Gaming is everywhere these days. On your PC, your console, and even your smartphone. Depending on the type of gamer you are, you may have multiple controllers laying around for each device. While many companies have introduced flatter controllers for mobile, some still make a relatively full-sized controller with a phone clip. While an odd choice given other mobile controllers are more compact, if the controller can also be used on your PC or Xbox console and save you some money, why not?
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Our Turtle Beach Recon Cloud review looks at an Xbox/PC controller with Bluetooth for Android that includes Turtle Beach Signature Sound, EQ, microphone, and other audio controls right on the controller. Read on for our full review and find out why it earned a Top Pick of 2022 here at Techaeris.
Table of contents
Specifications
The Turtle Beach Recon Cloud game controller we reviewed has the following features and specifications:
- SECURE PHONE CLIP: An adjustable, detachable phone clip works with even the largest smartphones on the market and keeps it securely in the center of the action. Plus, when detached from the controller, the clip can stand on its own as a tabletop stand for smartphones.
- BUILT FOR CLOUD GAMING: Go beyond the Xbox Game Pass library on mobile, and play controller-supported games on GeForce Now, Stadia, Steam Link, and more.
- RESPONSIVE CONTROLS: Play in confidence with textured triggers and bumpers, an accurate 8-way D-pad, and smooth thumbstick movement.
- ERGONOMIC COOLING GRIPS: Micro-cooling channels and a comfortable shape keep your hands cool and dry while reducing fatigue over long gaming sessions.
- PRO-AIM™ FOCUS MODE: One of two mappable buttons, Pro-Aim™ tunes thumbstick sensitivity for enhanced long-range accuracy. Whether it’s a long-range snipe, or a daunting free kick, choose between four levels of sensitivity to dial-in Pro-Aim™ just right.
- TWO MAPPABLE QUICK-ACTION BUTTONS: Customize your gaming experience with two mappable buttons, allowing up to 4 different switchable profiles that carry over between wired & wireless mode.
- TURTLE BEACH AUDIO ADVANTAGE*: Easy access audio controls only available from Turtle Beach including four signature audio EQ presets, game & chat volume mix, mic monitoring and more.
- SUPERHUMAN HEARING®*: From quiet footsteps sneaking up, to enemy weapon reloads, Superhuman Hearing® sound setting lets you hear every detail for the ultimate gaming audio advantage.
- FOUR TURTLE BEACH SIGNATURE PRESETS*: Customize your game audio with four EQ presets: Signature Sound (Default) Bass Boost, Bass & Treble Boost and Vocal Boost.
- IMMERSIVE VIBRATION FEEDBACK*: Dual rumble motors in the handles and triggers offer enhanced feedback for ultra-realistic next-gen gameplay.
- 3.5MM HEADSET CONNECTION*: Take advantage of proven Turtle Beach audio enhancements by plugging in any 3.5mm connected headset.
- MIC MONITORING*: Hear and adjust the volume of your own voice to avoid shouting while you chat for clear communications.
- GAME & CHAT MIX*: Conveniently located game & chat mix controls.
- *Only available in wired mode
| Connections | USB-A connection to Xbox console or PC |
| Connectivity | • Detachable 10ft/3m cable with Type-C USB Connector (Type-A at the console) • Bluetooth® connection to Android 8.0+ Devices & Windows PCs |
| Audio input/output | 3.5mm audio port for stereo audio output & microphone input |
| Compatibility | Compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows 10 & 11, Android 8.0+ Devices |
| Dimensions | 155 x 63 x 110mm (6.1 x 2.48 x 4.33”)] |
| Weight | 306g (0.66lbs) |
| Warranty | 1-year limited warranty |
What’s in the box
- Turtle Beach Recon Cloud game controller
- 10’/3m USB Type-C to USB-A cable
- Detachable smartphone clip
- Quick start guide
- 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code (new subscribers only)
- Turtle Beach sticker
- 1-year limited warranty
Design
If you read our Turtle Beach Recon Controller review last year, this one will seem pretty familiar as the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud is nearly identical, save for a couple new features. The Turtle Beach Recon Cloud game controller is easily recognizable as an Xbox controller. While it has a similar shape as the official Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S game controllers, it does have a few key differences. On the size side, the controller grips are a bit narrower and more prolonged. They also have a rubberized grip on the outside and inside, making the controller more comfortable to use. On the right outer grip, the words Recon Cloud are printed in withe on the silver accent piece. The top left and right of the controller, where the shoulder buttons are located, are more rounded as opposed to straight and flat. The shoulder buttons and triggers are dimpled as well.
