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Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is the best controller ever made

Hohenheim

Member
In my opinion.
I'm always looking for the perfect PC controller, and late last year Turtle Beach delivered on all cylinders. I've always felt that their products was kinda meh, but this time they definitly delivered a controller that checks all the boxes for me.
Xbox layout, precise gaming mouse-ish clicking buttons (no more mushy buttons that most controllers have),
Hall effect sticks, good back paddle buttons with perfect placement, solid build quality, wireless with good battery, magnetic charger and hardcase included.
It also has a very cool screen that has lots of smart functions.

Until this came out late last year I used the Razer Wolverine Chroma v2 and the 8bitDo pro, which both are great, but this feels like a solid step up.

Highly recommend this to everyone who wants a hi end upgrade from the standard controllers, and don't want to risk getting a defect elite 2, which of course is a great controller but often defect. I had two of those and both had unresponsive face buttons.

fcsov6Z.jpg
 
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Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Came out last year and this and that to make it seem like you have such huge experience with it, it literally came out 10 days before Xmas, give it some time at least, especially since you mention to choose it over potentially defective ones, as if there's been time & market sample to know about this.
Edit: YIKES! I'd keep my money people.
Yep, that Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Pro Platinum Max is $200 with 2.4 rating on Amazon. I think I will skip.

I do have the 8bitdo one and it’s great, especially for the price. Grabbed it for like $50 during BF sales.
 
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Hohenheim

Member
but its just so damn ugly
Yeah, it has that modern look that seems to be suited towards 12 year old RGB freaks, but its not as bad irl. I have really dimmed low light on mine, and it don't stick out as a sore tumb in my mostly neutral looking setup.
 

Hohenheim

Member
Came out last year and this and that to make it seem like you have such huge experience with it, it literally came out 10 days before Xmas, give it some time at least, especially since you mention to choose it over potentially defective ones, as if there's been time & market sample to know about this.
Yeah, I obviously haven't used it for a long period since its a new product. But the build quality feels very good.
Just wanted to recommend a new, very good controller.
If it stops working as intended, i'll update this thread. But fingers crossed as it seems like I finally found a controller that's feels kinda perfect.
 

Sorcerer

Member
I have one on order, Amazon keeps moving the shipping date. I am a little on edge because the reviews mention bad build quality. Too soon to say this the savior of controllers. Perhaps the next iteration. What I really am looking forward too is the King Kong 3 pro. I love my Zen version of the King Kong 2.
 
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Hohenheim

Member
You can literally just connect an Xbox controller, Dualsense, or Switch Pro controller to your PC. Why bother with this third party trash?
Obviously because its a better controller than any of the ones you mentioned (In my opinion).
It's like saying why bother with a high end GPU and 4K when you can play on a lo/mid range GPU and 1080p.
 
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spons

Member
The Xbox Series controller is good, except for the loud as fuck buttons. My neighbors can probably hear me using the dpad on that fucking thing.
Hopefully 8bitdo gets to make wireless controllers, but with Microsoft gatekeeping accessories I have no clue whether that will happen anytime soon.
 

Hohenheim

Member
The Xbox Series controller is good, except for the loud as fuck buttons. My neighbors can probably hear me using the dpad on that fucking thing.
Hopefully 8bitdo gets to make wireless controllers, but with Microsoft gatekeeping accessories I have no clue whether that will happen anytime soon.
8bitDo have a very good Xbox-like wireless controller. I have this, and it's definitly not as loud as the OG Xbox controller. It has nice back paddles too.
Sadly this one doesn't have hall effect sticks like the version based on the switch pro controller. I find that very strange, since they are identical besides that and the button layout.
X71VqOC.jpg
 
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SmokedMeat

Gamer™
You can literally just connect an Xbox controller, Dualsense, or Switch Pro controller to your PC. Why bother with this third party trash?

Those all have the same sticks that are prone to stick drift.

Of course 8bitdo makes a great model with Hall Effect sticks that looks less gaudy and probably costs less than half the price of this TB model.

