Turtle Beach is introducing the Stealth Pivot, a new Xbox wireless controller that’s modular and set to hit the shelves on November 26, but you can already preorder it from Amazon.
$130 | Releases November 26
While some modular controllers rely on detachable parts, the Stealth Pivot is unique with its built-in rotating modules.
The right part of the controller is versatile, with a thumbstick and four buttons on one side, and a six-button setup for fighting games on the other.
The left part has a thumbstick and D-pad, which can be flipped to have a D-pad over two buttons instead.
This design lets you quickly switch layouts for different games, like using a classic Xbox setup for shooting games and changing to the six-button setup for fighting games. Although it’s unclear if the extra buttons on the left are helpful, moving the D-pad is smart for games that use it a lot, like side-scrollers.
Both thumbsticks are equipped with Hall Effect sensors to stop them from drifting.
Apart from the rotating modules, the Stealth Pivot can be tweaked in other ways: sensitivity of triggers and thumbsticks can be adjusted, four microswitch buttons can be mapped, and you can switch between digital and analog modes for the D-pad.
The controller boasts a mini-LED for setting up to five custom control profiles, adjusting settings, or seeing alerts and notifications. It also supports rumble and audio features from Turtle Beach, like EQ presets and chat volume mixing. You can connect it wirelessly via 2.4GHz or Bluetooth 5.2, or with a USB cable to Xbox consoles, PCs, or phones. The battery lasts about 20 hours and charges quickly with USB-C.
Many features of the Stealth Pivot are borrowed from the Stealth Ultra, which came out last year for $200. While the Ultra used microswitches for all buttons, the Pivot uses them only for its remappable ones. The Ultra also included a carrying case and a charging stand, which the Pivot does not.
Fans love when tech gets better and cheaper at the same time.
We’ll have to wait to see how the Pivot’s quality compares to the Ultra, which we liked a lot last year. However, the Pivot’s rotating parts might be more appealing for Xbox and PC players than microswitches or a carrying case. If microswitch buttons are what you want, the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro, priced at $200, might be a better choice than the Stealth Ultra.
The Stealth Pivot joins the growing list of modular controllers, but it’s not alone. A standout is the Victrix Pro BFG, favored by many for Xbox and PS5. It’s $180 on Amazon for Xbox, and the PS5 version is now $155, down from $180. Special versions themed after Call of Duty and Tekken are also available.
For PC gamers, both PlayStation and Xbox versions of the Pro BFG are available.
