Turtle Beach Corporation

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Turtle Beach Corporation
legal form Corporation
ISIN US9004502061
founding 1975 in Elmsford, New York
Seat San Diego , United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
management Ron Doornink
(Chairman)
Juergen Stark
(CEO)
Website https://www.turtlebeach.com

The Turtle Beach Corporation (often only as Turtle Beach called) is a global manufacturer of computer game accessories based in San Diego, California. Turtle Beach produces gaming headsets for Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , PC , Nintendo Switch and mobile devices (including tablets). The company's roots go back to the 1970s when it developed sound cards, MIDI synthesizers, as well as various audio software packages and network audio devices.

The company started manufacturing gaming headsets in 2005 and developed the very first gaming headset for game consoles with the introduction of the X51. Turtle Beach is one of the leading gaming audio brands and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol "HEAR".

history

Early history: 1975-2005

Turtle Beach has roots dating back to 1975 in Elmsford, New York , founded as "Turtle Beach Softworks" by Roy Smith and Robert Hoke. The company's first product was a graphics editing system that supported the groundbreaking Ensoniq Mirage sampling keyboard. The Mirage was the first affordable sampling device that allowed musicians to play realistic choirs, pianos, horns, and other instruments during their performances. The software, called "Vision", connected the Mirage to a PC and used the PC's screen and graphics to make programming and editing sounds much easier. Ensoniq decided to resell Vision through its dealer network and Turtle Beach Softworks became a profitable company.

In 1988, Turtle Beach began developing its first hardware product, a hard drive-based audio processing system. The product was named the "56K Digital Recording System" as one of the first of its kind and was launched in 1990. In 1990 Turtle Beach started developing its second PC sound card . This card used high quality A / D and D / A, a high quality synthesizer from eMu, and an integrated DSP chip. This product was named "MultiSound". The MultiSound product competed with more established products of the time from Advanced Gravis (no longer in stores today), Ad Lib, Inc. (no longer in stores today), Creative Labs, and Media Vision . CCRMA's music kit and DSP tools, which ran on Motorola 56001 DSP and were originally developed for the NeXTcube system , were later ported to NeXTSTEP using Turtle Beach Fiji / Pinnacle DSP cards.

In December 1996 ICS sold the company to Voyetra Technologies of Yonkers, New York . The new combined company would eventually become known as Voyetra Turtle Beach. Voyetra was originally founded in 1975 by Carmine Bonanno and Fred Romano as Octave-Plateau, one of the original companies that belonged to the MIDI standard, and had developed drivers and software for almost every sound card manufacturer in the world in the early 1990s. As Voyetra Turtle Beach, the company sold millions of sound cards to Dell in the late 1990s and early 2000s .

2005–2013: transformation into a headset manufacturer

In 2005, the company launched its first model of Ear Force gaming headset, the X51. The headset was intended for computer gamers. In the years that followed, the company focused primarily on its PC and console gaming headset lines, moving away from sound cards almost entirely (in 2010 it released updated versions of the Audio Advantage USB sound cards). By 2007, Voyetra Turtle Beach had released several headset models, including wireless and surround sound models. The models were originally developed specifically for the Xbox 360 , the PC or the Nintendo Wii . Turtle Beach launched its first pair of headphones specifically for the PlayStation 3 (Ear Force P21) in 2009 .

In October 2010, the Stripes Group acquired a majority stake in Turtle Beach. In 2011, the company released an officially licensed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 limited edition headset. In 2012 it entered into a partnership with Major League Gaming (MLG), which brought headsets specifically for tournament games and consumer headsets with official MLG branding to the market. That same year, Turtle Beach acquired Lygo International, a UK- based distributor and supplier of gaming accessories that had been Turtle Beach's exclusive UK and Ireland distributor and support center since January 2011 .

2013-present: merger and eSports sponsorship

In 2013, Turtle Beach began work on an agreement that would eventually merge with the San Diego- based audio equipment manufacturer Parametric Sound Corporation in January 2014 . Parametric went public in 2010 . In April 2014, the company changed its name to Turtle Beach Corporation, began trading under the ticker symbol "HEAR," and opened a new corporate office in San Diego, California. Parametric's "UltraSound" technology, which uses loudspeakers to direct sound only into specific areas, also fell under Turtle Beach's purview.

