Turtle Beach is launching a wireless controller for Xbox that has hall effect sticks, rear buttons and... Whatsapp?

What you need to know

• Turtle Beach is launching a wireless controller for Xbox, there's been no official announcement but an Amazon listing has appeared showing pre-orders being taken for launch on December 15, 2023.

• The controller has an onboard screen that shows social notifications from your phone like WhatsApp, and pro features like hall-effect sticks, microswitch buttons, adjustable thumbsticks, and RGB controls.

• The controller comes with a charging dock, costs $199.99, and is available to pre-order right now.

• UPDATE 10AM EST: The Turtle Beach Stealth Wireless Controller is now on the official Turtle Beach website.

It looks like the floodgates for third-party licensed wireless controllers for Xbox is about to finally open, and Turtle Beach is going hard with its first offering. This morning, an Amazon listing appeared for a 'Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra High-Performance Wireless Gaming Controller' costing $199.99 that is not only wireless but comes with a charging dock, pro features a built-in screen for notifications from your phone like Whatsapp. Hours later we can confirm it's now showing officially on the Turtle Beach website.

$200 for an Xbox controller, really?

Ok it's expensive, I balked when I saw the price too, but the more I read into what's included with this Xbox controller I can see that the price is more than justified considering the feautures packed in, and the included charging dock. Not only is this one of the first ever third party wireless controllers for Xbox (the first being Scuff and the PowerA MOGA XP Ultra which was not good), it has all of the following:

• On board social media notifications

• Hall-effect thumbsticks

• Microswitch buttons

• Adjustable trigger stops

• Not two, but FOUR mappable buttons

• Pro-aim focus mode

• Companion app

• Intelligent RGB lighting

• Carry case with charge-through capability, and magnetic charging dock

On top of all the above, the controller boasts 30 hour battery life and advanced audio tuning. This means you can enhance any 3.5mm connected headset with EQ presets and Turtle Beach's patented Superhuman Hearing. Plus, you can set the game & chat volume mix to your exact preference, adjust mic monitoring and more, all directly from the Command Display dashboard.

The RGB isn't just some pretty lights either, Turtle Beach states that it's 'intelligent' and can be set up with different color combinations for your notification alerts and low battery warnings.

Dual rumble motors in the handles and triggers are also adjustable to your preference on vibration strength using the onboard Command Display. From maximum vibration for racing games, to minimum when precise aim is required.  All of this is packed into a hardwearing case with a slot for charging whilst inside. There's definitely been some thoughtful design choices made here.

Could this be the best Xbox wireless controller?

This does look like a hot contender for our best Xbox controller list, and with all those packed features it's definitely punching against the likes of the official Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, so we will have to get our hands on it first to see how it stacks up. This is a promising addition to the controller market though, despite the cost, and it's nice to see Turtle Beach making something truly innovative. This will be the first time we've had both Hall Effect sticks and microswitch buttons on a wireless offering for Xbox, so it's exciting to see all that in one controller. What is curious though is there has been no promotion directly from Turtle Beach about this yet, so we've reached out for more information, in the meantime you can purchase this for preorder RIGHT NOW and it says it will be delivered on December 15, 2023.

UPDATE: The listing appeared officially on Turtle Beach's website 2 hours after publishing.

Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra High-Performance Wireless Gaming Controller Licensed for Xbox | $199.99 at Amazon

A rare wireless Xbox controller from a third-party brand, this is officially licensed and also works with Windows PC and Android. Packing hall-effect sticks, micro switch buttons, pro-aim focus mode, an on-board screen and a carry case with pass-through charging, this is a truly exciting addition to the Xbox accessory lineup.View Deal