Syed Imran Haider 
Gone are the days when game controllers used to be simple pieces of molded plastic. These days, accessory makers are introducing high-end controllers that come with lots of buttons, customizable settings, advanced joysticks and extra features. Turtle Beach has also come up with its Stealth Ultra controller to compete with the Xbox Elite Wireless Series 2 controller. If you have been looking for a feature in an Xbox or PC controller, chances are that Turtle Beach has added it to its controller. The extras have added to the price, but it helps you make the most of your play.
Design and features
The packaging of the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra makes it clear that it is competing with the Xbox Elite Wireless controller. It comes with a sturdy carrying case with a slot on top for letting a charging cable in. It plugs into a magnetic dock that comes with pogo pins for charging the controller simply when you put it back in the case. The charging dock also comes with a USB-A port, where you can keep the wireless dongle.
This makes the case and dock a hub for storage, wireless connectivity and charging. The controller comes with a braided USB A-to-C cable, which has an impressive length. There is also a zippered pocket in the case for keeping a set of thumbstick caps to change the texture, height and contour of the sticks. The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra controller comes with a black and silver styling, which is subdued and ostentatious simultaneously.
When you power it up, a ring of LED lights set it aglow around the controlling grips. The center of the controller also has a color display that gives access to profile menus and settings, along with some extras. There is also a + button that opens up on-screen settings, where different buttons on the controller can be used for navigation.
The layout of the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra controller is similar to Xbox, but with some divergence. The concave design of the D-Pad is new and there are two buttons on the underside of the controller. The buttons have clicky micro-switches, with the exception of analog triggers. They come with trigger locks that offer nuanced input. The front of the controller also has a headset jack and the display gives you options to adjust volume.
Software
You can connect the controller to the Command Center 2 app on your phone that connects to different profiles and custom profiles can also be created. You can give different button maps to each profile for the four buttons under the controller, dead zones, custom audio, different joystick response curves, custom vibration and lighting levels. The app also gives you control over sleep timer, power mode and screen brightness during charge. It is fairly basic and not every elegant, so navigating it might be a bit tedious.
Gaming
With its $200 price tag, the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra sets the bar high and manages to clear the said bar in many ways. The wireless dongle connection is excellent, as are the controls. The micro-switches are responsive and snappy and you can feel a consistent and crisp click. The resistance is suitable enough to prevent accidental presses. This is helpful during nimble acrobatics and precision platforming. The joysticks also offer nuanced and reliable control. Sound enhancements are also offered by Turtle Beach for connected headphones.
The Verdict
While the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra may be an expensive controller, but does work hard to justify the higher price tag and manages to excel in areas where other controllers are found lacking.
