Review: Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot Xbox Controller

When it comes to my controller setup these days, I’ve pretty much settled on an old Xbox Design Lab pad and a super-fancy SCUF controller that I got a great deal on a few years ago – but every now and then a new third-party option drops that piques my interest, usually thanks to a unique feature or two. Back in 2023, that was Thrustmaster’s fancy Forza Horizon 5 controller, and now it’s the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot controller that I’ve been taking a look at over the last few weeks.

First thing’s first, the build quality on this new Turtle Beach effort feels very, very good. It’s something I noted in a recent headset review late last year – the accessory maker has really stepped things up in this department and that only makes me more likely to use their products in the long run. That’s the first box ticked with the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot, then.

After that, it’s worth going over some of the features that make this a really appealing pad – especially as a spare controller or just an option for something a little different. Most obvious are these ‘rotating modules’ that allow for completely different button layouts at the flick of a switch – you can move from a traditional Xbox layout to something that brings more face buttons into play for a retro-like setup seamlessly, and this is a really awesome feature.

For instance, if you’re settling in for some 2D platforming action, why not forgo that pointless right analog stick for two extra face buttons? When playing something like a Metroidvania that requires precise platforming combined with intense combat, this is a much more useful setup – especially with those extra buttons being completely remappable to your liking. Sure, controllers like this already exist – but the fact that the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot provides this as an option alongside more traditional layouts makes this a very versatile controller.

Image: Ben Kerry / Pure Xbox
Personally though, I’m more of an FPS man, so how does this pad work with those sorts of titles? Well, you’re never going to replicate the precision of a mouse & keyboard with a gaming controller, but the Stealth Pivot does do a few things to help make your first-person shooting a little easier.

First off, you’ve got two remappable back buttons that allow for quick inputs without taking your hands off the sticks – much like the Xbox Elite Controller back paddles. As is the case with the official Elite pad, this helps you keep track of enemies while performing essential in-game actions like jumping and sliding, and honestly, I can’t go without these nowadays especially in competitive scenarios. It’s the reason I’ve owned a SCUF for so long and it works just as well here.

Another interesting feature I noticed straight away is this controller’s ‘dead zones’ – or lack thereof. On using this thing and loading into Call of Duty for the first time, I realised just how sensitive the Stealth Pivot’s analog sticks are – and despite taking some getting used to, it actually did help me with those finer stick movements. This is something that can be tailored to your liking using the company’s ‘Control Center 2’ app if you’d like them to feel closer to Microsoft’s official controllers, but you can definitely feel that this Turtle Beach offering has been set up with competitive gaming in mind.

As I’ve mentioned the app there, let’s get onto customisation for a moment. While you can indeed connect the controller to a companion app for more detailed customisation, thankfully that isn’t forced to make more basic changes. The Stealth Pivot actually contains its own little LED screen at the top, and tasks like mapping extra buttons and choosing different controller profiles are easily doable on the pad itself. This makes for a useful feature if you want to change these sorts of things on the fly without heading into the app.

Finally, I must add that the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is a wired controller on Xbox, which I know will be a deal-breaker for some. In cases where I wanted to use its unique modules or additional buttons I reckon I could get on with the wired nature of this pad – but it is a little irritating, especially because the Stealth Pivot can actually be used wirelessly on PC via an included dongle. I haven’t dug into that for this review because I stick with console gaming typically, but it’s a welcome option for PC players nevertheless. Alternatively, Xbox users can pick up the Stealth Ultra instead which does feature wireless play on console – albeit at roughly £60 extra and without the unique rotating module feature.

Image: Ben Kerry / Pure Xbox
All in all, then, the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot is a super versatile Xbox controller that I can definitely see myself using – especially if I decide to hop into some platforming action, making use of those extra button modules. If I didn’t own a SCUF Instinct (which is much pricier than this) I’d also make use of this pad and its extra buttons while playing online FPS titles, so that’s another great use case for the Stealth Pivot. Wired-only functionality on Xbox is certainly a bummer, but great build quality and some standout features make this a brilliant addition to your gaming controller lineup.

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