There's no question that Turtle Beach's Stealth Pivot controller is based on a gimmick, but it's still pretty impressive. By flicking two switches and rotating two sections of the controller, the Stealth Pivot can be transformed from a device that favors one type of gaming experience to a device that favors another.
Related
The new Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller lets you switch button layouts
The new Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot has an industry-first customization feature and is worth purchasing.
At first glance, the Stealth Pivot looks a lot like Turtle Beach's Stealth Ultra, with the Connected Command display in the middle. On the built-in screen, users can see their phone's social notifications, share button mapping profiles, and view battery information. Compared to the Stealth Ultra, the screen has a lower resolution but still displays useful information.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller has all the right features
The Stealth Pivot has some of the usual premium controller features such as:
- Hall Effect Joysticks – Preventing stick drift is crucial for any premium controller.
- Trigger Stops (Full and Short) – If you want to take full advantage of a trigger pull or prefer to treat it like a button with an instant press.
- 2 Customizable Back Buttons – The back buttons cover part of the controller handles and the bottom of the controller, making them easy to press while providing a firm grip.
The Stealth Pivot has a good weight and feels comfortable in the hand. The controller is a bit top-heavy due to the screen, but I didn't find it distracting or so heavy that it felt unbalanced. There's also a slight texture on the outside of the handles and rear buttons to make the otherwise smooth controller feel good in the hand.
As the name suggests, 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 a bit of style and feels comfortable in the hand. But it's no ordinary controller.
By flipping two switches on the bottom 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 shows a module with a D-pad in place of the joystick and an RSB and LSB button underneath. On the right, a rotation shows a module with the XYAB buttons in place of the joystick and the P1 and P2 buttons above it.
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 community with the other modules. For example, playing a side-scroller doesn't require a second joystick, and it can be beneficial to have six buttons right at the tips of your thumbs. Or in a fighting game, the precision of a D-pad combined with the 6 buttons (for high, medium and low actions) may be preferable to a standard controller layout.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller is well suited for combat and retro gaming communities.
This added versatility will put the Stealth Pivot in a unique place for many players, making it interesting. Even the ability to switch to “side-scroller mode” or “fighting game mode” is attractive, but also completely optional. As mentioned, the Stealth Pivot is a solid controller without the need to replace modules – the ability to create this pivot is a bonus. Whether you find Turtle Beach's 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 jump into the Control Center app and do things like adjust RGB colors, capture dead zones, map all the buttons, or set audio settings for the included headphone jack. If you choose an alignment with a bunch of additional buttons, it's nice to be able to set them up the way you want.
In my testing of the Stealth Pivot, I found module rotation to be a nice functionality. Jump like in a first person shooter STALKERS 2 where two joysticks are essential for a precision side-scroller Nine soles With the controller it's simple and straightforward, and I felt like having two different configurations for two different games made each experience better.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot does the basics and that's crucial to its broader appeal. Obviously there are subcommunities that find the controller more attractive than others, but knowing that Turtle Beach hasn't skimped on premium controller features or put too much focus on the modules, everyone can 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 appears to stand out from the growing selection of customizable controllers by offering a unique button layout and thumbstick switching feature. Instead of swapping parts, players simply have to switch between the traditional layout and a fighting game layout. The controller also supports wired and wireless connections, allowing you to play with free movement or tied to the screen.
- A great premium controller in its own right
- Module rotation opens up its benefits
- 20 hours of battery life
- Not everyone will like the module change
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller is available to pre-order now. A unit was provided to Game Rant for this review.
