Review: Afterglow Wave Wireless Controller

Third-party controllers are plentiful, and due to negative experiences with them on the PS2 and GameCube, I avoid them unless I trust the brand. While I was unfamiliar with PDP prior to this review, their Afterglow Wave Wireless Controller for Switch has immediately propelled them to the top of my list of trusted manufacturers. The box features fanciful, prismatic RGB illumination, but what truly makes this a controller worth using are the fundamentals.

First, let’s go over what’s in the box. When you open it, you’ll see the controller, some legal wording, and nothing else. To access valuable documentation, scan the QR code on the back of the box, which will send you to a 404 page. Not a great start, especially for a controller that requires specific button combinations to do certain actions.

According to the instructions on the PDP website, holding the triangle-shaped button toward the bottom of the controller can perform a variety of functions. Pressing L or R together with it alters the type of RGB, from a solid color to a pulsing color or flowing rainbow, and even one that changes based on the placements of the analog sticks. Pressing ZL or ZR adjusts the brightness of the lights, but this does not function with the stick-changing type. Finally, on the solid or pulsating profiles, holding left or right on the D-Pad changes the current color. There are several hues, and it will cycle through the entire spectrum while you hold the button.

The same triangle button allows you to configure the two back buttons, which sit conveniently beneath your middle finger when holding the controller. Holding the triangle button and then pushing one of the back buttons causes a light to flash. If you click another button while it is flashing, voilà! That back button now behaves precisely the same as the other button. I like to have these set to clicking in the sticks because it makes it easy to press while also moving the stick if necessary.

This takes us to how the controller feels to use, which is generally positive. The buttons are huge and clicky, but not too loud or rigid, the sticks are silky smooth and have a wonderful, textured grip, and the D-Pad allows you to rock without feeling too loose. I thoroughly tested the Afterglow Wave, and it felt great in almost every game I tried. Red Dead Redemption, Doom, Doom (2016), Mario Odyssey, Fire Emblem: Three Hopes, and even the recently released Ys X: Nordics demo all felt great. As a bonus, there were no incorrect D-Pad inputs, as you might see on certified Switch Pro controllers, which is a pet annoyance of mine.

This version of the Afterglow does include Gyro, and it feels precisely like it does on Pro Controllers. I tested this in Metroid Prime Remastered, Splatoon 3, and Tears of the Kingdom, and while I initially thought it was overly sensitive while playing Metroid, switching to the Pro revealed that it was just my settings. Simply put, it feels great to use.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as comfy or feature-rich as the Pro controllers, or else it would be my new favorite. The Wave lacks NFC, but the actual issue is the absence of vibration. I’m a big admirer of Nintendo’s HD Rumble, but the lack of even basic vibration functionality is upsetting because it adds so much to various games. Aside from those concerns, the Home and Capture buttons are located above and on the outside of the Plus and Minus buttons, which is the opposite of how they are placed on the Pro controller. In several games, I find myself continuously snapping screenshots just to look at the map. The Capture button has a new shape, but I doubt I’ll ever get used to this arrangement.