I've reviewed loads of controllers in my time, but one particularly memorable one was the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra as it was the first I'd seen with an in-built screen. Today Turtle Beach have announced a sequel in the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra 2 and I'm intrigued on how they can improve on the previous model.

I originally walked away thoroughly impressed by how premium the OG version felt with its clicky micro-switch buttons. Still, the companion software was buggy at launch and the social notification capabilities felt a bit gimmicky and worse, kind of useless. Ironically, while the promo art looks like it was yanked straight out of a GTA 6 trailer, Turtle Beach seems to have dropped the social gimmicks entirely. So instead of replying to your real-life girlfriend on your gamepad, you can just focus on Lucia in peace.

The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra II High-Performance Wireless Controller is available for pre-order today at $199.99 / £179.99 / €199.99 ahead of its November 12, 2026 launch, and Turtle Beach seems to have focused on some serious, meaningful hardware upgrades this time around.

TMR sticks and a 8kHz polling rate

The biggest change that stands out to me is the addition of TMR thumbsticks. The original had Hall Effect, which is perfectly fine, but TMR (tunnel magnetoresistance) sensors will be more precise and have improved power efficiency and I'm always glad to see manufacturers moving ahead with this tech (while Xbox still haven't adopted Hall Effect...) Competitive players also get an upgrade with the pad now supporting up to an 8 kHz wired polling rate and up to a 1 kHz wireless polling rate for ultra-responsive input tracking.

As for the Connected Command Display on the controller, it's making a comeback, but with some far more practical on-the-fly adjustments (meaning less fiddling with that software). From the screen, you will now be able to tune audio profiles, trigger modes, Pro-Aim focus sensitivity, button remapping, and RGB lighting. The list goes on. Turtle Beach seems to have pivoted away from phone notification gimmicks altogether and toward pure, functional controller customization.

Rounding out the package, you get tactile microswitch face buttons, adjustable trigger stops, four mappable back buttons, Bluetooth support for Android and Smart TVs, and up to 12 hours of battery life out of the box (extending to 34 hours in Eco mode).

Pre-orders are live today ahead of its November 12, 2026 launch. At $199.99 / £179.99 / €199.99, it remains an investment strictly for the hardcore crowd, but just like the first model, it comes bundled with a Rapid Charge Dock and a hard-shell charge-through travel case, which helps make the premium price tag that much easier to swallow.

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This year marks Xbox's 25th anniversary on November 15th, and over the last 6 months, we've seen more marketing from the brand than I've seen in the past decade. From a completely unexpected IKEA collaboration to the return of the Xbox Gear Store, Microsoft and third parties have teamed up to tempt Xbox fans with their hard-earned cash for some nostalgic goodies, as well as touring the globe with Xbox Fanfest.

I can't really complain, as there is some fantastic stuff available right now or for pre-order. Well, unless you wanted the limited-edition Xbox Series X25, of course, which got scalped in minutes. On the bright side, plenty of awesome collectibles won't cost you $900 buckaroos. Here’s everything worth checking out to help celebrate Xbox's 25th anniversary.

Even if you missed out on the $900 console, you can still get your hands on the official Xbox Series X|S Controller (X25 Edition) ($79.99). I’ve been practically begging Microsoft for an official transparent green gamepad ever since the Cipher series hit store shelves in Blue, Red, and White, but predictably, Xbox held out until the anniversary for the iconic Team Green aesthetic. Units start shipping on October 20, and like standard Xbox pads, it offers full cross-platform compatibility across PC, Android, and Xbox consoles.

If you’re looking for a slightly more budget-friendly route, the 8BitDo Ultimate 3-Mode Controller ($59.99 at Best Buy) is a stellar alternative. While it does require a wired connection when playing directly on Xbox consoles, it connects wirelessly to PC and Android, and it comes bundled with a charging dock right out of the box. It looks gorgeous on a desk setup, especially if you're pairing it with other retro-styled PC accessories.

Speaking of docks, the standalone 8BitDo Ultimate Charging Dock for Xbox Controllers (X25 Special Edition) ($39.99 at Amazon US) solves a very specific pet peeve of mine. I was so annoyed when my green 8BitDo controller originally shipped with a plain black charging cradle, so seeing them release a matching translucent green wireless dock for official Xbox Series X|S pads feels like a personal victory. Built specifically for official Xbox controllers, you simply drop your gamepad onto the magnetic contact points and charging begins automatically.

