Maybe I’m feeding into a stereotype, maybe that makes me a basic gamer, but damn, I love RGB lighting. I want it in my keyboard, my mouse, my PC case, my headphones, my games consoles and behind every screen in the house, layering a subtle sci-fi glow over my entire space. At night I want to fall asleep under the changing rainbow galaxies. I want to hold an LED prism in my hands. It’s even better if it can control my video games too.
You see where this is going. The Turtle Beach Afterglow Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch 2 is a transparent gamepad with variable RGB light settings and it looks like a wearable cosmic gemstone. In addition to its aesthetic appeal, the Switch 2 Afterglow is a responsive, low-latency controller with a wireless range of up to 30 feet and ultra-precise TMR joysticks, which provide a long-term drift-free guarantee. In action, the gamepad is pleasantly responsive and comfortable to hold for hours, with hard, clicky buttons, padded triggers, and mappable rear paddles that can be very satisfying fidget toys when not actually in use. The rear buttons operate independently, but they are connected by a matte black bridge, adding a secondary sensory touch under the opposite fingertip with each press.
Aside from an additional strip of glossy black between the triggers and shoulder buttons, housing the USB-C charging point and Bluetooth connection, the controller’s chassis is made of transparent plastic. Even the handles aren’t textured, giving the whole thing a crystal-clear, crisp look whether the lights are off or on. Switch 2 controllers tend to be rather small and lightweight, a fact I personally like, and the Afterglow fits that description. Its size and weight are similar to those of the official Switch 2 Pro controller, the console’s current standard. Of course, the Pro costs $90 while the Afterglow costs $65 and is often on sale for a much lower price.
The lack of texture on the grips did not pose a problem for me, even after playing Resident Evil Requiem for a few hours to really test the sweat factor. The Switch 2 Afterglow is comfortable to hold for long periods of time; it never slipped out of my hands unexpectedly or threatened to ruin my first or third person zombie hunting game. It also manages Hello Kitty Island Adventure like a champion.
Afterglow’s buttons are black with symbols and letters etched into the faces, which brings me to a gripe I have with almost every Switch 2 controller, including Nintendo’s: the minus, plus, home, and other small buttons are almost impossible to read. This fact is especially frustrating when you’re using a gamepad for the first time and getting used to its layout. The Switch 2 Afterglow, for example, has a dedicated GameChat button in the center of the board, plus and minus buttons above it, and Home and Capture above those. I accidentally took a handful of random screenshots while blindly looking for the minus button to open the map in Requiemand I never really managed to get rid of the incorrect muscle memory. I would love to have the icons highlighted to make the small buttons more readable at a glance.
Woozad
The Switch 2 Afterglow has motion control capabilities, but it doesn’t feature any haptics, so there’s no rumble here. Its analog sticks use premium TMR technology, which promises long-term accuracy without the risk of drift, and they make a nice clicking sound when they hit the sides of their cases. The top of the Afterglow controllers have fairly high, defined edges with a textured divot for your thumb, and they’re easy to press in even at an angle.
In the box, the Afterglow comes with a 1 meter charging cable and offers 40 hours of battery life, but without RGB (Why ?). Turtle Beach’s Switch 2 controllers typically get 12 hours of playtime with RGB lighting effects enabled, and that will likely be the case here as well. This particular model is not capable of waking the Switch 2, but it connects perfectly to the console once powered on.
Now let’s talk about these RGBs.
Woozad
The Afterglow has four lighting modes, adjustable by holding the small circle under the right stick, then pressing the L or R bumpers. The LED settings are: on and steady, pulsing a single color, switching between colors, and responsive to stick movement. You can also set colors and adjust brightness on the fly, and it’s all very simple. The lights are vibrant and fill the entire gamepad with a sleek glow. RGB instructions are available here, for quick reference.
My favorite setting is one that responds to inputs, where the controller lights up in a specific color depending on the direction the analog stick moves, generating a rainbow light show as you play. But really, Afterglow makes me smile, no matter what mode it’s set to. Even though it’s turned off, it’s a stylish gamepad.
But then again, I’m a fan of this stuff. I love transparent gadgets with their motherboards and mechanical innards exposed, and I love RGB lights. The Turtle Beach Afterglow for Switch 2 combines these styles in a delightful way, plus it’s a precise and responsive gamepad. I’m happy to have one, here in my crystal kingdom.
