We recently reviewed the Turtle Beach Rematch Core Xbox Controller, which is (almost) as simple as it gets for game controllers. If you’re looking for a controller with some flashy lights and added features, Turtle Beach has another option for you! Our Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Controller review examines an Xbox/PC controller with some flashy light effects, Hall Effect triggers, and onboard Turtle Beach audio controls, all conveniently located on the controller itself. Read on for our full review!
Afterglow Wave Xbox Controller Specifications
The Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Controller we reviewed has the following features and specifications:
- Hall-Effect 3-Stop Adjustable Triggers: Fine-tune your trigger sensitivity with 3-stop adjustments, letting you customize the throw distance to match your preferences or gameplay style. Additionally, with Hall-effect technology, the triggers provide smooth, durable, and precise control.
- Customizable RGB Lighting: An Intelligent RGB lighting system, complete with eight RGB lighting zones and eight different preset lighting modes, provides extensive adjustment of effects, colours, and brightness.
- Two Mappable Quick-Action Buttons: Keep your go-to controls within easy reach with two mappable quick-action buttons, providing enhanced customization and an elevated gameplay experience.
- Patented Audio Controls: Adjust your audio on the fly with D-pad controls for game/chat volume mix and master volume, plus a dedicated mic mute function button.
- Extensive Customization: Download the Control Hub companion app, available on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, to access advanced lighting customization, button mapping, controller configuration, and more.
- Comfortable, Ergonomic Design: Laser-etched, textured grips and triggers, along with an ergonomic shape, provide a comfortable, fatigue-free grip over long gaming sessions.
- Immersive Gameplay: Dual rumble motors and impulse triggers deliver responsive control for an immersive gaming experience on your favourite titles.
- Officially Licensed for Xbox & PC: The AfterglowWave Controller is officially licensed for gaming on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 and 11 PCs, featuring a reliable 10ft USB-C wired connection.
| Connectivity | Wired |
| Cable length | Detachable 10ft/3m cable with Type-C USB Connector (Type-A at the console) |
| Audio jack | 3.5mm audio port for audio and USB chat |
| Features | 3-stop Hall Effect Triggers, Mappable Quick-Action Buttons, Eight RGB Lighting Zones, Rumble vibration, Audio controls, Firmware updatable |
| Software | PDP Control Hub app (Firmware updates, controller customization) |
| Colours | Black, White, Purple, Blue, Grey |
| Compatibility | Compatible with Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, & Windows 10/11 PCs |
| Dimensions | 175 x 175 x 71.5mm (6.9” x 6.9” x 2.8”) |
| Weight | 515g (0.66 lbs) |
| Warranty | 1-year limited warranty |
What’s in the box: Xbox/PC not included 😜
- Turtle Beach® Afterglow™ Wave Controller
- 10’/3m USB Cable
- Quick Start Guide
- 1-year limited warranty
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Design: Five colorways with eight RGB zones!
At a glance, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Wired Game Controller is easily recognizable as an Xbox controller. While it shares a similar shape with the official Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S game controllers, it has a few key differences. First, the controller grips are a bit shorter. The top left and right sides of the controller, where the shoulder buttons are located, are more rounded than straight and flat. The shoulder buttons and triggers are smooth, with the Turtle Beach logo engraved on the back between the shoulder buttons above the USB-C port.
This line of wired Xbox/PC controllers from Turtle Beach is definitely colourful. Available in five different colorways, our review sample was the purple variant. The entire controller is solid purple with three translucent waves on each of the controller grips. The thumbsticks, D-pad, and audio control buttons are also purple. The thumbsticks have an LED ring around the base.
The D-pad has a +, -, game controller, and person icon stamped into it—more on that in the next section. The Xbox button is white, and its outer edge glows white when the controller is powered on. The A/B/X/Y buttons feature standard green, red, blue, and yellow lettering on a purple background.
The most noticeable difference on the face of the controller is the addition of an audio/mode button. The triangular button is located near the bottom, positioned between the D-pad and the right thumbstick. Just below this, on the bottom edge, is a single 3.5mm audio port.
The underside of the controller has two additional features. First, there are the three-stop Hall Effect trigger switches. On the inside of each controller grip is a mappable quick-action button. Unlike the Rematch Core that I recently reviewed, the controller grips are textured on the underside, providing an extra bit of grip while gaming.
As it’s a wired controller, there is no battery compartment. On that note, the controller does come with an 8′ (2.5m) black braided USB-C to USB-A cable. While it’s a nice length, it’s still too short for my home theatre setup, which has me sitting about 12 feet from my screen. I’m sure that’s not an issue for most gamers, but it’d be nice to see longer cable options for those of us who do. Still, it’s nothing a USB extension cable doesn’t fix.
Ease of Use: Plug and play, and you’re good to go…
The Afterglow Wave Controller is super easy to use. Plug the USB-C end of the included USB cable into the controller and the other end into a USB-A port on your PC or Xbox One, Series X, or Series S console, hold the power button down until the LED light above the Xbox logo on the faceplate should glows white, and you’re done. Next, plug your wired headset into the 3.5mm jack on the bottom, and you’re good to go.