 

Diseased Yak

Gold Member
Hmm, that does tick all the boxes, thanks OP for bringing it up. I collect controllers (dunno how many I have, but it's... too many), and my current favorite is the GuliKit KingKong 2 Pro. It has Hall Effect sticks, and great overall build quality. The one thing that annoys me, though, is that their menu/setup buttons on the front are exactly where I'm used to the Start button being on regular Xbox controllers.
 

StereoVsn

Gold Member
Those all have the same sticks that are prone to stick drift.

Of course 8bitdo makes a great model with Hall Effect sticks that looks less gaudy and probably costs less than half the price of this TB model.

Yep, that Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Pro Platinum Max is $200 with 2.4 rating on Amazon. I think I will skip.

I do have the 8bitdo one and it’s great, especially for the price. Grabbed it for like $50 during BF sales.
 

Hohenheim

Member
Yep, that Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Pro Platinum Max is $200 with 2.4 rating on Amazon. I think I will skip.

I do have the 8bitdo one and it’s great, especially for the price. Grabbed it for like $50 during BF sales.
Strange that the Amazon user score was so low, as reviews seems very positive.
Had to see why it had a few "one star" scores on Amazon, and it seems to be complaints about battery life.
I have lights and screen active on mine, and after about 8-10 hours sessions, battery is about 50%.
A lot more juice if lights are turned off.
That's not too bad, compared to a few other controllers, but definitly a step behind the elite 2 and Switch Pro.

Yeah, the 8bitDo is brilliant, but feels like a huge downgrade after getting used to the Stealth Ultra.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Had to see why it had a few "one star" scores on Amazon, and it seems to be complaints about battery life.
I have lights and screen active on mine, and after about 8-10 hours sessions, battery is about 50%.
A lot more juice if lights are turned off.
There are other big issues mentioned in the negative Amazon reviews, like these from people who initially rated it 5/5 then went back to update it, Idk why you're pushing this product so soon/hard. But yes, they mention stuff like the battery lasting only like 4-6 hours and not charging rapidly too.
UPDATE: I'm very sad to have to update this review from 5 stars to 1 star. I have developed the same left stick grinding issue that is plaguing many others. Support initially responded to my ticket but has since ghosted me for 3 business days. I'm giving them until the end of today to respond... if I don't hear anything I will be returning the controller.
EDIT: I dropped only 2 stars for now but unfortunately it seems the QC issues mentioned by JOHN (Reviewer above) are proving to be more and more prevalent. Rough left stick rotations and a pretty defected DPAD. Gonna wait a couple days for any kind of statement but if not unfortunately for $200 this is pretty fatal. Also may be something up with the whole LS movement in general. Something I’m gonna watch closely
The controller does not last the promised 30 hours, at most 10 to 15 hours depending on if you activate the lights, vibration, screen off. The left and right joystick after a few hours of use the walls of the joystick are scratched and this had never happened to me on any controller
Battery life is horrible. In 2 hours battery went from100% to 44%.
And this is the review one cited:
Before I start: I purchased THREE of these controllers, and all were updated to the latest firmware as of 12/17/2023. These issues exist on all 3 units.

This controller is a complete failure from Turtle Beach's QC department, which is inexcusable for $200 MSRP + tax

1. The D-Pad has a critical flaw with the right direction. It has a lot of pre-travel that makes a fake click noise, before an actual click is registered.

2. When trying to do a QCF motion on the D-Pad (glide from down to right), the D-Pad will get stuck in the bottom right diagonal direction, until you move close to up-forward (which causes accidental jumps in fighting games). Unusable D-Pad for 8-way games.

3. The anti-friction ring on the left joystick degrades extremely fast and the stick will grind on the walls of the controller. The anti-friction ring is useless and incredibly cheap quality.

4. I only get around 6-8 hours of battery life on a charge, it is not lasting the advertised 30 hours.

5. The software on Windows is incredibly buggy, you can see options glitch out in real time, and they do not apply correctly to the controller.

6. The controller has a bug where the screen will NOT time out at all after restarting the controller (for example, after you fully charged it). You have to access the on-screen menu and then back out for the timeout to work correctly.

