Turtle Beach is as synonymous with gaming as Alex Trebek is with Jeopardy! The company was founded in 1975 under a different moniker and began developing hardware in 1988. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless is a solid piece of hardware that will provide a better gaming experience for gamers who play online, and don’t play online due to the comfort-ability the technology provides. It is also a sight to behold. The headset looks like it was pulled directly out of Tron and crafted to fit a futuristic lifestyle. As a longtime customer of Turtle Beach, and my previous 2 headsets being the XO Four Wired Headset and the Afterglow Wired Headset (ugh), the Stealth 600 wireless headset was welcome indeed.
My favourite thing regarding new technology is the ability to disregard the instruction manual and be able to rip it out of the box and start using it right away. The simplicity of setting up the Stealth 600 was easy, although, after using it, I looked at the instructions and the manual provides very easy to read diagrams for non-technophiles.
After charging the device, I was able to seamlessly connect it directly to my Xbox One console by pressing the sync button located on the left earphone next to the charging jack, and by pressing the sync button on the Xbox console. The pop on the screen of “Headset Assigned” followed shortly after.
“The Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless is a solid piece of hardware that will provide a better gaming experience for gamers who play online.”
The Stealth 600 Gen 2 comes with a ridiculously short charging cable. However, with the versatility of a USB-C port usage in most devices, replacing this short one is a non-issue. The device promises ’15-hours’ of battery, and I pushed it. I kept the device off charge for the duration of the whole battery, and it lasted—I made sure to power down while not in use—14 hours.
This could be due to the extra strain powering on the device causes, mixed with the assignment of the headset to the profile. That is still a wondrous amount of time for a wireless device. It’s worth noting the headset can be used while it is charging, and by pressing the ‘Home’ Xbox button to bring up the dashboard the battery life can be shown next to the controllers in the upper right.
If Arby’s “has the meats”, Turtle Beach “has the sounds.” I played The Vale: Shadow of the Crown, an audio only title, to determine the effectiveness of the Stealth 600 Gen 2. It’s not only accurate, it’s seamless with no lag, and playing through the game worked. The ‘Mode’ button underneath the volume wheels allows the user to cycle through volume presets, and honestly, I didn’t notice much difference between them. BUT, tapping the power button once quickly activates ‘Superhuman Hearing’ mode, and this was a godsend for later stages in the game.
Playing online PVP Destiny 2 also felt like I was immersed in the match with Superhuman Hearing. Other players’ footsteps got louder as they got closer, giving me a leg up. Being in party chat with friends was also great. The microphone has no cover, yet it picks up almost none of my background musings. The party chat and game volume have easily accessible wheels on the left earphone, but it’s easy to differentiate between what’s what.
” The microphone has no cover, yet it picks up almost none of my background musings..”
There was one issue I had while using the microphone, I did not know where the mute button was to cancel my own speech. I closed the microphone into the headband…and lo and behold, the microphone muted. This is a neat concept, and I love it. I was able to do some chores without removing the headset.
For all the headsets I have ever purchased, NONE of them had a big enough headband that could fit the top of my extra-large head. This headset broke that mould, it fit my head comfortably, and still had more space to work with. This was extra exciting, as the Afterglow and XO Four didn’t fit comfortably.
There were a few hiccups using this device. The headset made my ears sweat profusely. This may be a ‘me’ problem, but it is worth noting. A few times while playing, the headset disconnected inadvertently, which was disconcerting. I was in the middle of an Elder Scrolls Online dungeon and lost 3-4 seconds of precious time… which is more than enough for a team wipe. This issue happened only twice though, and it was only when a ‘battery is low’ notification for my controller—not the headset—happened.
All in all, the Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 Wireless Headset is a delightful upgrade for anyone who needs a new headset badly, or for those who are using the stock headset that comes with the system. The Stealth 600 gives the player much more than a headset. It’s a lifestyle upgrade and is easily utilized by those who don’t want ‘too much technology.’ As a headset, this device works extremely well. The volume wheels, and microphone arm are not clunky. The Stealth 600 Gen 2 is a worthy headset for gamers of all calibers.
