the controller a natural resting place when not being used, and it should help ensure you never reach for the controller to find it low on battery. RGB strips feature on both controller grips and are fully customizable to suit your personal taste.
Four additional inputs are placed on the rear of the controller and they’re easily the most natural-feeling buttons of this type, compared to many other premium peripherals. All face buttons, bumpers, rear inputs, and the d-pad are tactile microswitches, resulting in a mouse-click sound when pressed. These are great for knowing when a button press has been initiated and you can sniff out any lag issues far easier without needing to be hooked up to additional software. The triggers also feature sliding locks so you can alter their responsiveness at a moment’s notice.
A charcoal carry case with purple trim is included to keep the Stealth Ultra safe if you’re taking it with you on the go. There is a soft lining inside as well as a small compartment to keep additional thumbstick covers and a USB-C charging cable.
Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra design
Just like with the features of the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra, the most unique aspect of its design is the command center display. The only comparable product that comes to mind is the Asus ROG Raikiri Pro, but even then, the functionality of both displays is quite different.
The small screen is quite handy if you want to change your audio settings on the fly (wired headsets only), or if you want to connect your phone to receive social notifications. It also allows you to alter the RGB color and pattern. To access it, you press a + button situated just below the Xbox social button. From there, the controller is then used to navigate the command center and you have to back out to regain control of your game.
Beyond this, the Stealth Ultra takes on the shape of a traditional Xbox controller, with asymmetrical joysticks, an ABXY face button layout, lightly textured triggers and grips, and a 3.5mm jack at the bottom of the controller. The rear buttons are also textured, with two on either side of the controller. The layout is done so that one button is on the rear, and one is on the curve of the grip, this allows anyone to activate both buttons using just one finger, a much better alternative to having to claw your hand around four buttons or paddles.
It has a mechanical/industrial pattern sprayed across the front, while the back remains plain black save for an info label and the golden charging contacts. Speaking of the charging dock, you can plug the wireless adaptor into this to save taking up two separate USB-A ports, which was a clever move that deserves kudos.
The Stealth Ultra and charging dock have quite a strong magnetized connection, meaning the dock will snap to the controller, and removing it requires a fair bit of force. As a result, the dock can struggle to stay in the same position, so perhaps consider sticking it to a surface to prevent it looking untidy every time you need to grab or dock your controller.
Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra performance
The first and second phases of testing the Stealth Ultra were drastically different. Initially, there were lag spikes and losses of connection that seemed very strange. I actually put it down to my Xbox Series S due to the way that it would appear to freeze while the controller was still active and the interactive command center menu was still usable.
Steadily, I realized that the controller was losing connection with the wireless adaptor, but not reporting it in any way, such as flashing the white LED connection indicator. Thankfully, right as I was about to reach out to Turtle Beach about this issue, they rolled out a new firmware update for both the controller and adaptor, fixing everything.
Since this update, responsiveness has improved massively, and some clear latency issues have been completely eradicated, meaning the “low latency” promise slapped onto the box is now a reality, but there is still sometimes a clear gap between it and even a standard Xbox wireless controller.
I also can’t help but fear that these problems could return, and if you choose to rely on the Stealth Ultra as your only controller, a latency-breaking bug could effectively rule out any gaming until it’s fixed, but it’s worth noting that Turtle Beach was very fast to act when the initial problems arose, so their track record with fixes is good.
I did, however, come to be distrustful of the Stealth Ultra in key moments. Even when playing single-player games like Yakuza: Like a Dragon, timed combat prompts were repeatedly not registering despite the distinct mouse-like click of a button being pressed on time. This was an incredibly rare occurrence, but it’s just so noticeable when it happens, that it’s hard to ignore.
Connectivity and latency issues are also far less prevalent on PCs. Testing the same games across console and PC, the slight quirks that rarely interfered with play on an Xbox, outright never occurred on PC.
Should you buy the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra?
Unless it completely transforms how you play games, it’s genuinely hard to suggest that a $200 controller is worth buying. Does the Stealth Ultra do this? No. It adds convenience in the form of its charging dock, and customization with its RGB and thumbsticks, but very little about it is something we haven’t seen on other, cheaper controllers.
Despite these cool features, and even the Hall Effect joysticks, which go completely unlisted on the box, the Stealth Ultra just doesn’t do enough over its competitors to justify the cost.
Alternatives
Microsoft Xbox Elite Series 2
If you’re looking for a proven winner when it comes to performance, and you plan to make use of the four customizable back paddles, then the Elite Series 2 should be your go-to controller and it’s a bit cheaper at $169 / £159.99.
Read our full Microsoft Xbox Elite Series 2 review for more.
Nacon Revolution 5 Pro
Nacon brings Hall Effect joysticks and triggers in its latest premium controller, as well as PS5 compatibility but it’s much better suited to PC play. A high level of customization is also possible meaning you can design your configuration around the type of games you play most. It holds the same MSRP as the Stealth Ultra at $199.99 / £199.99.
Read our full Nacon Revolution 5 Pro review for more.