The Elite Series 2 is certainly the most popular pro-style controller for Xbox Series X|S, but the recently released Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is a great alternative. The unique gamepad arrived late last year, and now it has received its first discount, bringing it to $185 (down from $200). That’s still a bit pricey, but with everything it has to offer, this high-end controller is worth considering.
$185 (was $200)
Turtle Beach designed the Stealth Ultra with anti-drift (Hall Effect) thumbsticks, tactile microswitch face buttons, four mappable back buttons, and a colorful RGB lighting system. You’ll also get adjustable trigger stops to actuate your pulls faster–giving you a leg up on the competition. But what makes the controller even more compelling is its built-in display, which lets you customize your experience and even displays notifications from your phone.
You won’t find the unique display features on other gamepads. Toss in 30 hours of game time on a single charge, the option to store 10 profiles on the controller, ergonomic grips, and support for Xbox, PC, and mobile devices (thanks to Bluetooth), and the Stealth Ultra is the rare third-party controller that rivals Microsoft’s first-party offerings. The Stealth Ultra also happens to be one of the few third-party Xbox controllers with a wireless connection.
“The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is a worthy competitor to the Elite Series 2. At $200, it’s pricier, especially when you consider how often Microsoft’s pro-style controller is on sale, but the feature set offered here makes it stand out in a big way,” critic Steven Petite wrote in GameSpot’s Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra review. “Premium build quality, well-designed controls, and the onboard suite of customization features make the Stealth Ultra a controller that’s hard to knock in any meaningful way.”
Not sold on the premium gamepad? Here are some alternatives to consider. Almost all of these are designed for Xbox, though you’ll find a great PS5 deal at the very end.
The Elite Series 2 Core arguably offers the best value in the premium wireless controller market for Xbox, and you can get a Renewed Premium model, which looks and functions like new, at Amazon for only $87. Alternatively, you can grab a red Elite Series 2 Core controller for $96. Since the Elite Series 2 Core doesn’t come with any of the swappable components, we’d recommend picking up a set of cheap back paddles to add to your new controller. Meanwhile, if you don’t mind wired connections, the 8BitDo Ultimate offers tremendous value at $45, especially since it now has Hall Effect (anti-drift) analog sticks.
