I tested Turtle Beach’s newest controller, and I can’t imagine using anything else for GTA 6 — it’s got an illuminated skyline…

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: One-minute review

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline is the best-looking Xbox controller that I’ve ever tested. The face plate, complete with its illustration of a San Diego skyline dripping with inviting tropical vibes, is gorgeous and pairs wonderfully with the contrasting baby blue buttons and bright pink thumbstick caps.

The Pacific Skyline has a hidden trick up its sleeve as well — stunning RGB lighting that illuminates the city’s major buildings when the controller is turned on and can be customized with a variety of colours and presets without the need for any companion software. It’s genuinely a beautiful bit of hardware, and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.

I’m sure the look was also closely inspired by Grand Theft Auto 6 as it’s very reminiscent of the game’s bright promotional art, and I already know that this will be my go-to gamepad when I venture into the neon-soaked streets of Vice City on Xbox Series X .

The aesthetics are great, but the controller also performs well overall — even if it’s not particularly feature-rich. The TMR thumbsticks are responsive and smooth, the rear buttons are easy to remap on the fly, and the built-in audio controls are genuinely useful and effective, giving you some compelling reasons to choose it over the stock Xbox Wireless Controller aside from just the look.

Yes, there are some controllers with even more features available for around the same price, just look at the GameSir G7 Pro , but you simply won’t find anything that’s this visually appealing elsewhere.

Future

Future

Future

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Price and availability

Available in the US and UK

Costs $89.99 / £79.99 / around AU$150

You’re paying a premium for the design

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is readily available in the US and UK via the Turtle Beach website, where it costs $89.99 / £79.99 (that’s roughly AU$150). This model does not seem to have made its way to Australia yet.

It’s a solid price given the feature set, but you’re definitely paying a bit of a premium for the design, and alternatives like the GameSir G7 Pro deliver more features for the same cost.

Still, it’s worth it if you're considering the likes of the standard Xbox Wireless Controller but are willing to splash out for a nicer and more unique design.

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Specs

Price

$89.99 / £79.99 / around AU$150

Weight

7.04oz / 200g

Dimensions

6.22 x 4.09 x 2.36in / 158 x 104 x 60mm

Compatibility

PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One

Connection type

Bluetooth, Wired (USB-C), 2.4Ghz wireless dongle

Battery life

~20 hours

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Design and features

Stunning tropical aesthetic

Standard Xbox controller form factor

Rear inputs and on-board controls

Out of the box, the first thing you’re going to notice about the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is its beautiful design. Turtle Beach says that the pink and baby blue look was inspired by the ‘Xbox pastel project’ — which saw a selection of third-party gamepads with pastel aesthetics hit the market a few years ago .

I think there’s another clear inspiration, though: GTA 6 . Covered in palm trees, with views of a beach and a city skyline (in this case, San Diego, the home of Turtle Beach), it’s a perfect match for the highly anticipated upcoming open-world game.

I imagine this pad is Turtle Beach’s way of getting in on the GTA 6 hype, but that’s certainly not a complaint as I think the result is stunning. The bright colors really pop, and the design is detailed enough to pore over without being too distracting.

(Image credit: Future)

There is also some brilliant RGB lighting when you turn on the pad, which lights up to reveal an otherwise hidden skyline. It looks truly brilliant and surprisingly tasteful, especially if you set it to a static illumination in a custom color.

In terms of layout, the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is very close to the standard Xbox gamepad.

The overall shapes are extremely similar, though side by side you will notice that the Pacific Skyline has slightly softer corners and fatter grips. The Turtle Beach pad does have three extra buttons: a microphone mute button (which can also be pressed to access on-board functions) and two customizable rear paddles.

If you look at the D-pad, you will notice a few small markings. Hold the microphone mute button and tap up or down to raise or lower the volume of your connected headphones, while left and right adjust game chat balance. The controls are intuitive and easy to remember, and genuinely quite useful as it means that you don’t have to fiddle around with system menus to adjust game volume if you’re playing with wired headphones connected via the controller's 3.5mm jack.

The controller doesn't feature any removable batteries, and is instead charged via a USB Type-C cable. A generous roughly 10ft / 300cm one is included in the box along with a USB dongle. Sadly, neither the cable nor the dongle are pink or blue to match the controller — a missed opportunity to make them stand out against those of other pads.

(Image credit: Future)

Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Performance

Delivers well-rounded performance

Basic but functional software

Very lightweight

The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller delivers basically everything you could want from a basic Xbox Wireless Controller alternative. The thumbsticks are smooth and responsive, the buttons are satisfying to press and well-sized, and additional features like the volume mixing and rear inputs work just as you would expect.

It certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any respect, but the performance is exactly what you would want and expect at this price. There are more versatile options out there, though I think this is reasonable when, realistica...

Indexed and credited by AIPROPX. Originating outlet: TechRadar. Open at source →