Turtle Beach's Afterglow Wireless Controller for Switch 2 is positioned as a cheaper, flashier alternative to Nintendo's official Pro Controller. At $65, it undercuts the $90 Pro while adding customizable RGB lighting across a transparent shell. The reviewer praised its comfortable size and weight, responsive face buttons, and precise TMR thumbsticks, which are designed to resist drift over time.
The trade-offs are notable. The controller lacks haptics entirely, so there is no rumble, and it cannot wake the Switch 2 from sleep. The small face buttons — including minus, plus, and home — are hard to read, which led to accidental screenshots during testing. Battery life is also split: 40 hours with RGB off, but roughly 12 hours with the lights on, according to Turtle Beach's typical figures for its Switch 2 controllers.
For buyers who prioritize aesthetics and value over premium features, the Afterglow makes a strong case. The reviewer called it a precise, responsive gamepad that happens to look like a handheld cosmic gemstone, and noted that even with the lights off, the transparent body is slick. The main audience, as the review puts it, is the gamer who wants RGB everything — and is willing to give up haptics and wake functionality to get it.