In 2014 and 2015, the company launched official Titanfall and Star Wars Battlefront branded headsets . The company also began releasing a collection of other game accessories such as keyboards , computer mice , and mouse pads . In 2016, the company partnered with OpTic Gaming, an esports organization , so the team could use their Elite Pro Tournament Gaming Headset. Turtle Beach also launched the Stream Mic for users broadcasting from their consoles and PCs. In 2017, it released the first headsets (the Stealth 600 and 700) that could wirelessly connect directly to the Xbox One console. The Stealth 600 became the best-selling Xbox One gaming headset for 2018. The company also entered into a console-only sponsorship deal with Splyce .

In 2018 the company launched a new line of PC-specific headsets called "Atlas". During the design process, it received input and feedback from the esports teams OpTic Gaming and Astralis . It also launched the Elite Pro 2 headset designed for console gaming. In December 2018 they released a series of earbuds ("Battle Buds") designed for mobile gaming.

Products and brands

Headsets

Turtle Beach makes gaming headsets for consoles such as the Xbox One , PlayStation 4 , Nintendo Switch , PC, mobile and tablet devices. It is considered to be one of the leading gaming audio brands.

Gaming headsets have been Turtle Beach's main product offering since around 2005. It first started with the release of headsets for PCs and consoles of this generation, including the Xbox 360 , Wii, and the PlayStation 3 . The early models often received the Ear Force branding with a letter or number designation to differentiate between the consoles (e.g. the headsets for the Xbox 360 belonged to the "Ear Force X" series, while the headsets for the PlayStation 3 to the "Ear Force P" series).

Turtle Beach headsets are generally compatible between current generation consoles such as the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PCs, and most mobile and tablet devices. Many models are console-specific but share the same branding and can often be used across platforms (e.g. the Stealth 300 has a model for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but both are technically with each other and with the Nintendo Switch and PC etc. compatible). Certain functions on console-specific models may not be transferable from one platform to another. For example, the Stealth 600 and 700 models for the Xbox One can wirelessly connect directly to the console. The same models for the PlayStation 4 do not have this feature. In some cases, the differences between one console-specific model and another are cosmetic in nature.

As of 2018, Turtle Beach is selling a range of wired and wireless headsets under several different families. These include: Elite (Elite Pro 2 + SuperAmp, Elite SuperAmp, Elite Pro Tournament Gaming Headset, Elite 800,); Stealth (Stealth 700, Stealth 600, Stealth 350VR, Stealth 300); Recon (Recon 200, Recon Camo, Recon 150, Recon 50, Recon Chat); Atlas (Elite Atlas, Atlas Three, Atlas One); and there are standalone products as well, including the Stream Mic and Battle Buds. Recon products are typically entry-level products and offer great game sound and microphone performance to help players become more immersed in their game and enable them to communicate with other online players. Stealth products add premium features like wireless connectivity, surround sound, larger speakers, memory foam, etc. The Elite series models are generally considered to be professional-level gaming headsets and / or high-end gaming headsets.

The headsets of the Atlas series were specially developed for use in PC games. The latest line, Battle Buds, is a line of gaming earbuds designed to be compatible with mobile devices as well as PCs and all consoles.

Sound cards and software

Turtle Beach has also developed sound cards , MIDI synthesizers, as well as various audio software packages and network audio devices.

In 1988 Turtle Beach developed its first product, a hard drive-based audio editing system. Called the "56K Digital Recording System" and released in 1990, the product was considered the first of its kind. Its card, 56K PC, based on a Motorola 56000 DSP chip, offered non-linear playlist editing of stereo audio files. The 56K system was popular with radio broadcasters and mastering studios because it played back the exact same digital stream that it had recorded.

The company has also developed a few other programs that support Ensoniq devices. During its time as Voyetra Turtle Beach, it took advantage of Voyetra's close relationships with PC manufacturers by offering sound cards bundled with Voyetra software and drivers. They sold millions of sound cards to Dell computers under the Turtle Beach brand.

