My favourite PC gamepad with drift-proof analog sticks is heavily discounted right now

Premium controllers are a risky proposition: what if I fork out AU$350 on a fully-featured gamepad only for the analog sticks to start drifting, or the face buttons to start sticking? Until the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra came along I was pretty reluctant to fork out a lot of money for a peripheral that, as far as most manufacturers are concerned, seems built to be disposable. 

The Stealth Ultra's best feature is the least conspicuous one: its hall effect analog sticks. This tech hearkens back to the Sega Dreamcast days, with its contact-less sensors that won't suffer the widespread blight of stick drift. As I wrote in my review of the Stealth Ultra, there's no way I'm buying a premium controller without hall effect sticks, which rules out the DualSense Edge and the Xbox Elite Wireless Series 2.

It's an eye-wateringly expensive controller though: normally it'll set you back AU$329.95, but right now you can get it for AU$246.37 on Amazon, with free shipping from Amazon UK. At that price, I'd highly recommend grabbing one if you need a new controller and have the cash.

Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra wireless gamepad | AU$329.95 AU$246.37 at Amazon (save AU$83.58)

At RRP this gamepad is very expensive, but the cost is justified. In addition to drift-free, hall effect analog sticks and tactile microswitches, the Stealth Ultra also has four rear paddle buttons and, most conspicuously, a big 'ol LCD screen on the front. The latter can be used for software-free customisation, and to receive notifications. It's one of the best controllers for PC gaming.

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While the hall effect sticks are the biggest deal for me (I have really bad luck when it comes to stick drift) there's a lot more to celebrate here. The face buttons are microswitches, which is especially great for fighters and twitch platformers, and there are four paddle buttons on the rear, which I tend to use instead of L3 and R3. 

The LCD screen is probably the most eye-catching feature on the Stealth Ultra. It's not just a gimmick: it makes it possible to customize every aspect of the controller without having to dive into annoying software. Sure, there is an app, and it does offer more detailed finetuning of trigger and stick deadzones, but these can be controlled in a less precise way via the screen, as can button configurations.

You can read my full 90 / 100 review of the Stealth Ultra over here, or check out the other PC gaming controllers we recommend.