There's no doubt that Turtle Beach's Stealth Pivot controller is built on a gimmick, but it's still pretty impressive. With the simple touch of two thumbsticks and the rotation of two sections of the controller, Stealth Pivot can transform from a device that favors one type of gaming experience to one that favors another.
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Turtle Beach's new Stealth Pivot Controller lets you change the button layout
Boasting an industry-first customization feature, the new Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is worth the purchase.
At first glance, the Stealth Pivot looks a lot like Turtle Beach's Stealth Ultra, with the Connected Command display in the center. From the built-in screen, users can view social notifications from their phone, swap profiles for button mapping, and view battery information. It's a lower resolution screen than the Stealth Ultra, but it still displays useful information.
Turtle Beach's Pivot Stealth Controller has all the right features
Stealth Pivot features some of the common premium controller features such as:
- Hall Effect Joystick: Avoiding stick drift is critical for any premium controller.
- Trigger breaks (full and short): If you want to take full advantage of the trigger pull or prefer to treat it like a button with an instantaneous press.
- 2 Customizable Back Buttons: The back buttons cover part of the controller grips and the bottom of the controller, making them easy to press while maintaining a firm grip.
There's a good amount of weight to the Stealth Pivot and it's comfortable to hold. The controller is a little top-heavy due to the screen, but I didn't find it distracting or weighed down in a way that felt unbalanced. There's also a bit of texture on the outside of the grips and rear buttons to help an otherwise smooth controller stay comfortable in your hands.
Taking the name out of the equation, the Stealth Pivot is a solid premium controller that ticks all the boxes. Its wireless functionality on PC (wired on Xbox) makes it a great option for gamers on the platform, it has some style and is comfortable to hold. But it's not a normal controller.
By pressing two thumbsticks on the underside and rotating the joysticks, you can rotate the two control/button modules on the front of the controller, revealing two new layouts. On the left module, a rotation reveals a module with a D-Pad in place of the joystick and an RSB and LSB button underneath. On the right, a rotation reveals a module with XYAB buttons in place of the joystick and P1 and P2 buttons above these.
Depending on which modules you rotate, there are four possible configurations with the Stealth Pivot, but it's clear that the controller is aimed at the fighting game and retro gaming communities with the other modules. Playing with a side scroller, for example, doesn't require a second joystick and having 6 buttons at hand can be advantageous. Or in a fighting game, the precision of the D-Pad combined with the 6 buttons (for high, medium and low actions) may be preferable to the layout of a standard controller.
The Turtle Beach Pivot Stealth Controller is perfect for the fighting and retro gaming communities.
This increased versatility will put Stealth Pivot in a unique position for many players and make it intriguing as a result. Having the ability to switch to “side scroll mode” or “fighting game mode” is also cool but also totally optional. As mentioned, the Stealth Pivot is a solid controller without swapping modules – being able to make that pivot is a plus. Whether you find Turtle Beach's controller more attractive than other similarly priced premium controllers will depend on how useful the swap mechanism is for you.
As with most Turtle Beach controllers, you can go into the Control Center app and customize things like RGB colors, attach dead zones, map all the buttons, or set audio settings for the included headphone jack. If you're going to go for an orientation with a bunch of buttons added, it's nice to be able to set them to your liking.
During my testing of Stealth Pivot, I found that module rotation was a nice feature to have. Jumping from a first-person shooter is nice STALKER 2 where dual joysticks are essential for a side scroller that prioritizes precision Nine Sol it's simple and easy with the controller and I felt like having two different setups for two different games made each experience better.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot gets the basics right, and that's key to its broader appeal. Obviously, there are subcommunities that will find the controller more appealing than others, but knowing that Turtle Beach hasn't skimped on the controller's premium features or focused too much on modules allows anyone to view each unique feature as an added bonus. Essentially, it's more than 3 controllers in one and they all work really well.
Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot looks to stand out from the growing pool of customizable controllers by offering a unique button layout and thumbstick editing functionality. Instead of swapping parts, players simply switch between the traditional layout and a fighting game-style layout. The controller also supports wired and wireless connection, allowing you to play with free movement or tethered to the screen.
- A great premium controller on its own
- Rotating the module opens its usefulness
- 20 hour battery life
- The change in form won't please everyone
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller is now available for pre-order. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.
