Turtle Beach has put three new controllers up for pre-order, and they might not be as pricey as you first expect coming from a well-known brand. While Turtle Beach does make some premium bits of hardware, it's no stranger to catering to the budget buyer either, and you may be surprised to know that all three of the brand's latest gaming gadgets are coming in under $50.
The main standout for me is the new Turtle Beach Afterglow Wave, an RGB-filled controller with fairly solid features for its asking price. Newly refreshed with Hall Sensor tech, 3-stop adjustable triggers, and integrated audio controls, this would give any budget Xbox Series X controller a run for its money. For only $49.99 at Turtle Beach, it comes in a slew of colors that only strengthen its RGB-filled personality. You can pre-order it now for its release on the 18th of May.
The most clued-in among you may feel like the Afterglow looks eerily familiar, and that's because it's actually a refreshed version of an existing peripheral. If you didn't know, Turtle Beach acquired rival gaming accessory maker PDP last year. Although PDP is responsible for some excellent controllers, it now looks as though Turtle Beach is taking a big step inwards as its parent company and removing its name from its existing product lines.
The PDP Afterglow Wave controller for Xbox Series X already exists, and costs the same as this new version does. Honestly, it's a little bit tricky to notice the differences between PDP's original model and this relaunched one - they even have the same color variants and official Xbox licensing. It looks as though the Hall Sensor triggers, textured grips, and rumble motors are the new standout features Turtle Beach is priding the new version on. On the whole, though, it does look a bit like this is the same controller, priced exactly the same, just with any mention of PDP's original craftsmanship removed.
The second controller the brand has refreshed is the Rematch Core Wired, which again, is an existing PDP product. The PDP Rematch Advanced Controller has made a name for itself with a very affordable sub-$30 price tag and loads of interesting colorways. The New Turtle Beach version releases on May 15 for $29.99 at Turtle Beach and doesn't seem to add much in the way of features, besides some new multicolored camo paint jobs. Thankfully, it's also priced the same as the existing PDP model.
Lastly, Nintendo Switch owners have something to get excited for, thanks to a new design for the Rematch Wireless controller for Nintendo's platform. The Invincible Mario skin for this product launches (you guessed it) May 18, but it's got a pretty god-tier Mario livery on it that shows the titular hero clearly benefiting from a dose of star power. The coolest bit? It even glows in the dark.
This one will set you back $59.99 (£49.99) at Turtle Beach, but I'd expect with so many excited Nintendo shoppers right now, you might want to act quickly on pre-ordering. That said, there is a bit of a caveat to think about in terms of futureproofing.
Interestingly, for anyone looking to pre-order a Nintendo Switch 2 at the moment, the marketing materials and press release Turtle Beach sent don't include any claims about it working with Switch 2. This is disappointing for sure, but it tracks.
We're still yet to hear any confirmation about third-party Nintendo Switch controllers being compatible with the new platform. Yes, we do have compatibility grids and confirmation about existing first-party Nintendo accessories, but still nothing about third-party products. Let's hope that with a skin this fun, we can expect to be racing around Mario Kart World with it in hand.