While not created strictly for the 25th anniversary, this green version of the 8BitDo Retro 87 Mechanical Keyboard (Xbox Edition) $94 at Amazon matches the Team Green aesthetic too well to ignore. Since it’s been on the market for a while, you can often catch it on sale. It sports a matte finish, very clicky Kailh Box Jellyfish switches, and 8BitDo’s iconic programmable Dual Super Buttons that let you map custom shortcuts.

If you’re grabbing the keyboard, pairing it with the matching 8BitDo R8 Wireless Mouse (Xbox Edition) ($59.99 at Amazon US) is a no brainer. The big advantage here over competitor options is that it comes bundled with its own magnetic charging dock right out of the box. Its design leans heavily into chunky 2001 retro vibes too, just like the keyboard.

For gaming on the go, PowerA has created a delightful leatherette PowerA Xbox Sling Bag ($39.99 at PowerA) that’s custom-built for handheld PC gaming, and specifically sized to fit an ROG Ally. It would easily fit a Steam Deck or Lenovo Legion Go though, so pick your poison. There are four storage compartments, internal cable pass-throughs for charging, and 25th-anniversary green accents. It’s currently showing as out of stock on PowerA’s site, as it hasn't officially gone up for sale yet, but it should be available very soon (we've reached out to confirm an exact date because I want it!).

Razer has delivered some of the absolute best-looking gear for Xbox’s 25th Anniversary (see our hands-on with them), and predictably, some of the priciest, but hey, it's Razer, and you're worth it. The translucent green Razer BlackWidow V4 75% ($209.99 at Razer) is stunning and serves as a tactile, much quieter alternative to 8BitDo’s loud, chunky retro board. Thanks to the clearer finish across the keycaps, the Razer Chroma RGB lighting shines through with a neater glow. Pre-orders will officially ship from October 20 onward.

If you're looking for a matching mouse, the Razer Basilisk lineup has long been hailed as one of the best gaming mice in the business, and the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro 35K ($179.99) now comes Xbox-flavored. Beyond the shell, it packs up to 140 hours of wireless battery life, the customizable HyperScroll tilt wheel, and plenty of that all-important Razer Chroma RGB.

I wasn't completely sold on the concept of dedicated gaming earbuds initially, but having a lightweight pair for gaming, whether plugged into the Xbox or connected to my ROG Ally, has totally won me over. I'm currently using the SteelSeries Arctis Gamebuds, but these Razer Hammerhead V3 X HyperSpeed for XBOX ($119.99) look the business. They have up to 35 hours of total battery life (10 hours on the buds plus an extra 25 from the charging case) and offer seamless multi-platform compatibility across Xbox, PC, and mobile (oh, and PS5 if you like)

Backbone was one of the first to ever hit the mobile controllers market, making them a natural fit for Xbox Cloud Gaming. Rather than sticking purely to translucent green, the Backbone Pro XBOX 25th Anniversary Edition ($179.99) comes in the real deep cut throwbacks like Halo Orange, Smoke Blue, and Crystal White. It’s an awesome nod for those of us old enough to remember. The catch is they are in blind boxes, and you have no way of knowing which color you will get!

Then onto GameSir, which makes some of my absolute favorite handheld controllers. They are seriously hard-wearing, ridiculously good value for the price, and come packed with drift-resistant Hall Effect sticks to boot. The GameSir X5 Lite for XBOX ($44.99) wraps all of that into an anniversary special edition.

Finally, the IKEA x Xbox "YXSTABY" collaboration has some surprisingly tasteful gaming chairs and more in-your-face gear-stick stools to wall-mounted controller shelves. But if you just want a small, fun piece of memorabilia without redecorating your whole living room, the XBOX x YXSTABY D-pad cushion ($17.99 at IKEA) is an easy win. It’s cheap and adds a subtle splash of gamer flair to any couch.

The Xbox Gloss Sweater ($59.99) is just one highlight from the official Xbox Gear Store, which features a surprisingly understated line of official 25th-anniversary apparel. Alongside minimalist sweaters and graphic tees, there’s even a bona fide "throwback" bucket hat if you really want to embrace early-2000s fashion. While a few popular sizes have already sold out, remaining stock is expected to ship by the end of October.

Over on Culture Kings, streetwear label 73 Studio has dropped its own collection, offering a broader and much more imaginative lineup of anniversary gear. My personal fave is the 73STUDIO X XBOX 25th Anniversary Console T-Shirt ($39), featuring a graphic of the original 2001 Xbox console across the back alongside the chonky Duke controller. Unlike pre-order drops, 73 Studio’s collection is available to buy and ship right now.

Another pick from me is the 73STUDIO X XBOX 25th Anniversary Play More Zip Hoodie ($95), which might be the ultimate cozy gaming hoodie for Fall.