The biggest noticeable difference on the face of the controller is the addition of an audio/mode dashboard. The dashboard is centred above the Xbox button, making it a bit taller than the standard controller. On the left side is a volume up/down toggle, on the right is a chat volume up/down toggle. Between these are a Superhuman Hearing button, mode/select toggle, and microphone mute button. Located across the top are five LED icons to show what mode you are editing. These icons are for mic monitoring, EQ, feature level indicator, button mapping, and the Pro-Aim Focus mode.
Aside from that, the face of the controller is pretty standard. The familiar double thumbstick layout has a direction pad, the A/B/X/Y buttons, and the view, menu, share, and Xbox buttons. The Turtle Beach logo is printed between the direction pad and right thumbstick. Just below this, on the bottom edge, is a Bluetooth button on the left, a 3.5mm audio port in the middle, and a wireless/wired toggle on the right. Located above the audio hub on the top edge is a USB-C connection/charging port. Below the USB-C port is a hole with three recessed lines for connecting the included smartphone clip.
The underside of the controller is pretty basic. As it’s a wired controller, there is no battery compartment. On that note, the controller does come with a 10′ (3m) black braided USB-C to USB-A cable. While a nice length, it’s still too short for my home theatre setup, which has me sitting about 12′ from my screen. I’m sure that’s not an issue for most gamers, but it’d be nice to see longer cable options for those of us that do. Still, it’s nothing a USB extension cable doesn’t fix. What is different on the bottom is the addition of two action buttons. The right action button allows you to toggle your Pro-Aim assist on the fly, while both buttons can be mapped to any other button.
As for the included smartphone clip, it’s about 1 1/2 inches in width and between six and seven inches in length when expanded. The clip part itself has a rubberized back as well as overhangs to help hold your phone in place. When compact, it is two inches in height, when fully expanded it will accommodate phones just under 3 1/2 inches in width. At the base of the clip are two knobs you can loosen and tighten to adjust the angle of your phone once attached to the controller and placed in the clip. Below this is a fairly thin curved portion with a screw and an easy-to-turn knob at the end. This is where the clip attaches, rather securely I might add, to the controller. Most phone clips I’ve seen snap around the bottom and top of the controller, and while secure, aren’t actually fastened to a controller like this one. Then again, most clips are add-on attachments and most controllers aren’t manufactured with phone clips in mind.
Our review unit came in black with grey grips and silver accent colours, and you can also get a blue version with grey grips and orange accent colours.
Ease of Use
With the addition of onboard audio controls and the Pro-Aim feature, there are a few customizations you can make without requiring any software. Turtle Beach has a handy guide online, but I’ll cover them quickly here.
At the basic level, plug the Recon Cloud into a USB-A port on your PC or Xbox One, Series X, or Series S. Next, plug your wired headset into the 3.5mm jack on the bottom, and you’re good to go. For more customization, you can use the MODE button on the audio dashboard to cycle through the different features, as can be seen in the chart below.
Button mapping takes a bit more work. Start by pressing the MODE button until the Button Mapping (controller icon) indicator lights up. Press SELECT until the profile you want to edit is lit. Next, hold down the SELECT button for two seconds until the profile lights blink. Once blinking, press the left or right Quick Action button, then select the A/B/X/Y, d-pad direction, or right/left bumper to map it to that button. The profile lights will blink again, at which point you can hold the SELECT button for two seconds to save it to that profile.
For wireless connectivity, switch the toggle to wireless, and hold down the Bluetooth button until the LED indicator starts blinking rapidly. Find Recon Cloud in your Bluetooth settings on your Android device, select it, and you should be good to go. The next time you turn on the controller, it will blink slowly until it connects to your device at which time the LED light will go solid.
As far as the included smartphone clip is concerned, hold it against the back of the controller and tighten the screw by way of the knob. Once tightened, slide your Android smartphone into the holder and you’re good to go. To remove, simply loosen the screw via the tightening knob and the clip will detach from the controller.
Software
Turtle Beach Control Center
The Turtle Beach Control Center is available from the Microsoft Store. Its purpose is simple: updating the firmware on your Recon Cloud. Once you’ve downloaded the app, plug in your controller to your PC, select Recon Cloud from the main page and the app will check for, and install, the latest firmware update.
Recon Cloud Android companion app
While not required, installing the Recon Cloud app from the Google Play Store to configure additional features on the go. Once installed, you’ll need to give it access to “find, connect to, and determine the relative position of nearby devices.” The Overview page displays the current Dead Zones, Response of the L and R Sticks, and Power Level. You can then adjust the Dead Zones of the sticks and triggers in another menu, adjust the response to Standard, Precision, or Fast in another, discover new games in a third, view remaining battery life and approximate play time remaining in the misleading titled “Power Management” section (as you can’t actually manage the power settings), and finally view the firmware version. However, you cannot update the firmware using the app as you must do some with the Turtle Beach Control Center on a Windows PC.
