I was sent the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra back in January, and I quickly fell in love with one main feature. This $200 Xbox wireless (or wired if you prefer) controller comes with AntiDrift joysticks. They offer up a near-zero risk of drift and no need to have any deadzone. The marketing focuses on the built-in gimmick of a screen, and that broke on my first one. Turtle Beach was quick to send me out another and after a few months, the verdict is in.
The Specs
Straight from Turtle Beach’s store page:
- High-Performance, Lag-Free Wireless Technology
- 30-Hour Battery Life with Adjustable Power Modes
- Connected Command Display for Extensive Settings Adjustments
- AntiDrift™ Thumbsticks for Long-Lasting, Smooth Control
- Tactile Microswitch Buttons for Faster, More Reliable Response
- Durable, Hard-Shell Case with Charge-Through Capability
- Four Mappable Quick-Action Buttons
Sturdy & Light
My initial impressions of the controller were confused. It is far lighter than any other premium-priced controller I have used. For Comparison:
- Elite Series 1: 348 Grams (four paddles and 2 AA batteries)
- Elite Series 2: 345 Grams (four paddles and internal battery)
- Scuf Instinct Pro: 280 Grams (as I had mine configured)
- Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra: 246 Grams
At first, I thought it felt cheap due to the difference in weight, especially compared to Xbox’s Elite series. After a few days of use, it became apparent that while the Stealth Ultra is light its plastics are rigid and have shown reasonable durability in my few months with it. That did not extend to the first review unit TB sent me, as the screen stopped turning on suddenly after roughly 6 weeks of use.
They were quick to send me a replacement and after exhaustively searching I couldn’t find it to be a common issue among the controller’s early adopters. Oh, I should mention, this controller has a small screen in the middle of it, similar in placement to where a PS4/5 touch-screen is located. It feels like a gimmick and is something I have mostly ignored while using what otherwise is an excellent controller. It connects to an Xbox or PC via either an included dongle or wire. You can also use Bluetooth for PC and mobile device connection.
Features and Feel
Alongside the built-in display, the main selling point of the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is the AntiDrift joysticks. Instead of using the standard, low-quality joystick sensors most controllers use this one comes equipped with magnetic sensors, how do they work? They utilize the Hall Effect technology of using magnets that interact with a voltage sensor. As the parts never actually touch each other they do not wear down as easily as the grinding style ones other companies use. This means lower dead zones (how much you have to move a stick before it starts responding on screen) alongside improved durability.
They feel incredible to use, especially in games like Halo Infinite that support adjusting the dead zone. Having it set to 0 degrees in the controller’s software alongside the game means instant movement the moment you start moving a stick. I can’t go back to controllers that aren’t using this tech. It was immediately noticeable when I tried out a standard Series X controller or a Dual Sense. There are four back buttons that you can reprogram on the fly using either the controller screen or their software application. They are a bit too responsive and it took me a while to stop hitting them on accident.
The face buttons and bumpers use a clicky, tactile feeling switch that I didn’t like much at first but similar to the weight issue I got comfortable quickly. The triggers are fully customizable, similar to an Elite, and feel great on each pull. The controller’s vibration is more subdued than others, which I greatly prefer. Even at its highest level, it’s easily noticeable but quiet and never distracting. My only issue with the controller is the damned screen forcing the menu and view buttons off-center. After 3+ months I still find myself reaching for the wrong spot, hitting the screenshot, or switch-to-display-control buttons instead.
Finally, we have their software app which you can download on both console and PC. It’s a pain in the ass and rarely seems to save my profile changes. The controller comes with built-in RGB and the screen brightness is maxed out. With the RGB on and the screen anything above 3 out of 10 the battery life is not great. With both off I can average 15 to 20 hours. It’s nowhere near as good as the internal battery on the Elite Series 2 and far off what they promise in their marketing (30). There is a standard headset port on the bottom as well, though it would be odd if there wasn’t.
Wrapping Things Up
The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is a big ask at $200. The AntiDrift Hall Effect style joysticks are incredible, and after a short breaking-in period with them things have felt perfect. If you can find it on sale for anything under $150 and play a lot of shooters then this is one of the better options out there.
PROS
- AntiDrift Joysticks
- Buttons and Bumpers feel great
- Fully Customizable in software
CONS
- Software woes
- Battery life less than promised
Nice review man.
I didn’t see it mentioned but is it true that there’s no rumble/vibration? Some don’t care about it, but I am too used to having this on controllers.
Ooh interesting! With the current Xbox implementation I turn it off anyway.
When they eventually update to haptics like Nintendo & PS I’ll start using it more frequently.
I talk about it in the review, it has vibration. It’s subtle compared to the regular xbox motors but I prefer it.
Oh shit, I must have missed that when I was reading, lol.
Hmm, subtle. Could be good actually, because the rumble on the Elite V2 can be quite…aggressive. There was something that was lacking on this, I remember a conversation I had on Twitter. Paddles. They are lacking on this? For some games it’s fine, but if it’s a game where I sprint a lot with the left stick, the paddles have become unmissable for me.
they’re not paddles but buttons and they’re extremely sensitive. You can easily mis-click them. My main complaint really. Fully programmable at least.
After seeing something like this on the market I’m more hopeful that the next Elite might finally have Hall Effect sticks.
The Sebile also looks promising with ‘modular thumbsticks’, perhaps this means if they don’t come with them we can still upgrade them.
I’m still waiting for Gulikit to release their revised Hall Effect upgrade for the OLED Steam Deck (it only works with the old LCD version).
Yeah, that’s gonna be a no for me. The paddles have proven to be so damn good for several games. I’m used to it now. The V2 core is doing okay, sometimes the face buttons don’t register immediately but most of the time it’s good. I do hope that if MS comes with a V3 that they really take these issues into account.
Great review!
Did you experience the sticks getting scratched on the rings? I have seen some user reviews with it so I didn’t know if that was a problem with all or just some.
A tiny bit, it smoothed out almost immediately
I really want one but the Amazon reviews are quite bad for that expensive of a controller (3.6/5) so I’m kind of on the fence to be honest. I’d get the Hanes or for the Hall effect sticks but it’s unfortunately only wired which is a no go for me.