Could there be more in store?

Now that's a hell of a lot of merch to choose from, and with the anniversary itself just around the corner on November 15th, it makes you wonder if Xbox still has a surprise or two up its sleeve for the big day. We've just had the Xbox Nano Controller drop (but only in white, boo!), but what else could be in store?

My money is on a long-awaited Xbox Elite Controller Series 3, which would make fans thrilled regardless of whether it comes in translucent green. I’d also be happy if they just sorted out proper Xbox Gear Store shipping to Europe (shakes fist)! Either way, I'm pretty sure we're in for at least one more unexpected drop when the big day finally arrives.

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In news that absolutely nobody saw coming (ok well the skeptics among us), the new Call of Duty game has launched to overwhelmingly positive reviews.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 kicked off its campaign early access yesterday ahead of the full lunch on October 23, and the online reception has been nothing short of glowing. Considering the feedback for the franchise recently has been that story modes have felt rushed and an afterthought as Warzone and Zombies have seemingly took priority, critics are calling Modern Warfare 4 one of the best campaigns the series has seen in years.

Steam reviews are looking great

Over on Steam, early access user reviews are currently sitting at an unprecedented 82% "Very Positive" rating. Meanwhile, major review outlets like IGN are praising Infinity Ward for delivering a focused, brutal, and genuinely emotional conclusion to the rebooted Modern Warfare saga.

Our own Call of Duty virtuoso, Cole Martin has published her spoiler free first impressions, and while she's held fire on a final review score until the full game is available, she's full of praise for the campaign "I repeatedly found myself gasping at every turn, surprised by the hows and whys that led up to the events of this blockbuster finale."

RELATED: 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4' story campaign is truly a cinematic masterpiece — a BIG return to form (spoiler-free impressions)

Social media reaction has been equally surprised.

Long-time players who have been following the series since 2003 have commented that the game feels like a genuine technical and narrative evolution rather than the standard annual production line approach.

Infinity Ward seems to have pulled off the unthinkable: making Call of Duty fans happy.

Now time will only tell if the multiplayer and Warzone integration will maintain this goodwill and upward trajectory for the franchise when the full game drops on October 23. But for now, the Modern Warfare saga looks to be going out on a high note.

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I love doing interviews, chatting to developers and such, but I absolutely hate having to transcribe them afterwards. Not because of my company, of course, but the prospect of listening to my own voice on recording fills me with a dread I still haven't got over in my grand old age. Not only that, but transcribing is a painstakingly tedious process that, before suitable programs came in to help us, we used to do by listening to said recordings at half speed and trying to pick out suitable quotes. Now, there are plenty of tools to help, including the Comu Action Pro, a sleek device that records and transcribes audio on the fly.

Transcribing is the perfect task for AI

While there are plenty of reasons to curse AI, handling banal tasks such as this for me is one of its genuine godsend use cases and something I've been using Otter.ai for, for quite some time.

Now Otter.ai is fantastic, but it's also bloody expensive. You get 3 free audio imports, and that's it; after that, you have to cough up $16.99 a month (or pay $100-ish for the year). Well, guess who was on her 7th burner email address and forgot to cancel her "free trial"? This person right here.

To make this mistake sting even more, I was introduced to the Comu Action Pro not long after the yearly, yes, YEARLY Otter.ai fee had left my bank account. Alas, I had the opportunity to really test them against each other, so every cloud has a silver lining and all that.

What is Comu Action Pro?

The Comu Action Pro (also known as the less catchy Comulytic TN20) is a sleek, credit card-sized device which slides right into your pocket or bag. It does cost $169.99, and I know what you're thinking: damn, that's expensive, and you were just complaining about the Otter subscription. However, it's a one-off up-front spend for something that will then transcribe unlimited audio files for you, with no subscription required. Despite my hefty payment to Otter, I am still limited to 10 imports a month, which soon got swallowed up with an event like Gamescom.

Spec-wise, for such a tiny, unassuming-looking device, it packs a 6-microphone adaptive array, a live AMOLED waveform display, USB-C charging, real-time translation across 113 languages, and a massive 60+ hour battery life.

To be upfront, there are optional premium subscriptions for extra AI magic you can use with Comu, like automatic slide generation and generating meeting minutes, but I'm not interested in that; I just wanted the core transcription, which it handles beautifully and without ongoing subscription fees. Yes, $169.99 is a mighty hefty upfront cost, but it’s the price I pay for having a personal assistant without being locked into a recurring monthly fee.

What's free and what isn't

If you want to use the Comu Action Pro to its full AI potential, here's a breakdown of what is free and what requires a subscription (but to be clear, I haven't used the latter because I was trying to find an alternative to subscriptions!).

