Platform reviewed: PS5 Available on: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC Release date: October 25, 2024
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 feels like a throwback in the very best of ways. Lead developers Treyarch and Raven Software have smartly combined some of the most successful elements from entries across the long-running first-person shooter (FPS) series to craft a highly polished experience that excels in almost every regard.
Classic systems such as the traditional prestige mechanics, which offer the most dedicated online players the opportunity to partially reset their progress for exclusive rewards, or the simple but effective weapon attachments still haven’t lost their luster in 2024. It’s not all things that we’ve seen before though, as a handful of clever new innovations, like the flagship ‘omnimovement’ system, and the most high-fidelity graphics we've seen yet successfully drive the franchise forward and keep each facet of the experience feeling fresh.
The result is one of the best FPS games in almost a decade and a must-play for fans of the genre. There are still a couple of sore spots, like a handful of poorly designed multiplayer maps, that hold things back from total perfection, but, with plenty of new content on the way through a barrage of seasonal updates, the next twelve months of Call of Duty are well-positioned to be some of the greatest yet.
On the run
(Image credit: Activision)
The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign picks up roughly ten years after the story of 2020’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Set in 1991, it’s loosely centered around the events of the Gulf War, though with more of an eye towards covert espionage than boots-on-the-ground conflict. You play as a group of CIA operatives, sent into Iraq to intercept the Iraqi Minister of Defense and bring him back to the government in one piece.
As you might expect, this simple task goes wrong in a matter of minutes when a mysterious military force emerges from the shadows to thwart your mission. Reunited with the fan-favorite rogue spy Russel Adler, it soon becomes apparent that this organization, known as Pantheon, has close ties with the CIA, forcing the team off the grid. It’s a classic Mission Impossible-style premise and, while nothing particularly complex or sophisticated, is a perfectly serviceable framework for a series of absolutely stellar set pieces.
Best bit
(Image credit: Activision)
In a strong field, one particular campaign sequence sees you work as a team, cinematically swapping between characters to break into a shady casino is an absolute treat.
Variety elevates every moment campaign, with all manner of surprising mechanics and environments crammed into its roughly nine-hour runtime. There’s a refreshingly open assassination segment early on, with a variety of possible approaches that incentivises at least a couple of replays. Later on, you’re stealthily infiltrating a political fundraising event, investigating different possible leads, and scanning clues with a high-tech spy camera before a hair-raising motorcycle chase.
One highly memorable mission even takes on a wholly unexpected survival horror edge, equipping you with an overpowered grapple hook and bombarding you with legions of imagined zombies and powerful boss monsters.
In between each mission, you’re sent back to your safehouse, which offers its own suite of activities. Levels are littered with cash, which can be hoovered up and spent on safehouse upgrades to unlock new perks and gear going forward. Quite a few puzzles are hidden across its grounds too, giving achievement hunters plenty of incentive not just to blitz through the story.
This is also without a doubt the best-looking campaign in Call of Duty history, surpassing even the visual excellence of 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Multiple areas are breathtakingly realistic, with absolutely stunning, highly detailed textures and advanced lighting effects. Some of the more abstract scenes also allow the developer to really show off its artistic chops, with bright primary colors and an effective dream-like atmosphere. Performance is delightfully smooth on PlayStation 5 to boot, with resolutely stable frame rates even in the most intense moments.
Back to basics
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This year’s multiplayer experience smooths out many of my biggest frustrations with recent entries, returning to a formula that will feel immediately familiar to long-time fans. The painfully convoluted weapon attachment system of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is no more, superseded by a simplified selection of accessories that still offers plenty of customization without ever seeming overwhelming.
Rather than countless barely distinct options, each attachment category is populated by a handful of more significant mods. Some provide little buffs, while others bring much bigger bonuses alongside a noticeable drawback or two. Player perks have also been whittled down and are finally available right from the start of a match rather than staggered intervals.
You can choose up to three per loadout, with every perk sorted into a distinct Enforcer, Recon, or Strategist category. While you are free to mix and match between these categories to create your own custom builds, equipping three perks of the same type yields some very powerful bonuses. Picking three Enforcer ones, for example, gives you a major movement speed and health regeneration boost after each successful kill. These combinations are significant enough to tangibly impact play, but everything is still well balanced with no particular set taking a clear lead.
(Image credit: Activision)
The brand-new ‘ominmovement’ system, which lets you sprint, slide, and dive in any direction, is well integrated and leads to countless thrilling moments. Diving backwards off a tall ledge while peppering an enemy with bullets feels completely natural and it’s almost hard to believe that movement hasn’t always been this way. Combined with the high number of more compact 6v6 maps in its 16-map line up, most online matches have an absolutely incredible sense of pace.
There are some notable exceptions, though, mainly thanks to a small number of quite poor maps. Scud, which is set against the ruins of a decimated desert outpost, is a particularly sore example with far too many open sightlines that encourage slow games to a crawl as players favor sitting in key positions with sniper rifles. Rewind, a delightfully 1990s strip mall, is significantly better but still feels a little empty in a 6v6 format given its large size. These complaints will almost inevitably be addressed in future updates as more maps arrive, but it does still slightly dampen the online experience at launch.
Army of the dead
(Image credit: Activision)
The round-based zombies mode is another area where Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 borrows plenty from past games. For the uninitiated, the Zombies mode is deceptively simple - you drop into one of two maps with up to three friends and try to survive against increasingly powerful waves of the undead. Mowing down shambling creatures yields cash, spent on unlocking new areas of the map, buying new weapons, or sticking your gear through a Pack-a-Punch machine for an additional bit of kick. It's an incredibly effective formula and significantly more enjoyable than the more open-world Modern Warfare Zombies found in last year’s game.
