Modular controllers have become all the rage since Microsoft launched their original Elite Series offering in 2015, and many companies have taken up the mantle on developing their own modular design. Turtle Beach is known for making quality Xbox and PC accessories for the gamer in mind, and that’s exactly what they’ve done with the new Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller, a 2-in-1 wireless PC and wired Xbox controller that channels its inner transformer and changes its face based on the user’s preference without having to use any tools. That’s a feat considering the Stealth Pivot deploys an adjustable button layout, hall effect analog sticks, and a built-in display.
Straight out of the box, I noticed there was a lot less inside the packaging of the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot than normal for a modular designed controller. It comes with the Stealth Pivot itself, a wireless low-latency transmitter for PC, a USB-C to A wire for connection to Xbox, and an instruction manual showcasing everything the Stealth Pivot is capable of.
One thing is certain: the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is an attractive device. It features two stylishly patterned rubberized grips on either side of the controller, a futuristic font pulled from a Halo 2 ammo crate that tells the user where everything is, and a built-in “Connected Command Display” (which is a screen that tells the user important information), adding an advanced sci-fi feel to the device.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Controller also holds weight users would expect from a premium device, at just over 1 pound (~300 grams), adding a solid hand feel to the controller. What I didn’t expect was the lack of ‘equipment’ present with what’s included in the box. The Victrix BFG contained a tool belt of pieces to tinker with on their modular design, and the Xbox Elite Series 2 has many attachments to tailor the controller to the users needs. The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot, however, has everything built in.
There are two switches located on the back of the Stealth Pivot, allowing the user to flip the front facing button module over, giving the user access to a total of four controllers in one. While that sounds incredibly gimmicky, it works wondrously in practice, and adjustments can be made during gameplay. By rotating the left or right stick, they go closer to the controller’s face, so the module can Pivot into other designs. The left side lifts the +Pad up and gives the user access to two more face buttons instead of an analog, and the right side Pivots to a design reminiscent of a fighting game fight pad with a whopping six face buttons.
“One thing is certain: the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is an attractive device.”
Functionality can be tailored to the user using the Control Center 2 app. It’s worth mentioning the mobile app for Turtle Beach Control Center 2 is abysmal, and it feels clunky in all the wrong ways. Luckily, the app can be installed on a PC or Xbox, streamlining the functionality akin to using the Xbox Elite Series 2, or the Razer Wolverine V3 Tournament Edition with Xbox. Here, fans can tinker with many premium controller options like analog stick dead zones, button mapping, and adjust profiles so more than one user can make the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot their own.
The Control Center 2 app allows users to toggle advanced settings as well. Tinkering with stick dead zone percentages to increase capabilities in competitive multiplayer works better than advertised. This functionality allowed me to adjust look sensitivity to a new level on the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot, and jumping into a game of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Halo Infinite, and even third person titles like Fortnite and Gears of War adjust accordingly to your preferred settings. Stick adjustments help more than just letting players shoot better. In UFC 5, bobbing and weaving during a stand-up fight becomes just a bit simpler to react with giving a slight advantage over opponents.
While all of this sounds incredibly complicated, Turtle Beach makes utilizing all the functionality simple with detailed explanations that help the user understand what they’re doing. It also appears Turtle Beach has many genres in mind when it comes to module design. It feels like the left analog-less module was designed for precision platforming, and playing the 3D Crash Bandicoot Insane Trilogy (I swear using the +Pad helps) felt far more precise than using the analog.
Similarly, 2D offerings like Shovel Knight, Nine Sols, and Hollow Knight feel remarkably better without the analog present. Like the modular Victrix BFG, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot has a module similar to an arcade fight stick with six face buttons. Keeping pressure with Leroy in TEKKEN 8 is much easier without another gaudy stick in the way of precise combo stringing, and if you pass the controller around the room with friends (like I do) changing it back before handing off is as easy as swapping the face back.
Turtle Beach has also made swapping between PC and Xbox very user-friendly. All I had to do was unplug from the Xbox, and it would automatically connect to the PC the wireless transmitter was attached to after holding the Xbox button. As a bonus, profiles remain the same between Xbox and PC, so I didn’t have to painstakingly adjust each button binding adjusted from the Xbox.
“…fans can tinker with many premium controller options like analog stick dead zones, button mapping, and adjust profiles so more than one user can make the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot their own.”
While testing the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot I did notice a few problems outside the awful mobile app companion (which is fixed by the PC and Xbox apps). Unlike the Victrix BFG, the face buttons of the Stealth Pivot feel less fight stick-like and the convex button feel is markedly worse than the flat or concave buttons a typical arcade stick would have. The Stealth Pivot also lacks the optionality to change the sticks to have tactile reference points, while this may be a “me problem”, I normally get lost on where exactly my diagonal faces on a stick and having the notches is a nice choice.
Tactile button presses are also sorely missed, as the button presses are very silent, and sometimes it registers even when it doesn’t ‘feel’ like you pressed the button down. The same goes for sensitive button pressing in games like MLB The Show 24. Double tapping a button on defence pump-fakes a throw to a base, and many times I let runners go because of gratuitous pump-faking. On offence, the ‘half presses’ perform a check swing, and many times it felt like I hammered the button to no avail.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra comes equipped with these tactile switches, and it just feels confusing to leave them out. Similarly, it’s baffling why the Stealth Pivot cannot be used wirelessly for Xbox like the PC, it uses a wireless dongle so in theory it could be plug and play for Xbox as well, but it just doesn’t which is a true shame.
The Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot feels like it fell off a spaceship. The Stealth Pivot is less ‘modular’ and more of a customizable design allowing the user to adjust settings and controls on the fly (even mid-game) to adapt to each scenario with efficiency. The Control Center 2 app lets the user customize nearly every advanced function on the premium controller menu without breaking a sweat, and the overall presentation and design of the controller feel excellent and on par with the quality Turtle Beach is known for.
However, shortcomings like confusingly missing features from the Stealth Ultra, a lousy mobile app, and lack of wireless functionality to Xbox make it fall short when compared to higher-priced premium offerings. For those who want a premium controller and fight stick all-in-one without shooting up their bank, the Stealth Pivot may be worth an extra look.
- 2.4GHz Low Latency Wireless Connection to Windows PC
- Rotating Button Modules for Multi-Genre Dominance
