Turtle Seashore Stealth Extremely controller overview

Courageous is the corporate that dares slap RGB and an LCD display onto its premium recreation controller and nonetheless declare to have higher battery life than Sony’s DualSense, however Turtle Seashore has accomplished it with the Stealth Extremely. This gamepad seems a bit of just like the designers at Turtle Seashore sat right down to commerce concepts on the right way to problem the Xbox Elite Sequence 2. However the assembly acquired a bit of out of hand, perhaps some beers had been concerned, and this hilariously OTT unit resulted.

It is a powerful factor straight out of the field. Ensconced in its personal zipped service, it seems bulbous and imposing in comparison with the inventory customary PC gamer workhorse, the Xbox controller. It is noticeably greater at 160mm broad (6.3 in), in comparison with the Xbox’s 152mm (6.02 in), and its inbuilt lithium ion battery is presumably to thank for its lightness in comparison with the usual Xbox controller, which requires heavier AA batteries. 

Additionally packaged is a charging dock, into which the two.4GHz wi-fi USB dongle discreetly nestles by way of magnet. You’ll be able to forgo the charging dock and plug the dongle straight into your PC, however I do not know why you’d. 4 rubber thumb stick covers and an extended USB-C to USB-A wire are additionally included. 

Just like the Elite 2, the Stealth Extremely has ribbed handles. The presence of a 1.4 inch LCD display and a brand new entrance dealing with button makes for a crowded-looking system. Truthfully, I do not assume it is a gorgeous factor to take a look at. The RGB strips operating on the shores of the ribbed handles might impress some folks, although not onlookers, since your palms will hinder this dazzling gentle present throughout use.

Alongside the highest is the USB-C enter and two switches for adjusting the depth of the left and proper set off switches. The again of the unit has 4 paddle buttons which might be functionally similar to the Sequence 2’s P1-P4 switches, although the Stealth Extremely’s paddles can’t be eliminated. In different phrases, the hand that giveth additionally taketh: some extra granular customisation discovered within the Elite Sequence 2 has been sacrificed within the Stealth Extremely in favour of that display and all of the on-the-fly customizability it entails.

The software program used to regulate the Stealth Extremely is of various use and high quality. The cellphone app is principally ineffective, although you should set up it if you’d like social media notifications despatched out of your cellphone to the controller’s show. Doing that is tedious and never value it anyway, because the controller’s show reveals such a truncated model of the notification it is simpler simply to have your cellphone subsequent to you. That stated, in case you’re solely utilizing it to see the approaching and goings of pals on Discord, it most likely does not matter.

The desktop app is beneficial, although it has some minor issues. It opens straight into fullscreen and exceeds the dimensions of my show, that means I am unable to see a few of the choices with out doing a bunch of fiddling. As soon as it is displaying correctly it is a respectable app: adjusting set off and stick deadzones particularly is a breeze, with a extremely helpful interface displaying how each stick and set off actions react to the chosen deadzone in real-time. 

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Regardless of its upsides you may forgo the app fully, as a result of nearly the whole lot value doing with the Stealth Extremely could be accomplished on its LCD display. That features capabilities like that deadzone adjustment, although fussier gamers may favor the extra detailed UI of the desktop model. 

I used to be nonetheless impressed by how a lot stuff I might do onboard. Assigning capabilities to the P1-P4 switches in every of the ten onboard profiles is painless, as is adjusting sound settings on a per-profile foundation. The latter contains not solely mic monitoring and quantity, but in addition some EQ choices. To entry these capabilities there’s an additional button beneath the standard Xbox share button which toggles the display between controller use and menu use. Certain, it is not as intuitive as a touchscreen, however the display provides quite a bit to the Stealth Extremely, and is certainly not only a gimmick.

The Stealth Extremely makes use of Corridor Impact thumb sticks which, because of their friction-less, contact-less sensors, won’t ever undergo the vagaries of stick drift. Moreso even than that display, that is what elevates the Stealth Extremely above the Elite Sequence 2 controller for me. An “elite” or in any other case costly controller must have some assure of longevity given the exorbitant entry worth, particularly on this age of ubiquitous stick drift. It is good to know that in case you fork out for the Stealth Extremely it will not be rendered ineffective inside a few years by this specific blight on controllers.

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One other boon are the microswitches beneath the d-pad and face buttons, which lend a mechanical tactility to every press. Not like the Elite Sequence 2 the d-pad is not swappable, so the concave d-pad is the one choice right here. I play numerous platformers and hate the concave d-pad on the traditional Xbox controller, however the aforementioned microswitches on the Stealth Extremely enhance the expertise an ideal deal: precision requires the sensation {that a} press is enacted correctly, and that “click on” actually helps.

Left and proper triggers have adjustable depths, with two switches on the again of the controller that may toggle between a default deep stroke and a way more shallow stroke. That is one much less choice than the Elite Sequence 2, and whereas that does not hassle me, it could affect gamers who’ve turn into used to the latter controller’s center floor choice.

It appears inevitable that Microsoft will dole out an Elite Sequence 3 one among lately, and if it does not have Corridor Impact sticks persons are going to spew. What it nearly actually will not have is the Stealth Extremely’s onboard customisation which, as soon as you have come to grips with it, is really helpful, making it straightforward to experiment with these paddle switches with out having to tab-juggle between recreation and software program. 

And whereas there isn’t any denying the Elite Sequence 2 is a neat little bit of equipment, in 2024 I believe I might spring for the Stealth Extremely first. That is mainly as a result of I would like the paddle buttons however I am positively not forking out large bucks for a controller with out Corridor Impact sticks. 

It has been practically 5 years for the reason that Sequence 2 launched and, thanks primarily to Pleasure-Cons and DualSenses, stick drift might be extra feared now than it ever has been (amusingly, Sony’s eye-wateringly costly DualSense Edge does not have Corridor Impact sticks, although they’re replaceable. Please, Microsoft, do not do that). Add to that the on-the-fly customisation, microswitches, and roughly 25 hour battery life, and the Stealth Extremely proves itself a shocking hit.