Turtle Beach’s Atom gamepad joins the Xbox cloud gaming scene
This unique looking controller will split opinion.
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What you need to know
With the market forcloud gaming rapidly growing, it seems more brands are getting in on the action with their own takes on mobile-compatible controllers. The latest offering comes fromTurtle Beachwith their Atom Controller. Probably one of the bulkiest controllers we’ve seen on the market so far, the Atom Controller comes in three colorways — black/yellow, black/teal and black/red. Thevoluptuousdesign of this controller seems to be down to its unique selling point in that it splits completely into two. In contrast to theRazer KishiandGamesirofferings, the Turtle Beach Atom Controller doesn’t feature a backbone mechanism — meaning most phones will fit into the set-up without removing your phone case.
Turtle Beach is advertising the Atom controller as compatible with Android 8.0 and above, and for use withXbox Cloud Gaming,GeForce NowandSteam Link. The black and yellow controller has been specifically designed with Xbox in mind though, as it comes with an Xbox Guide button and is bundled with a 1-month subscription forXbox Game Pass Ultimate.While the controller does look rather bulky in comparison to its competitors, Turtle Beach claims the Atom Controller stores compactly and comfortably with a magnetic mechanism to put in your pocket or with the included carrying bag
Connectivity is claimed to be lag-free using low-latency Bluetooth, while the two independent parts of the controller connect to each other using Turtle Beach’s 2.4 GHz wireless. Each piece of the two-part controller is also powered by its own battery, promising 20-hours total battery life juiced by the supplied USB-C cable. Turtle Beach has also advertised a companion app for the Atom Controller to configure additional features, we’ll have to wait until we can get our hands on one to see what customization options are available.With Razer, Gamesir andBackboneall having their own cloud gaming peripherals on the market, it will be interesting to see how the Atom shapes up in both performance and comfort to its competitors. The design itself is truly unique but may split opinion given its bright, garish and chunky appearance. TheRazer Kishi V2is still ourtop pick for Xbox Cloud Gamingbut that can all change as more brands throw their products into the ring.
All three versions of the Turtle Beach Atom Controller will launch on November 14 2022, but are available for pre-order today. The Black and Yellow colorway is the only version that comes with the Xbox guide button and 1-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
“Split the Atom and get Gaming"This Cloud Gaming controller from Turtle Beach claims to fit Android 8.0+ phones without the need for removing your case thanks to its split design. Available in three colors, with the yellow variety designed specifically for Xbox Cloud Gaming.
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Jen is a News Writer for Windows Central, focused on all things gaming and Microsoft. Anything slaying monsters with magical weapons will get a thumbs up such as Dark Souls, Dragon Age, Diablo, and Monster Hunter. When not playing games, she’ll be watching a horror or trash reality TV show, she hasn’t decided which of those categories the Kardashians fit into. You can follow Jen on Twitter@Jenbox360for more Diablo fangirling and general moaning about British weather.