In 2001, Voyetra Turtle Beach developed AudioTron, one of the first standalone Internet audio receivers. The device enjoyed tremendous success in its first year of launch, but soon faced enormous competition from similar products. Turtle Beach withdrew from the network audio market in 2004.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ gaming mouse | Turtle Beach Corporation. Retrieved April 16, 2020 (American English).
  2. ↑ Ben Franklin “Alum” Company's Journey from the Kitchen Table to the NASDAQ Exchange! In: BFTP / CNP. October 15, 2014, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  3. ^ InfoWorld Media Group Inc: InfoWorld . InfoWorld Media Group, Inc., June 4, 1990 ( google.com [accessed April 16, 2020]).
  4. ^ Computer Music Hardware and Software. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Ben Franklin “Alum” Company's Journey from the Kitchen Table to the NASDAQ Exchange! In: BFTP / CNP. October 15, 2014, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  6. ↑ 13 Mar 2006, Page 23 - The Journal News at Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  7. ^ Turtle Beach Ear Force P21 Review - IGN. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Turtle Beach Acquired. October 21, 2010, accessed April 16, 2020 (American English).
  9. ↑ Turtle Beach unveils limited edition Modern Warfare 3 headsets, Simon Riley would've approved. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  10. ↑ journal live Administrator: Games company Lygo International set to double workforce - The Journal. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Lauren Arevalo-Downes: Turtle Beach Picks Up Lygo International. October 16, 2012, accessed April 16, 2020 (American English).
  12. ↑ Beth McKenna: Turtle Beach Stock Has Soared 1.110% in 2018 on Battle Royale Video Gaming Craze. June 21, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Tim Moynihan: These Speakers Fire Focused Beams of Ultrasound for the Hard of Hearing . In: Wired . May 9, 2016, ISSN  1059-1028 ( online [accessed April 16, 2020]).
  14. ^ Turtle Beach updates its Stealth headsets and debuts a mic for console broadcasters. In: VentureBeat. September 30, 2016, Retrieved April 16, 2020 (American English).
  15. ↑ Turtle Beach starts selling its wireless Xbox headset. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  16. ↑ Splyce Gains Console-Only Sponsorship From Turtle Beach. In: The Esports Observer ｜ home of essential esports business news and insights. June 20, 2017, Retrieved April 16, 2020 (American English).
  17. ↑ Tom Warren: Turtle Beach's new Elite Pro 2 gaming headset comes with a metal headband and 'SuperAmp'. August 29, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  18. ↑ Bernard Beanz Smalls: Turtle Beach's New High-Performance In-Ear Battle Buds Geared Towards Gamers On The Go [Photos]. In: The Latest Hip-Hop News, Music and Media. Hip-Hop Wired, December 4, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  19. ↑ Alex Calvin, Editor-PC Games Insider: Why headset firm Turtle Beach is doubling down on its PC roots. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  20. ↑ John Ballard: 2 Video Game Stocks You've Never Heard Of. November 26, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Turtle Beach Launches Revolutionary Surround-sound Headphones. In: TechCrunch. Retrieved April 16, 2020 (American English).
  22. ^ Turtle Beach Stealth 300 Review. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  23. ↑ Turtle Beach introduces new Stealth 300 and Recon 200 headsets at E3 2018. June 12, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  24. ↑ Mark Dascano: Best Microphones for streaming and podcasts . First Rank Publishing, December 4, 2018 ( google.com [accessed April 16, 2020]).
  25. ↑ Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament Headset Review. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Bernard Beanz Smalls: Turtle Beach's New High-Performance In-Ear Battle Buds Geared Towards Gamers On The Go [Photos]. In: The Latest Hip-Hop News, Music and Media. Hip-Hop Wired, December 4, 2018, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  27. ^ InfoWorld Media Group Inc: InfoWorld . InfoWorld Media Group, Inc., June 4, 1990 ( google.com [accessed April 16, 2020]).
  28. ↑ Ben Franklin “Alum” Company's Journey from the Kitchen Table to the NASDAQ Exchange! In: BFTP / CNP. October 15, 2014, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Jan 26, 2001, 15 - The Times Leader at Newspapers.com. Times Leader , accessed June 27, 2020 .
  30. ↑ 13 Mar 2006, Page 23 - The Journal News at Newspapers.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020 .

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