Using the Comu to make my work much easier

I've put the Comu through its paces at both Gamescom and Blizzcon this year, and it's safe to say it's earned its keep. I haven't had to worry about upload caps, and I'm not constantly fiddling with my phone on a busy show floor trying to launch the voice recorder app. The Comu is a simple hit-a-button device: hit the button to record; hit it again to stop. The recording then uploads to the app and transcribes to my phone. It's been a huge relief for me rushing between developer appointments.

The included software with Comu has also been a win for my colleagues. I wasn't sure I could use it for audio not recorded on the device, but it works just as well with files sent to me from other people's phones and has handled them with an impressive degree of accuracy, even though they were recorded in less-than-perfectly staged environments. It's certainly more accurate when picking up audio with its own mics, but given the deafening background noise at conventions, I've been impressed by how few words it has messed up. Plus, I actually had the conversation myself; you would hope I could spot and correct myself when something is relayed not quite as what was said!

Ultimately, the Comu Action Pro has quickly become an essential part of my travelling gear bag. It spares me hours of manual transcription and delivers reliable, local-first audio capture without locking me into a subscription. There are various extras you can use and pay for if you are interested, but I didn't have a use case for testing them in this review; I prefer to keep AI for the boring tasks rather than the creative ones.

If you do a lot of in-person reporting and hate transcribing as much as I do, this little card is worth checking out.

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It seems like 2026 is the year of the achievement overhaul. Just as Xbox continues to revamp its achievement system, streamlining the experience across PC and Xbox and adding Mythic Achievements into the mix, Valve is also getting in on the action and rolling out Steam Achievement Sets.

Currently live in beta, this new achievement system completely changes how games handle base achievements versus post-launch DLC expansions, as well as season updates and new game modes. Completionists who have had headaches with these systems for decades can rejoice!

So what are Steam Achievement Sets anyway?

So you've poured 80 hours into a game to hit the 100% achievement mark, then merrily moved on to another game. Only to come back later and see your shiny 100% completion is now 80%. The game released new DLC, and you are now compelled to play it to get that 100% back.

Anyone who's played Vampire Survivors or the RE4 Remake can attest to this pain, though I don't really mind and enjoy the new challenge. Valve, however, is solving this issue with a new system that lets developers group achievements into distinct "sets."

Base game achievements are kept seperate from post-launch DLCs or extra mode, meaning if you 100% the base game you keep your base game completion ribbon regardless of what is added later on.

Beyond seperating DLCs, Valve is ontroducing a few other quality of life upgrades to it's achievement system.

• Archived Achievements: Developers can now officially archive dead, broken, or retired achievements. Archived achievements remain visible on the profiles of players who unlocked them, but won't block new players from achieving a 100% completion badge.
• Separating Campaign from Multiplayer: Developers can split single-player and co-op/multiplayer into separate sets. This is a massive win for titles like Portal 2 or Ghost of Tsushima, where dead servers or tacked-on online modes have blocked solo players from earning completion badges for years.
• Sub-ribbons & cleaned-up UI: Unlocking full sets earns distinct sub-ribbons, making massive achievement lists (like Payday 2 or Master Chief Collection) far less laborious to navigate.

Some notable concerns

Overall, the changes have been received positively, but developers could add seasonal or time-limited event sets to games that embrace FOMO mechanics, though I think the archiving feature Valve is proposing mostly solves this. As long as the event is archived after the fact, latecomers can still 100% the game without being walled off.

The update also removes overall Average Game Completion % from profile showcases, a metric many hardcore completionists have built up over the years. Completed game counts have also been replaced with completed sets, meaning a game with 16 sets, such as Team Fortress 2, that has a whopping 520 achievements could artificially inflate a profile's stats compared to a game with just one set. Hopefully these are issues that can be ironed out or addressed during the beta phase.

Will Developers actually use the new achievement sets?

Because Steam has historically given developers total freedom and few rules, Achievement Sets' success relies on studios manually opting in via Steamworks. Fortunately, smaller developers are already praising how easy it is to set up. The founder of Arcen Games (Heart of the Machine) has already noted on Reddit that categorizing 100 achievements into a DLC set took less than 10 minutes.

Titles like Against the Storm, Age of Wonders 4, DREDGE, PowerWash Simulator, and Modern Warfare 4 have already adopted the feature during the beta. There is full list on the Steam announcement page here.

How are you feeling about the update to Steam Achievements? Do you welcome the new structure to our virtual trophy cases, or could you not care less once you complete a game? Let me know in the comments!

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