I would be extremely upset if I designed this controller and garbage QC control ruined my design. I refunded all 3 controllers to Best Buy and got my $600+ back. Don't buy this controller until QC and firmware issues are sorted out.
And others like these:
DO NOT BUY THIS CONTROLLER- AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I replaced this controller twice both times this controller had the same issues with the analog sticks and the dpad. Also at random times the controller would instantly die and then it have issues turning back on. I played several games where the left analog stick would not do a full rotation and allow me to select things on a game wheel. This product is so bad they are going around deleting reviews and blocking people. I was blocked on Facebook for posting videos of the controller not working. This company is garbage and hiding their failure.
Great concept. Feels great. And after two days the left joystick is grinding on the friction ring. Feels like sand paper. The dpad registers random clicks and now my left and right triggers stopped working. The total disregard for QC has made my decision easy. I’m returning this controller and it was the first and only product I’ll give TB a chance on.
Idk how you can say it's only battery life issues cited (which are still bad if they promise more). Seems you got lucky at best or will encounter these issues soon enough yourself, especially if you didn't get it on launch day and/or didn't play much yet given the holiday period inbetween then and now.
 
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zeomax

Member
they mention stuff like the battery lasting only like 4-6 hours
I don't understand why almost every controller nowadays has shit battery live. The Switch Pro controller has all the same stuff like rumble, gyro and NFC but it lasts for over 50 hours. Whats the magic behind the Nintendo controller and why can't others do the same?
 

Hohenheim

Member
There are other big issues mentioned in the negative Amazon reviews, like these from people who initially rated it 5/5 then went back to update it, Idk why you're pushing this product so soon/hard. But yes, they mention stuff like the battery lasting only like 4-6 hours and not charging rapidly too.




And this is the review one cited:

And others like these:


Idk how you can say it's only battery life issues cited (which are still bad if they promise more). Seems you got lucky at best or will encounter these issues soon enough yourself, especially if you didn't get it on launch day and/or didn't play much yet given the holiday period inbetween then and now.
Yeah, maybe I got lucky, or will experience these issues. For now atleast I keep my fingers crossed, as it works really well in all aspects for me after using it a lot since I got it before christmas.

Like someone earlier here mentioned, I also collect lots of controllers, kboards etc. It's always good fun to try out new gear. And very cool when something feels very satisfying to use.
 

RagnarokIV

Battlebus imprisoning me \m/ >.< \m/
Does it have pressure sensitive face buttons for PS2 and Xbox emulation? If not, I'll pass.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Yep, that Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Pro Platinum Max is $200 with 2.4 rating on Amazon. I think I will skip.

I do have the 8bitdo one and it’s great, especially for the price. Grabbed it for like $50 during BF sales.

There seems to be a push to create a premium $200 price point on controllers, without the quality that you should be getting for that amount.

8bitdo probably kicks the shit out of that controller.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
8bitDo have a very good Xbox-like wireless controller. I have this, and it's definitly not as loud as the OG Xbox controller. It has nice back paddles too.
Sadly this one doesn't have hall effect sticks like the version based on the switch pro controller. I find that very strange, since they are identical besides that and the button layout.
X71VqOC.jpg
I've got the Bluetooth / 2.4G version of this controller (with the hall effect sticks) and it's easily the best controller ever made.
 

StereoVsn

Gold Member
There seems to be a push to create a premium $200 price point on controllers, without the quality that you should be getting for that amount.

8bitdo probably kicks the shit out of that controller.
Yep, and considering the quality issues it’s ridiculous.

If you are pushing $200 controller I expect it not to break in couple of months or sooner.
 

Hohenheim

Member
I've got the Bluetooth / 2.4G version of this controller (with the hall effect sticks) and it's easily the best controller ever made.
It's great. Mine is the xbox-version, but except for the hall sticks I think it's identical. Only thing I would change is having facebuttons like the Stealth and Wolverine chroma.
 

decisions

Member
Gyro lol play with a M£K if you play shooter
I think I’ll just stick to controllers that let me play however I want, thanks.

Thanks to Steam Input, there’s not a single game I play with controller where I don’t use gyro for something, even if it’s just menu navigation.
 

danklord

Gold Member
Awesome product trailer though, whoever made that must be well-respected and handsome.
 
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