Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Controller Review

Over the last year or so, I have been testing out a variety of PC gamepads with a variety of design sensibilities. There are several similarities between most of the controllers designed for PC, but there are also specific qualities that allow each to stand out. One that has been looking to stand out in a big way is the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra.

The Stealth Ultra is instantly eye-catching for two reasons: it has a built-in display and it has RGB strips that accent its grips. Those two design elements alone are enough to ensure that Turtle Beach’s premium controller gets some attention, but it’s what’s under the hood that helps the Stealth Ultra make its case for being your PC gamepad of choice.

In terms of the basics, the Stealth Ultra comes with a 2.4GHz dongle to give it superior connectivity, range, and low latency when interfacing with a PC or Xbox. I have a unique PC gaming setup in that my PC is not as close to my Samsung OLED TV as most, so the added range is a nice bonus. You can also use a Bluetooth connection with the Stealth Ultra, if you might not have a USB port available or for connecting to a mobile device.

Its design mimics the Xbox Elite controller pretty closely, which is by no means a bad thing. Microsoft’s premium controller is one of the top choices for Xbox or PC gaming, and Turtle Beach is seemingly aware of that. Taking out the screen and the RGB, you could see this being mistaken for an Xbox controller. Again, that’s not a knock against the Stealth Ultra but there is a noticeably clear market in mind with the offset joystick orientation. And for those that might be curious, the Stealth Ultra works as an Xbox controller with all the functionality that is available on PC.

The Stealth Ultra package includes:

• Stealth Ultra controller
• Turtle Beach branded carrying case
• 2.4 GHz USB dongle
• Charging dock with USB port
• 2 sets of thumb covers
• USB-C cable

The charging dock included with the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra includes a USB port on the front for plugging in the 2.4 GHz dongle and avoiding clogging up two USB ports on your PC.

While the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra borrows the esthetics of an Xbox controller, its functionality sets it apart. Many of the “buttons” on the Stealth Ultra (the D-pad, face buttons, shoulder buttons) are more clicky than the average controller, almost like clicking a mouse button. It’s a different feel than most gamers might be used to, but over time it becomes satisfying to feel that more tangible interaction when pressing a button. It’s not necessarily better, but different.

As is becoming common with third-party controllers, the Stealth Ultra features hall effect joysticks so there is no concern about joystick drift. Turtle Beach also packs in two different joystick thumb covers, one set with a few dots of texture for a little added grip and another with a texture that goes across the whole face of the cover. Personally, the joysticks that come with the Stealth Ultra feel a little too smooth, but the thumb covers fixed that quickly.

On the underside of the Stealth Ultra are four programmable buttons, two on the left and two on the right. They are oriented next to each other, with one resting on the grip and one on the flat backside of the controller. The buttons have the same clicky feel as the face buttons, and they are easy to reach and use for those who like the benefits of back buttons/paddles (i.e. hitting buttons without removing your thumbs from the joysticks).

Turtle Beach has equipped the Stealth Ultra with trigger stop toggles so users can switch between a longer or a shorter pull to activate. The d-pad is a singular piece with grooves and a raised portion to indicate where the cardinal directions would be. And there is a bit of texture on the grips to help the Stealth Ultra feel secure in your hands.

Stealth Ultra Bells and Whistles

Outside some slight differences, the basic design of the Stealth Ultra falls in line with what many pro controllers offer. Turtle Beach hopes that pairing the Stealth Ultra with its Control Center software is what is going to make this option stand out from the rest.

The Stealth Ultra is a great controller right out of the box, and many of the smaller customization options can be accessed from the small display built into the controller. You can change the RGB color and pattern, set different power modes for extended battery life, or audio settings on a headset plugged into the controller. The display is easy to navigate and read, making basic customization quick and easy.

With Control Center, however, you can get into the nitty gritty of dialing in the Stealth Ultra’s feel, look, and functionality. The Stealth Ultra isn’t locked into one set of settings either; you can set different profiles to load onto the controller and easily switch between them via the display. So, if you want different settings when playing a shooter versus a platformer, you can set that up via the app.

In total, the Control Center app can customize:

• The four back buttons to map to any face, d-pad, shoulder, or trigger press.
• Joystick deadzone and response, independent of one another.
• Left and right trigger deadzones.
• EQ settings for a connected headset including Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing tech.
• Lighting colors and effects for the RGB LEDs in the grips.
• Vibration intensity on both triggers and both grips.
• Power modes and brightness settings.

It’s arguably the most superfluous of the Stealth Ultra’s features, but the controller can tap into social apps to give alerts right on the controller. Most won’t find it a big difference between looking at their phone during a gaming session rather than looking at their controller, but Turtle Beach put the option in there for those who might find value in it.

With so many features attached to the Stealth Ultra, battery life is going to be one potential drawback. While Turtle Beach advertises 30 hours, that feels like a gross overestimate. More likely, that’s with some of the Stealth Ultra’s unique design elements, specifically the LED lighting and display, turned off. There are power modes that will favor longer battery life, and the controller does support fast charging via USB 3.0, but during testing, the controller got closer to 7-10 hours of juice before it needed a charge. Having a controller that can last for 3 or 4 sessions before it needs a charge might not be a deal breaker, but it is still something to consider.

Bringing that level of customization combined with the design of the controller itself, Turtle Beach has designed the Stealth Ultra not just to compete with the other pro controllers on the market but also to set itself apart from them. Without question, it does just that, but most importantly, it’s a comfortable controller that has a great tactile feel to its buttons and features a familiar form factor that has been proven popular over the years.

Ultimately, though, the appeal of a controller with so much to offer depends on the person. Those who want to take a controller out of a box and go will still get that with the Stealth Ultra, but at a premium price tag of $179. Whereas gamers who like to dial in their controller’s settings to meet their personal preference, and be able to switch those preferences on the fly, will find the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra more than meets the challenge. It helps that it’s a stylish piece of tech to boot.

The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is available for $199 at Amazon. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.