Xbox owners haven't had many wireless controller options in the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One eras. Microsoft's wireless protocol has largely been limited to standard first-party controller and high-end Elite Series 2. Great third-party wired controllers exist for Xbox, but we're only now starting to see officially licensed wireless controllers from manufacturers outside of Microsoft. PowerA released a solid mid-range Xbox controller earlier this year, and now Turtle Beach has joined the party with the officially licensed Stealth Ultra, a premium alternative to the Elite Series 2. Turtle Beach's Stealth Ultra is pricey at $200, but it's an incredible controller that's worth your consideration.
The Stealth Ultra retains the conventional Xbox controller layout. Though it doesn't have the same heft to it as the Elite Series 2, it has superb ergonomics with textured grips and a premium finish. As far as inputs go, I actually prefer the Stealth Ultra to the Elite Series 2, which was a surprise since the Elite Series 2 has long been my favorite controller. Buttons, triggers, and sticks are a cut above their Elite Series 2 counterparts (and most controllers in general).
Face, shoulder, and rear buttons, as well as the D-pad, are all activated via microswitches. This reduces actuation distance, provides near-instant feedback, and produces a satisfying click comparable to pressing a gaming mouse. In addition to offering a higher level of precision, the microswitch buttons simply feel great. Turtle Beach is not the first manufacturer to implement microswitches into its controller; Razer's Wolverine line for Xbox and PS5 offers microswitch inputs, too. If you've ever tried the Wolverine, the Stealth Ultra feels quite similar. If you're new to microswitch inputs, you're in for a treat.
There are four remappable back buttons built into the controller. These textured action buttons are located where your fingers tend to naturally rest, making them easily accessible. Back buttons and paddles are typically the first feature you expect with a competitive controller, and they don't disappoint here. Microswitches are once again utilized to reduce input response time.
The one-piece, solid design of the Stealth Ultra's D-pad looks peculiar at first glance, but my skepticism disappeared after spending some time with it. The recessed center is clever, allowing you to quickly pivot your thumb in any direction to register movements. Up, down, left, and right inputs are raised higher than diagonal directions that require pressing in two directions. It's fairly similar to the default D-pad that comes with the Elite Series 2, with the main difference being the microswitches that offer increased speed.
We've seen an uptick of controller manufacturers combatting stick drift by using Hall Effect sensors. Unlike normal analog sticks, Hall Effect sticks don't rely on components rubbing against each other to register movements. Instead, Hall Effect sticks use magnets to accomplish the same task. This makes the controller, in theory, immune to pesky stick drift. I can't speak on the longevity of the Stealth Ultra's sticks yet, but they feel excellent, and Turtle Beach is clearly quite confident in them--the word "antidrift" is emblazoned under each stick. Like other Turtle Beach products, the Stealth Ultra comes with a one-year manufacturer's warranty.
Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra and charging dockUnlike many other premium controllers, the Stealth Ultra doesn't have swappable parts. Physical customization features are limited to trigger locks and two pairs of rubber caps that wrap around the default sticks. There's a pair of concave caps and textured dome caps. The main benefit of these is they effectively make the sticks larger, so they could be useful for those with larger hands (the default analog stick toppers are the same size as the first-party Xbox controller). But you won't find support for swappable D-pads or modules here. Considering all of the controls are exemplary already, the lack of swappable parts doesn't feel like a meaningful loss--especially when there's so much to love with the internal customization.
I saved this part for last because if the core experience with a $200 controller is anything short of amazing, it doesn't really matter that it has a built-in display that can be used to tinker with all sorts of settings. But the Stealth Ultra, as a pure controller, is indeed very good, so its novel feature only enhances an already great device.
You can think of the small display as built-in customization software. Whereas the Elite Series 2, 8BitDo Ultimate, Razer Wolverine V2, and other pro-style controllers require a proprietary app to make in-depth adjustments, the Stealth Ultra lets you customize your experience on the fly. With the press of the "+" button, you can switch from controlling the action on your TV to tinkering with settings on the small color screen, dubbed the Connected Command Display.
Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra back buttons
Turtle Beach gave players a lot to work with here. For starters, you can cycle through 10 different profiles--a lot more than the usual three for these sorts of controllers. Within each profile, you can remap the four back buttons on the fly, create dead zones for sticks and triggers, adjust vibration intensity on left and/or right sides, and modify lighting color and effects. You can remap the back buttons to most inputs, with one notable omission being RS and LS clicks. Since many games use a stick press to initiate a run, it's always nice to map a back button to that action instead.
The Stealth Ultra has RGB light strips on the handles. My hands blocked a portion of the light strip while playing, but the lights were visible next to the face buttons and left stick. Along with a wide assortment of hues, the light strips can pulsate, cycle through multiple colors, breathe, etc. Plus, you can adjust the intensity of the effects. Gradient color settings didn't appear to work sometimes on my controller, but overall the lighting features are pretty cool. Don't worry, though--you can turn the lights off altogether, if you so choose.