I tested Turtle Beachs newest controller, and I cant imagine using anything else for GTA 6 its got an illuminated skyline and tropical vibes; what more could you want?
Date:
Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:09:39 +0000
Description:
The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is the best-looking Xbox controller Ive ever used.
FULL STORY ======================================================================Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: One-minute review The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline is the best-looking Xbox controller that Ive 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 citys 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. Its genuinely a beautiful bit of hardware, and theres nothing else quite like it on the market. Im sure the look was also closely inspired by Grand Theft Auto 6 as its very reminiscent of the games 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
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The aesthetics are great, but the controller also performs well overall even if its 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 wont find anything thats this visually appealing elsewhere. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Future) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Price and availability Available in the US and UK Costs $89.99 / 79.99 / around AU$150 Youre 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 (thats roughly AU$150). This model does not seem to have made its way to Australia yet.
Its a solid price given the feature set, but youre definitely paying a bit of a premium for the design, and alternatives like the GameSir G7 Pro deliver more features for the same cost. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Still, its 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 Swipe to scroll horizontally
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 youre 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 theres 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), its a perfect match for the highly anticipated
upcoming open-world game.
I imagine this pad is Turtle Beachs way of getting in on the GTA 6 hype, but thats 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 dont have to fiddle around with system menus to adjust game volume if youre 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 doesnt 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, realistically, youre mainly buying this particular controller for its looks.
The controller is compatible with two pieces of companion software: the Swarm II mobile app and the Turtle Beach - PDP Control Hub. Both offer similar options and are rather basic, mainly there for adjusting vibration strength, remapping buttons, and tweaking thumbstick dead zones.
My only real complaint using the controller is that the materials simply dont feel as premium as the Xbox Wireless Controller. I think a lot of that comes down to the weight: the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller is very light, making it comfortable in the hands but meaning it lacks that reassuring heftiness. The back of the grips is also completely smooth, and I found myself missing the more grippy texture of the original pad.
The Pacific Skyline controller gains back the upper hand with its built-in battery. It lasts for about 20 hours per charge roughly on par with
Microsoft s pad, all without the need to fiddle with pricey AAs every time
you need to top it up. (Image credit: Future) Should I buy the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller? Buy it if
You love the aesthetic Theres simply no controller out there that looks like the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline. Its a must-have if youre enamoured with its appearance like me.
You want a no-nonsense Xbox gamepad The Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline
Wireless Controller has fewer features than some alternatives, making it very easy to use. Dont buy it if
You want maximum value The stock Xbox Wireless Controller is cheaper than this model and could be a better choice if youre on a budget. Performance is similar, and you only miss a few extra features. Also consider... Not keen on the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller? Here are two alternatives to weigh up. Swipe to scroll horizontally Row 0 - Cell 0
Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller
Xbox Wireless Controller
GameSir G7 Pro
Price
$89.99 / 79.99 / around AU$150
$59.99 / 54.99 / AU$74.99
$79.99 / 89.99 (around AU$114)
Weight
7.04oz / 200g
9.76oz / 275g
9.6oz / 272g
Dimensions
6.22 x 4.09 x 2.36in / 158 x 104 x 60mm
6.02 x 4.01 x 2.40in / 153mm x 102mm x 61mm
6.9 x 6.8 x 3.7in / 177 x 173 x 94mm
Compatibility
PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One
Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, Android, iOS
Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
Connection type
Bluetooth, Wired (USB-C), 2.4Ghz wireless dongle
Wireless (Xbox, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C)
Battery life
~20 hours
20-40 hours
Around 12 hours
Xbox Wireless Controller The stock Xbox Wireless Controller is a decent alternative if you're after a cheaper Xbox or PC controller. You lose the remappable rear buttons and the lovely design, though.
Read our full Xbox Wireless Controller review
GameSir G7 Pro The GameSir G7 Pro shows that you can get even more features for the price of the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller. It offers a 1000Hz polling rate and dual-mode triggers
Read our full GameSir G7 Pro review How I tested the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller Tested for multiple weeks Used as primary controller for Xbox and PC Compared to other gamepads I tested the Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller for more than two weeks, using it
as my primary gamepad for both Xbox and PC play.
During that time, I experienced a wide range of games with it, including driving titles such as Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds , Forza Horizon 3 , and
Forza Horizon 6 , plus shooters like Gears of War Reloaded .
Throughout my time with the controller, I compared it to my hands-on testing of other Xbox controllers, including the standard model and those by competitors like GameSir and PowerA.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed August 2026 Turtle Beach Pacific Skyline Wireless Controller: Price Comparison No price information Check Amazon We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by
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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/gaming/turtle-beach-pacific-skyline-wireless-control ler-review
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