Page 4 - Conclusion
Turtle Beach clearly wanted to make a splash with their entry into the gamepad market, and I think they have done so with their Recon Controller. To start, the Recon Controller is very familiar in its build. From the thumbsticks to the primary buttons and triggers, this Xbox gamepad is well-made and offers good audible and tactile feedback throughout. There are notable refined areas from its competition, including a speckled pattern on the triggers, grippy surface on the arms, and two paddles for extra inputs. These physical changes make the Recon easier to hold and identify inputs without negatively affecting the shape or layout. Turtle Beach also integrated the Recon Controller with their well-known audio solution, with extras like on-the-fly volume control, equalizer settings, Superhuman Hearing, and voice chat monitoring. I think these are valuable additions, even if it just means you can make changes without pausing your game. During my gaming sessions important tests, the Turtle Beach Recon Controller performed admirably with no defects or areas of concern. Its vibration motors felt responsive and buttons felt crisp and solid. The circular D-pad also made pressing diagonal directions easy. Overall, I was quite impressed with the Recon Controller's performance and feel. On the other hand, I really do want a wireless version. Every recent console uses wireless ones, and I think the convenience of having an untethered experience is almost an assumption nowadays. At the current time of the review, the Turtle Beach Recon Controller is available for $60 USD, which is pretty competitive compared to other third-party gamepads and even against the OEM Xbox controllers. As for potential buyers, you will have to weigh the tradeoff of the quick adjustments and extra inputs for a wired-only use. Personally, I can accept this compromise, but I do hope Turtle Beach will have a wireless one in the future.
Turtle Beach provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.6/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The Recon Controller is Turtle Beach's convincing answer for an Xbox gamepad with their special audio sauce and other beneficial features.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
