Turtle Beach raised the bar with one of their standout releases in 2024, The Stealth Pivot Wireless Smart Controller. We had an opportunity to test one out and as we stated in our review (found here), our experience with it was fantastic.
We recently had the opportunity to chat with Turtle Beach Director of Product Management Dan Nuth, who pulled back the curtain on how the vision to create a device that operates seamlessly across genres came to life.
The Stealth Pivot controller is unlike anything I’ve personally ever seen in the gaming industry. How long did this device take to develop?
We are happy you appreciate the uniqueness of the Stealth Pivot. Launching something distinct in this industry is easier said than done, but the team has worked wonders here. The project had been in development for roughly 18 months prior to reaching mass production.
What hiccups did you encounter along the way?
There are always bugs in development, but our two biggest challenges were ensuring the optimal wireless connection to PCs, and ensuring the Stealth Pivot’s rotating modules themselves were solid and robust for extensive use. We spent a lot of time on these aspects and are proud of the results.
Were there any other iterations or prototypes that were tested?
Ha, yeah. Fun fact: Earlier in Stealth Pivot’s development cycle, it didn’t have rotating modules. We were at the very early 3D print stage on that iteration when we decided to push the envelope further.
What brought you to the “pivot” idea?
We wanted to develop a controller that had the ability to work across multiple genres. Earlier iterations tried to fit all the controls into one layout, and that meant compromising usability and ergonomics. As a result, we decided to take a different path. In addition, we did not want to go down the route of having additional parts that gamers would have to swap out – a solution that’s ideal for a more hardcore esports focus, but not for the speed and convenience we were trying to achieve. The rotating modules idea was pitched in one of our team project review sessions, and after that there was no looking back. We knew this was the way.
How does the “pivot” technology work?
The Stealth Pivot’s mechanisms are all relatively straightforward. The real challenge was getting them into a space envelope that meant we could rotate the modules without adding too much unwanted bulk to the controller. All the control electronics are contained within each module, whilst a robust latching mechanism keeps the modules in place. Once unlocked, gamers can rotate the modules and then lock them back into place. The Stealth Pivot even handles rotating the modules from one layout to the other as a seamless experience, with no need to power cycle or reconnect the controller.
The design of this controller gives it an almost “Halo” feel. What was the process of deciding how the shell graphics should look?
We explore lots of different avenues for product styling and CMF (colour, materials, finishes) during development. Our intent with the Stealth Pivot was to provide a controller that conveyed a premium look and feel, but that also sat slightly below its older sibling in the range, our award-winning Stealth Ultra controller. Also, where possible, we like to add a pop of colour too accent the bold colors on the buttons and accents.
“Anti-drift” is a great name for the Hall Effect stick feature. Is there something in your Hall Effect setup that differentiates from others?
The Stealth Pivot uses a more compact Hall Effect stick, so that does set it apart in that respect. Also, as I noted somewhere earlier, this was crucial to ensuring we could make the Pivot’s modules compact enough to rotate whilst still maintaining the advantages of Hall Effect technology.
While the device is wireless via the 2.4GHz wireless adapter, it works with Android devices only via Bluetooth as well as certain smart TV’s via Bluetooth, but it needs to be wired to the Xbox console.
This is correct. The Stealth Pivot is a ‘PC first’ controller, and this was our focus for development. It works both wirelessly and in wired mode for PC. Additionally, Xbox has been becoming more prevalent on the PC platform, so adding compatibility – at least in wired format – is an extra feature we wanted to ensure was included for wider compatibility across different devices.
Being branded Xbox, this may be confusing to some players. Were there technical hurdles in compatibility with the Xbox wireless connection, as well as iOS?
These are not technical hurdles. For example, our Stealth Ultra controller is a wireless controller on Xbox and PC, albeit developed with an Xbox console focus in mind. We have a great partnership with the Xbox team, and as they broaden the platforms on which gamers can access Xbox games, we want to provide new and innovative gaming accessories to support that expansion. In terms of wireless connection to Xbox consoles, this is something that Microsoft team manages. We’d love for Stealth Pivot to be wireless to Xbox consoles too…maybe someday in the future something like that happens.
This controller is the only premium controller on the market to feature BLE. Is this specifically to enhance battery life, or did you have other things in mind as well when implementing that?
BLE is an important technology for providing access to platforms outside of conventional PCs and consoles. We also make use of BLE in our Stealth Ultra controller. BLE tech broadens our controllers’ reach to include being used on smart devices running Android, and Smart TVs that support Bluetooth controllers. In addition, the Stealth Pivot’s (and Stealth Ultra’s) BLE connection works in parallel with the 2.4 GHz wireless connection or wired USB connection, allowing gamers can connect to the Turtle Beach Control Center 2 mobile companion app where they can adjust configuration settings and social media notification functionality on-the-fly.
With the built-in LCD screen, which seems to be loaded with every feature imaginable, most customization can be done without using the companion app. Was this something that you had planned to implement over the years, or is it something that came up recently?
It is our team’s vision to deliver intelligent and connected devices for gamers. The Stealth Pivot’s integrated screen and accessibility it delivers are a natural progression of our controllers that began with our original Recon Controller, in that respect. We wanted to ensure that the most critical controller options that matter most to gamers, button mapping and audio response for example, could be done quickly via the screen without having to leave the game they were playing. It is a balance though, and we also like to provide gamers with options. With that in mind, they can also use the Control Center 2 app on Windows PC, Xbox, and mobile devices if that is how they prefer to tinker and adjust their controller settings.
Onboard social media notifications is a type of feature that you’ve worked to implement in your controllers over the last year or so. Where did this idea come from?
As above, this was part of our aim to bring more intelligently connected devices to the market. Our social media notifications feature is still an early step in that direction, and we intend to expand on in the future. For a lot of people, gaming is a form of escapism and a way to relax, and we don’t want to get in the way of that. However, if someone does want to keep in touch with your friends and family during a gaming session, then having those messages appear in real-time on the Stealth Pivot or Stealth Ultra’s integrated display is a convenient way to do that without having to keep reaching for your phone every time you get an alert.
What’s the next step? The features packed into this device could become a disruptor in the industry, so how do you keep moving forward with enhancements in future controllers?
Well, I can’t give too much away at this stage in our development cycle, but we will be building on the foundation laid by Stealth Pivot. Our aim is to offer gamers something truly unique that also improves their gaming experience, and our team will continue to do that.
I’d like to thank Dan Nuth for taking time out of their schedule to chat with us. Their endless pursuit of quality and innovation has proven successful over the years, and with the innovation of the Stealth Pivot Wireless Smart Controller, we can only imagine with the Turtle Beach team has up their sleeves next.