The Recon Cloud companion app on Android is pretty basic but easy to navigate and does offer some basic on-the-fly customizability for mobile gaming.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
The Turtle Beach Recon Cloud game controller also includes a one-month complimentary Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code. There is, however, a caveat here being that it is valid for new Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers ONLY. Curiously, there is no mention of this on the box or the Turtle Beach website, rather it is in fine print on the back of the code leaflet included. So, if you do pick this up and already have Game Pass Ultimate, you won’t be getting that added value here.
Performance
The Turtle Beach Recon Cloud works just fine. In many ways, the thumbstick and d-pad feel similar to the official Xbox Series X|S controller, and I had no issues with responsiveness on the controller. It is also comfortably designed, with the added rubber grips making it more comfortable to use over extended periods. The volume and chat controls work as expected, and once you get used to the different settings, you can tweak the controller to suit your play style.
As mentioned above, the controller also features two Quick Action buttons, one of which is assigned to Pro-Aim mode by default. When pressed, Pro-Aim will adjust the sensitivity of the right thumbstick, slowing down the movement, and making it easier to aim in first-person shooters. At first, I was skeptical, and it does take a bit of getting used to, but it really is a game-changer. I found that it allowed me to aim quickly still, but more accurately, in games like Call of Duty: Warzone. There are four sensitivity settings for the Pro-Aim button; the higher you set it, the more significant the reduction in sensitivity will be.
Sound Quality
While most controllers allow you to plug in a wired headset, the audio quality in those cases is controlled by the headset itself. As mentioned above, the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud goes a few steps further, adding volume controls, mute, game/chat balance, and even four different EQ presets. One thing to note here, however, is that the audio enhancements are only available in wired mode, with the exception of Game/Chat mix which only works in wired mode on the Xbox.
The volume, chat volume, and mute controls are nice to have at your fingertips instead of having to remember and reach up on your earcups to adjust these. Not having to flip a microphone up to mute is also nice (on headsets with that function). However, the real benefit here is being able to use Turtle Beach’s Signature Sound or Superhuman Hearing on any wired headset, regardless of what company manufactured it. I tested out several headsets, including ones from Razer and HyperX, and the difference in audio was definitely noticeable. If you are unaware, Superhuman Hearing helps you pinpoint enemy footsteps and weapon reloading cues better when enabled. Additionally, you can set your audio to boost the bass, both bass and treble, or boost vocals during gameplay on the fly.
Battery Life
When the battery is fully charged, the Recon Cloud app indicates up to 40 hours of battery life remaining. This estimation isn’t far off as I was able to get very near, or slightly above, 40 hours before needing to recharge the controller depending on what games I was playing. When recharging, it does take a few hours but you can fire it up again after 1/2 an hour of charging for a couple more hours of gaming before leaving it to charge overnight.
Price/Value
With an MSRP of $99.95 (a full $40 more than the Recon Controller), the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud can be a pretty great value. Sure, it has better grips, and onboard audio controls with Turtle Beach’s signature EQ settings. In addition, it works on PC, Xbox, and Android devices so there it offers more value as you only need to buy one controller. That being said, the price is relatively in line with other mobile Bluetooth game controllers.
As mentioned above, the controller does come with a one-month Game Pass Ultimate code — albeit for NEW subscribers only. So if you are a new subscriber, that adds another $15 of value here, bringing the “real” price of the controller down to about $85. If you’re already a subscriber, you won’t be getting the added value. It would be nice to see this indicated somewhere on the Turtle Beach website or the packaging. It’s an odd “exclusion” as a couple of other mobile controllers I’ve reviewed in the past that come with a Game Pass Ultimate code work for existing subscribers as well.
The good news, however, is that the controller is currently listed for $69.95 on Amazon, making it a great deal if you’re looking for a single multi-platform controller to use.
Photo Gallery
Wrap-up
Given that we really liked the original Turtle Beach Recon Controller, the Recon Cloud brings just that much more to the mix with its Bluetooth wireless option for Android gaming. If you’re looking for an all-in-one controller for your Xbox, PC, and Android smartphone the Turtle Beach Recon Cloud game controller adds plenty of value with its audio, button mapping controls, and Pro-Aim feature. All these features and compatibility rolled into one controller make it an easy choice for a Top Pick of 2022 Award here at Techaeris.
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Last Updated on December 16, 2022.
