Recon Wired Controller Review

Headset and Controller in The Same Product

Previously, I reviewed audio peripherals by Turtle Beach. They have always offered excellent-quality products with fairly reasonable prices. Turtle Beach is a huge name in the world of gaming. They recently experimented with controllers and sent over their Recon Controller for us to review. This brilliant controller will not let you forget that it’s made by a company that makes audio peripherals. It has everything you could ask for in a controller, along with the features of a fantastic gaming headset. At an unbelievably low price of $59, the Recon Controller is too good to be true.

Setup

I plugged the Recon Controller into my Xbox and had to wait a total of three seconds before the first pop-up showed up, then for six additional seconds for it to be connected successfully. As soon as I plugged the Type-A to Type C cable that comes with the box in to my Xbox, the controller lit up in white light. The light not only enhanced the aesthetic of the device, but helped to highlight the controller’s features.

Apart from the standard controls—a right and a left thumbstick, a directional pad, the traditional YBXA buttons, a right and left trigger, a right and left shoulder, the Xbox guide button, a back button and a start button—this controller includes two mappable rear buttons, a dedicated button for mute, another for activating Superhuman Hearing, chat volume buttons, game button and buttons to navigate through modes. The cable is 3m long and is made of woven nylon instead of the standard rubber cables you get these days.

The Recon controller comes in two colors: black, and white with grey strips. I received the former. It sports a matte black plastic body with ergonomic cooling grips. These grips feature textured material that enhances the player’s grip. It hosts micro-cooling channels and a comfortable shape for keeping your hands cool and dry while reducing fatigue at the same time. Its underside features a 3.5mm audio jack with the Type-C port on its top. The controller is made of high-quality plastic and doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy. The Recon Controller is compatible with both Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Windows 10, so you can easily plug this in to your PC as well.

Gaming

I don’t remember the last time I enjoyed gaming like I did on this brilliant controller. Its responsive controls came through with speed and zero stutter. The D-pad featured excellent accuracy and the thumbstick movement was exceptionally smooth. Both of the rear quick action buttons are completely mappable and gave me the option to save up to four profiles. One of those two buttons is the Pro-Aim button that is capable of tuning the sensitivity of the thumbstick. This helped improve my long-range accuracy to a great degree. The handles and the triggers leverage dual rumble motors making my gameplay ultra-realistic.

Audio Presets

I haven’t even mentioned the best part of this all-in-one controller: its audio presets. Turtle Beach delivered a wide range of audio options in their controller and made sure you don’t feel the need to invest in a gaming headset separately. I had the option to customize the game audio with four EQ presets, out of which, Bass Boost was my personal favorite. It emphasized shooting sounds in Fortnite, and made the game much more enjoyable than usual.

Mic monitoring allowed me to hear and adjust my own voice while chatting to ensure smooth communication with my teammates. The feature that won my heart is Turtle Beach’s Superhuman Hearing mode that is incorporated in their audio peripherals but I was not prepared to find it in their controller. From quiet footsteps to enemy weapon reloads in Call of Duty, this setting gave me a clear audio advantage.

It was very simple to find mute and the Superhuman Hearing mode at the press of a button. The buttons to control game and chat volume also gave me an edge. Circularity test gave me an average error of 12.9% for the left thumbstick and 11.4% for the right. The controls layout is simple, intuitive and easy to learn. I was able to master it without any mistaps. Despite having an abundance of controls, the controller doesn’t look like it’s been stuffed with buttons. The layout has been strategically planned and that’s apparent when you look at it.

Conclusion

I cannot think of a single reason to not go for this gaming accessory. It serves its primary purpose quite well, and fulfills the role of a gaming headset to a large degree. It is sturdy and made from premium-quality plastic. On top of all of this, its price is extremely reasonable.