I just tested the ultimate budget controller for Xbox and Windows — and it's as powerful as it is pretty

You don’t need to spend hundreds to get one of the best PC game controllers — just take a look at the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave. This gamepad is officially licensed for Xbox and Windows, and it costs less than $50. And for that price, you get responsive, customizable Hall Effect triggers, 8-zone RGB lighting and fantastic rumble, all packaged into a colorful, ergonomic design.

The Afterglow Wave is accompanied by an extremely detailed, user-friendly companion app that enables you to customize practically every feature. If you don’t mind the gamepad’s stiff D-pad and finicky start-up process, this could be the best budget-friendly choice for you.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave review.

Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A wired controller compatible with Xbox consoles and Windows machines
• Who is it for? Anyone who wants a budget-friendly controller with Hall Effect triggers and back buttons
• How much does it cost? The Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave is available for $49 / £34
• What do we like? The colorful and ergonomic design, responsive Hall Effect triggers, powerful rumble, detailed companion app and remappable back buttons
• What don’t we like? The stiff D-pad, analog thumbsticks and finicky start-up process

Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave review: Specs

Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave review: The ups

From its colorful design with customizable RGB lighting and comfortable body to its responsive Hall Effect triggers, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave is a force to be reckoned with.

Lovely design

If you’re tired of boring old controllers that basically all look the same and want a colorful one, then there’s no better option than the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave. This is a stunning controller featuring eight RGB lighting zones. As its name suggests, wavy lines grace its body, and the thumbsticks light up, too.

I think it looks great. The RGB doesn’t feel garish or too loud, and it’s fully customizable via the companion app (more on that soon), so you can choose if you want it to be dim or bright. The controller comes in a few colorways: Black, White, Purple, Blue and Grey. There’s something for everyone. I tested the Grey variant, which goes really well with the RGB. The Afterglow Wave looks far better than, say, the similarly priced GameSir Cyclone 2 ($49).

Inexpensive

If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on first-party Xbox controllers and don’t mind a wired connection, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave is a great alternative. The original Xbox Series X|S controller costs $64 while the Xbox Elite Series 2 with Hall Effect triggers costs a whopping $179. Why get that when you can just get the Afterglow Wave?

The Afterglow Wave retails for $49 / £34, so it’s priced similarly to the GameSir Kaleid ($46), and it’s much, much cheaper than the likes of the Scuf Valor Pro ($99) and the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro ($199).

Ergonomic and comfortable

Now, I own a PS5 Slim and I love my DualSense controller, but I much prefer the asymmetrical layout on Xbox controllers as it feels more comfortable and natural to use. Officially licensed for Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One and Windows, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave sports an ABXY layout and asymmetrical joysticks.

The Afterglow Wave feels great to hold. Its size is near-identical to first-party controllers as it measures 6.3 x 4.7 x 2.6 inches. I’ve got medium-sized hands, and this controller is the perfect size for me. It weighs 10.56oz, so it’s a little heavier than the Xbox One (9.84oz) and the PS DualSense (9.87oz) controllers. While light controllers are less fatiguing for extended periods of use, I prefer heavy gamepads as they feel more secure to hold.

Aiding that is the Afterglow Wave’s matte finishing and textured back, which makes gripping it easier and sweat-free. I also like the positioning of the dual back buttons, as using these frees up your thumbs, feels more natural and less fatiguing in the long term.

Magnetic gaming features

Barring TMR or Hall Effect thumbsticks, there’s no shortage of premium gaming features in the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave. The Afterglow Wave’s triggers feature Hall Effect sensors, which are more responsive than traditional ones and allow for more precise control over movements. Magnets located at the bottom of each trigger change the flow of electricity as it gets closer to the sensors. Signals are then sent to the controller to let it know how far you’re pressing down.

What’s great about the Afterglow Wave’s triggers is that each has a separate switch that can be toggled to one of three positions. You can enable hair trigger, which turns the mechanism into a short, clicky press; there’s a medium level, which lets you push the trigger halfway down; and another that lets you push it all the way down, giving more control like an analog gamepad trigger.

Enabling hair trigger comes in clutch in FPS titles as it allows for instantaneous looking through your gun’s scope and firing. I used this in Counter-Strike 2 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and it worked extremely well. I executed back-to-back headshots, and I didn’t need to press the right trigger all the way down to aim and fire, so my gameplay felt extremely quick and responsive. It eliminated fatigue in my fingers, too.

This was handy for simple tasks, such as inventory management in Baldur’s Gate 3. I could quickly tap either of the triggers to cycle through my extensive inventory (because I’m a hoarder) and the attack/spells radial dials without having to press the trigger all the way down.

I then switched to the third level for finer control in a racing title like Nightmare Kart. Short-pressing the left trigger was great for applying a slight brake — great for drifting — while long-pressing it resulted in my vehicle coming to a complete stop.

