There's no doubt that Turtle Beach's Stealth Pivot controller is built on gimmicks, but it's still pretty impressive. With the flick of two switches and the twist of two controller sections, the Stealth Pivot can transform from a device that favors one type of game to a device that prefers another.
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The new Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot controller lets you switch button layouts
Featuring an industry first customization feature, the new Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is well worth getting.
At first glance, the Stealth Pivot looks a lot like Turtle Beach's Stealth Ultra with the Connected Command display in the center. On the built-in screen, users can see social notifications from their phone, change profiles to display buttons and see battery information. It's a lower resolution screen compared to the Stealth Ultra, but it still displays useful information.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller comes with all the features you need
The Stealth Pivot has several features common to a premium controller, such as:
- Hall Effect Joysticks – Avoiding stick drift is essential for any premium controller.
- Trigger Stop (Full and Short) – If you want to take full advantage of the trigger pull or prefer to think of it as a momentary push button.
- 2 Customizable Back Buttons – The back buttons cover part of the controller's grips and the bottom of the controller, making them easy to press while maintaining a firm grip.
The Stealth Pivot has considerable weight and is comfortable to hold. The controller is a little heavy behind the screen, but I didn't find it distracting or weighted down in a way that felt unbalanced. There's also a bit of texture on the outside of the grips and back buttons to help the smooth controller stay in your hands.
Taking the name out of the equation, the Stealth Pivot is a solid premium controller that ticks all the right boxes. Its wireless functionality on PC (wired on Xbox) makes it a great option for gamers on the platform, and it's small in style and fits comfortably in the hand. But this is no ordinary controller.
By flipping the two switches on the bottom and twisting the joysticks, you can rotate the two control modules/buttons on the front of the controller, opening up two new layouts. On the left module, a twist reveals a module with a D-Pad instead of a joystick and RSB and LSB buttons below it. On the right, rotation shows a module with XYAB buttons instead of a joystick and P1 and P2 buttons above them.
Depending on which modules you spin, 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 other modules. For example, a side scroller game doesn't need a second joystick, and having 6 buttons right at your fingertips can be beneficial. Or in fighting games, the precision of the D-Pad combined with 6 buttons (for high, mid, and low actions) may be preferable to a standard controller layout.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller is good for fighting and retro gaming.
This added versatility will make the Stealth Pivot a unique niche for many gamers and will make it intriguing as a result. Even being able to switch to “side scroll mode” or “battle game mode” is attractive, but also optional. As mentioned, the Stealth Pivot is a solid controller with no module swapping – being able to do that pivot is a bonus. Whether or not you find the Turtle Beach controller more attractive than some other similarly priced premium controllers depends on how useful this replacement mechanism is to you.
As with most Turtle Beach controllers, you can go into the Control Center app and adjust things like RGB colors, set dead zones, map all buttons, or set audio settings for the included headphone jack. If you're going to choose an orientation with lots of extra buttons, it's nice to be able to customize them to your liking.
In my testing of the Stealth Pivot, I found that rotating the module was a nice feature. Like jumping from a first-person shooter STALKER 2 where dual joysticks are important for a precise side scroller, for example Nine salts it's simple and easy with the controller, and I felt that two different configurations for two different games made each experience better.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot gets the basics right, and that's crucial to its wider appeal. There are obviously sub-communities that will find the controller more appealing than others, but knowing that Turtle Beach hasn't skimped on the controller's premium features or put too much emphasis on modules allows anyone to see each unique feature as an added bonus. It's basically 3+ controllers in one, and they all work really well.
Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot stands out from the growing number of customizable controllers by offering a unique button layout and thumb change function. Instead of swapping parts, players simply switch between a traditional layout and a fighting game-style layout. The controller also supports wired and wireless connections, allowing you to play with free range of motion or tethered to the screen.
- A great premium controller in its own right
- Rotating the module opens its utility
- 20-hour battery life
- Switching modules won't appeal to everyone
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller is now available for pre-order. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.