To control the onboard audio features, there are three main functions associated with the audio function button:
- Press the function button twice to mute your microphone
- While holding down the function button, press the D-pad up (+) or down (-) to adjust the game volume
- While holding down the function button, press the D-pad left/right to adjust game/chat balance
While a simple addition, it’s nice to be able to adjust volume, mic mute, and game/chat balance without having to reach up to your headphones or pause the game to access your system’s audio settings. Unfortunately, you cannot adjust the mic monitoring on the controller; instead, you must use the PDP Control Hub app for this purpose (more on that in the next section).
To adjust the Hall Effect Triggers, toggle the left or right switch between three settings. When adjusted, the triggers lock at different distances, allowing you to activate your aim or shot even faster. To the best of my knowledge, the three settings are full press, two-thirds press, and one-third press.
Software: PDP Control Hub for added customization
While you can use the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Wired Xbox/PC Controller straight out of the box, you will want to grab the PDP Control Hub is available from the Microsoft Store. Wait, what‽ PDP? If you’re not aware, Turtle Beach bought PDP last year and is slowly phasing out the brand. As it currently stands, the PDP Control Hub will remain in place for a while before being converted into one of Turtle Beach’s other applications.
At any rate, the PDP Control Hub allows you to further customize the controller, including the RGB lighting and mappable quick-action buttons.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, plug your controller into your PC or Xbox, and then select “Afterglow Wave Controller” from the main page. Once the app loads, it takes a minute due to the loading screens. Upon initial connection, the app checks for and installs the latest firmware update if one is available. The main page displays the connected Turtle Beach controllers, along with an overview of the current audio volume, game/chat balance, microphone status, and vibration intensity.
Clicking on the Afterglow Wave Controller on the main page (or pressing the A button on the controller) allows you to customize additional options. Here, you can select sections for Audio Configuration, Re-map Buttons, Customize RGB, Audio Diagnostics, and Vibration Configuration.
The Configuration section allows you to adjust the following:
- Analog Sticks: Adjust the dead zone on the analog sticks up to 50%.
- Audio: The game/chat balance and mic monitoring settings.
- Triggers: Adjust the minimum and maximum dead zones on the triggers.
- Vibration: Adjust the vibration strength of the controller.
- Re-map Buttons: Re-map any button to another button on the controller, including the mappable quick-action buttons on the underside.
- Customize RGB: Use one of the eight existing profiles or edit them to customize your controller’s RGB Lighting Effects. Set individual RGB zones, speed, brightness levels, and more. The default profiles include:
- Static: Static colour.
- Wave: Cycles through various colours.
- Breathing: Static colour breathes in and out.
- Rumble: This one should come with a warning! By far the coolest, this one reacts to the vibration of the game you’re playing. The more intense the vibrations, the more intense the flashing!
- Pulse: Single colour pulses on twice, then off.
- Ripple: Single colour ripples from the top of the controller to the bottom.
- Upflow: Similar to ripple, except from the bottom up with multiple colours.
- Downflow: Similar to ripple, except with multiple colours.
In addition to customizing your controller, you can use the app to perform diagnostics and update the firmware when available.
As you can see, the PDP Control Hub app offers numerous customizable, diagnostic, and update options, making it a worthwhile download.
Afterglow Wave Controller Performance: Responsive with fun (and potentially distracting) RGB
The Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Controller works just fine, for the most part. While I had no issues with responsiveness on the controller, the D-pad does feel a bit spongy. The audio function button worked as advertised for mic muting, game volume, and game/chat balance.
While playing everything from Forza Horizon 5 to Warzone or Lost in Random: The Eternal Die, I really had no issues with the responsiveness of the buttons, triggers, and thumbsticks.
Some games come with seizure warnings. In my opinion, this controller should come with one when you are enabling the Rumble RGB lighting option. While it’s a cool feature and works well, it can become quite strobe-like in effect. Even though you aren’t looking at your controller while playing, you do catch the strobe-like flashing in your peripheral vision, which can be distracting. If you are prone to adverse effects from strobe lights, you should practice caution when setting up the Rumble lighting effect on the Afterglow Wave controller.
Price/Value: Decent value for the features
With an MSRP of $49.99 on retailers like Amazon, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Controller provides pretty decent value. While it’s not perfect, the adjustable Hall Effect triggers, mappable quick-action buttons, and RGB LED lighting effects offer extra value. Not only that, it’s more affordable than the official Microsoft Xbox controller!
Should you buy it? The Verdict!
If you’re looking for an extra controller for your Xbox or PC and don’t mind going wired, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Controller adds plenty of value with its audio controls, Hall Effect triggers, mappable quick-action buttons, and customizable RGB LED lighting.
If you are after something less flashy, remember to check out our Turtle Beach Rematch Core Wired Xbox Controller review!
*We were sent a sample of the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave Controller for this review.