Also, while the Afterglow Wave’s thumbsticks are traditional analog ones, they’re comfortable to use and very responsive. All in all, this is a fantastic gamepad that doesn’t compromise, even though it’s cheap.

Customizable back buttons

As I mentioned up top, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave features two back buttons located on the rear and within easy reach of any of your four fingers. These can be remapped by diving into the companion software, but I like their default assignment.

By default, the right back pedal is programmed to make your character jump in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, for example, and I didn’t feel the need to change it. I found myself using it more than pressing “A” for jumping, as it freed up my right thumb to control the right thumbstick to move the camera.

Another fun use for the back buttons? Customize them in a way that, in a game like MotoGP 25, pressing the left back button shifts the gear down, and the right back button shifts it up. Things like that, combined with the intense rumble, make gaming more immersive.

Great rumble

One thing I love about my PS DualSense controller is the haptic feedback and strong vibration. I like it when any controller rumbles, really, as it makes games feel more immersive.

You’d be pleased to know that the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave boasts extremely powerful rumble, which can be toned down or increased via the companion software. At its highest, the Afterglow Wave can make a bank of six desks vibrate, as it did in our office, where I subsequently received curious looks from my coworkers.

It was a delight to feel the Afterglow Wave vibrate and increase in intensity in my hands as Lara Croft chipped away at a wall made of loose bricks in Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and every time I shot enemies with my twin Eldritch Blasts in Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s one thing I missed when I tested the Turtle Beach Rematch Switch controller ($59), so I’m happy Turtle Beach has retained it this time around.

Detailed companion app

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To customize the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave, you’ll need to download the Turtle Beach PDP Control Hub software on either your Windows machine or Xbox console. This is some of the most detailed software I’ve tested for a gaming peripheral, and it’s extremely intuitive to use.

Here, you can remap nearly every button, customize the 8-zone RGB lighting and rumble intensity and run diagnostics on the Afterglow Wave to troubleshoot problems. You can also adjust the triggers’ min and max dead zones and 3-stop sensitivity to match your gameplay style.

I thoroughly enjoyed using the Turtle Beach PDP Control Hub, and I appreciate how well everything is signposted and explained — no second-guessing or frantic Googling required.

Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave review: The downs

There isn’t much wrong with the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave, but it’s worth noting that its analog thumbsticks may be prone to stick drift, and the D-pad feels stiff.

Analog thumbsticks

As I mentioned up top, while the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave’s triggers are Hall Effect, the thumbsticks are analog. This means they aren’t customizable like Hall Effect or TMR ones, and they’re prone to stick drift over time. It’s worth grabbing the GameSir Kaleid or the GameSir Cyclone 2 instead if you want magnetic sticks and triggers, as the controller will be more durable in the long run.

Stiff D-pad

While I loved using the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave’s Hall Effect triggers and analog thumbsticks, I didn’t particularly like the D-pad. There’s nothing wrong with it in terms of its functions. It’s an 8-way D-pad which features patented audio controls when you’re playing online, and you can mute yourself with a double-tap, adjust the game/party balance on the fly and more.

That’s all well and good, but my gripe is with the D-pad’s stiffness. The four navigation buttons don’t feel as smooth to press, and they require a bit of force. In theory, while it is great you can, say, double-tap to mute yourself, it doesn’t feel much like muscle memory because of the effort it requires. It’s almost like the D-pad could benefit from some oil or grease to loosen it.

Finicky start-up

This isn’t a major flaw, but just a word of advice. It took me a while to figure out how to power up the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave. When I plugged it into a Windows laptop, it vibrated, but the lights didn’t come on, and the controller didn’t respond. I couldn’t find anything online, and my sample unit box didn’t come with a manual, so I got in touch with a Turtle Beach representative to get to the bottom of this issue.

There’s a simple solution to this. If you’re struggling with getting your Afterglow Wave to turn on, you need to hold down the Xbox “X” button for a few seconds until the lights come on.

According to the Turtle Beach rep I spoke with: “The controllers wake up into ‘sleep mode.’ This is a more recent requirement from Xbox. The Xbox console sends out updates that sometimes need to reboot the console, and this would cause wired controllers in the field to apparently turn on by themselves overnight.” Fine, but a bit of signposting from Turtle Beach wouldn’t hurt.

Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave review: Verdict

As budget PC and Xbox controllers go, the Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave is a fantastic choice. Firstly, it looks great as it features bright 8-zone RGB lighting that’s also fully customizable. The gamepad is comfortable to hold for long periods of time, and its 3-stop Hall Effect triggers give you precise control over your movements. I also enjoyed using the back buttons, which make for a more ergonomic experience.

While the controller isn’t perfect — as the D-pad is stiff and start-up is finicky — it’s a formidable contender for the best cheap gaming controller. It’s incredibly easy to customize and remap, and its intense rumble makes games super immersive.

If you don’t want to spend lots on first-party controllers, I can’t recommend the Afterglow Wave enough. This might be the first (and only) time I’m envious of Xbox owners.