Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Review – A Nice Player 2 Gamepad for Switch 2 That’s Missing One Too Many Features

Nice to Hold, but the D-Pad Gets Short Shrift

The Afterglow Wave is simply a precise comfy gamepad that feels a batch similar holding a Switch Pro controller. It’s weighty without feeling heavy, with each the buttons comfortably successful scope of my thumbs and fingers. Button consciousness is simply a small inconsistent throughout, though; the enarthrosis buttons consciousness astir close to me, but the look buttons are stiff and, on with the grip-mounted backmost buttons, are precise clicky and noisy. The d-pad feels astir right, though it had immoderate issues that I’ll get to shortly.

Speaking of the analog sticks, they consciousness precise overmuch similar what they are: TMR sticks. Like galore different TMR and Hall Effect sticks, they springiness easy and smoothly, but outpouring backmost to the halfway rapidly and accurately. They consciousness precise bully – though I similar a small much resistance, particularly successful games that necessitate precise precise movement. If you’re acquainted with this benignant of stick, you astir apt already cognize whether you similar that that dynamic oregon not.

I americium not a instrumentality of the caps connected the analog sticks. They’re concave, with rimmed edges that are crisp capable I could consciousness them dragging implicit the ridges of my fingertips, which is my ain idiosyncratic Vietnam nails-on-a-chalkboard. That said, the cupped plan helped support my thumbs connected the sticks erstwhile they were wrong the depression. But with definite motions, I thin to rotation the extracurricular of the headdress astir my thumb – and successful those cases, the sticks slipped much often than the Switch 2 Pro controller. Otherwise, they were responsive and sensitive, successful a bully way.

The in-game acquisition varied depending connected the games I played. In Tetris 99, the Afterglow Wave’s d-pad was astir arsenic atrocious arsenic those of Nintendo’s Pro controllers. I didn’t find myself accidentally hard-dropping tetrominos rather arsenic often arsenic with Nintendo’s gamepads, but occasionally, the d-pad seemed to bounce backmost if I fto spell of a absorption quickly, causing them to displacement the other absorption 1 square, making maine to spot a tetromino successful the incorrect spot. In Metroid Prime Remastered, the question controls worked well, but felt conscionable a spot excessively sensitive, transmitting micro-movements to the surface that the Switch 2 Pro controller seems to ignore. That could beryllium a bully happening to some, but for me, it was a spot dizzying and unpleasant.

On the different hand, the analog sticks were plentifulness responsive successful F-Zero X for the N64 and F-Zero GX for the GameCube, some played successful their respective Nintendo Switch Online apps. Being capable to twitchily crook successful those games is paramount, truthful that was a spot of bully news. Control stayed choky and I didn’t announcement immoderate alteration successful hold adjacent erstwhile I played from astir 30 feet away, which is Turtle Beach’s stated wireless scope for these controllers. I don’t cognize who is playing that acold distant from their TV, but hey, it’s bully to person options.

Weird Design Choices and Missing Features

One happening that drove maine nuts passim investigating was the placement of the location and seizure buttons – for immoderate reason, they’re connected the extracurricular of the positive and minus buttons. (In contrast, they’re successful the mediate connected the Switch 2 Pro controller.) This means that each 3rd clip I tried to intermission the game, I went to the location surface instead. Sure, that efficaciously accomplishes the aforesaid thing, but it’s jarring and bad! I’d emotion to beryllium capable to remap them, but this controller isn’t remappable via the Switch 2’s interface.

That’s besides annoying due to the fact that it means you can’t delegate the backmost buttons that way; instead, you bash it by holding down the triangle-shaped fastener connected the bottommost beforehand edge, past tapping the backmost fastener you privation to representation to, past pressing the fastener you’d similar to delegate to it. The Afterglow Wave besides lacks rumble, which I wouldn’t caput successful isolation, but present is different spot of straw connected this controller’s shaky back.

This controller’s biggest occupation is perfectly that it doesn’t aftermath the Switch 2. In my book, that automatically takes it retired of the moving to beryllium a cheaper Pro controller alternate – I’ve lived successful a satellite wherever I tin crook connected my crippled consoles from my sofa for 20 years now, and I’m not going back.

Maybe the terms works if you excavation the controller’s RGB schtick. The colored LEDs surrounding the analog sticks and lurking beneath the wavy lines etched into the look tin amusement static colors of your choosing, oregon effects similar a slowly-morphing rainbow. One effect sees them respond to the question of your analog sticks by cycling done colors. It’s nice, I suppose, though I’m ne'er truly looking astatine the controller portion I’m playing. Still, the lights bash marque it casual to find successful a acheronian room.

At the extremity of the day, americium I huffy astatine the Afterglow Wave? Not really; it’s a good controller to person astir the house. But the terms is simply a immense sticking constituent that I conscionable can’t get past. For $65, I tin astir bargain 3 GuliKit ES gamepads, a fund enactment that tin inactive aftermath the Switch 2. Or I could prime up astir 1 afloat 8bitdo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth Controller, which besides wakes the system, is remappable (via an 8bitdo app), and comes with a bully charging cradle. I can’t straight vouch for either since I haven’t utilized them, but I tin accidental that the erstwhile 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller, which is 1 of IGN’s apical picks for the Switch 2, has besides been 1 of my favourite controllers since I bought it a mates of years ago. Assuming the Ultimate 2 follows successful its footsteps, I’m definite it’s great.

Wes is simply a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they telephone him) who has covered technology, gaming, and amusement steadily since 2020 astatine Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and astir recently, The Verge. Inside of him determination are 2 wolves: 1 that thinks it wouldn't beryllium truthful atrocious to commencement collecting crippled consoles again, and the different who besides thinks this, but much strongly.

Verdict

The PDP Afterglow Wave Wireless is simply a coagulated controller that’s missing excessively galore features, including the quality to aftermath the Switch 2, to beryllium a due stand-in for the pricey Switch 2 Pro controller. At $65, it’s surely much affordable than the collar-tugging $95 Nintendo asks, but I’d alternatively prevention up an other period oregon 2 and bargain that than bash without console wake. Because this controller does aftermath the archetypal Switch, it could really beryllium a coagulated enactment for those who inactive play Nintendo’s archetypal handheld hybrid. Otherwise, Turtle Beach conscionable isn’t offering a bully crushed to bargain this for the Switch 2 implicit immoderate different compatible Switch 2 controller.