That’s far from everything to discover, however, with a raft of easter eggs ranging from cute little references to entire story sequences hidden for the most dedicated players. Exclusive cosmetics, secret achievements, and plenty of level XP reward those who dig deep. I’ve already spent hours in the Zombies mode and, while I did manage to survive to round 41 and find the hilarious zombie bowling minigame on the Liberty Falls map, I still feel like I’m barely scratching the surface of everything that it has in store.
All three major components of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 are an absolute blast and are so brimming with content that they would even work well as entirely standalone games. As a complete package, the level of quality here is something that we haven’t seen from the franchise in years. Call of Duty is well and truly back.
Should I play Call of Duty: Black Ops 6?
(Image credit: Activision)
Play it if…
You want a blockbuster campaign The Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign is the franchise at its best, filled with memorable set pieces and engaging mechanics.
You love frantic multiplayer The online multiplayer is also a treat, with fast-paced encounters and a new ‘omnimovement’ system that practically generates action-movie moments.
Zombies is your go-to The round-based zombies offering in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is some of the best it’s been in years. Expect hours of entertainment if you manage to pull together a few friends for a squad.
Don’t play it if…
You prefer larger-scale maps The 16 launch maps in this year’s installment are mostly quite small. If you prefer larger maps, stick with the likes of 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and its huge Ground War mode instead.
Accessibility
(Image credit: Activision)
There are plenty of accessibility features in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. This includes a wide array of subtitle options for the campaign, and the ability to customize the colors of the entire UI and apply a range of visual filters.
The controls can be fully remapped across the board in both controller and keyboard play, with a range of assist settings that can remove the need to hold certain inputs if required.
How I reviewed Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
I'm a regular Call of Duty player with prior experience reviewing the series in addition to a wide range of other FPS titles. I completed the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign in a single sitting, clocking in at roughly ten hours including the time I spent exploring the safehouse and replaying a few missions.
I then spent around twenty hours (and counting) in its multiplayer mode, trying out all of its available playlists and maps. During that time I reached the maximum level and began Prestige 1. I also played multiple Zombies matches with friends and solo, getting to grips with its mechanics and the two launch maps.
I played on PlayStation 5 using a DualSense Wireless Controller. For audio, I relied on a pair of Astro A50 X headphones, which I found really helped the detailed sound effects shine. Throughout my time with the game, I compared my experience with that of other Call of Duty games.
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: Two-minute review
Not content with all but cornering the market in affordable gaming phones, Nubia has now turned its attention to addressing an even more niche market: that of the gaming tablet.
Following the limited launch of the Red Magic Tablet in 2023, the Red Magic Nova Tablet stands as Nubia’s first globally available gaming tablet, and is positioned as a full-sized tablet with top-level gaming performance at a mid-market price.
The Nova largely delivers on that promise, offering a level of gaming performance that punches well above its weight. This machine flies through high-end games on top settings, and although its 10.9-inch 144Hz IPS LCD isn’t the best screen on the market, it is able to keep up with the tablet’s monstrous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version processor. That’s good news for any games that can hit 120fps or higher.
There is the slight sense that Nubia hasn’t quite thought this whole gaming tablet thing through, though. For example, you have to suspect that committed gamers will be pairing up a Bluetooth controller, so a kickstand or a bundled-in case with a stand would have been useful.
Elsewhere, while performance is extremely impressive, our gaming benchmarks suggest that the Nova Tablet isn’t quite as stable across extended intensive sessions as you might hope. It’s nothing to worry about with today’s most advanced games, though, where everything flies.
Meanwhile, Nubia’s custom UI continues to need work, though Game Space remains a solid way to tweak and optimize your gaming experience.
All in all, the Red Magic Nova Tablet comes across as an extremely capable, keenly priced tablet that perhaps hasn’t yet reached its final form. Those looking for the best tablet performance for less than $500/ £500 should definitely consider it, and we’re excited to see how Nubia’s Red Magic sub-brand refines and develops its gaming tablet vision in future products.
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: price and availability
(Image credit: Future)
From $499/ £439
Open availability from October 16, 2024
The Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet went on sale on October 16, 2024, though at the time of writing, stock has run out due to high demand, and the device is listed as being available to pre-order on Red Magic's official website. Red Magic has, however, told TechRadar that stock will be replenished in November.
Nubia’s Red Magic sub-brand has always supplied outstanding value for money, and that continues to be the case with its first global gaming tablet. Pricing starts from just $499/£439 for the model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
There’s also a second, more premium model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage available for $649 / £559.
You won’t find another Android-based tablet with this level of performance for such a low price. The OnePlus Pad 2 gets closest, offering the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a similarly swift 144Hz display at a price of £499.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE gets closer to the Red Magic on price, starting from £449. However, it doesn’t even approach the Nova Tablet on raw performance.
It’s possible to buy a tablet that outstrips the Red Magic Nova Tablet for raw performance, but you’ll need to switch over to team Apple to do so. Even then, the mighty M2-powered iPad Air, which starts from $599 / £599, sports a puny 60Hz display, and lacks the Red Magic’s meaty cooling system for sustained gaming.
Value score: 5/5
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: specs
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: design
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Standard tablet shape and size with mostly metal body
Signature semi-transparent window and RGB
No 3.5mm headphone jack
Would benefit from a bundled case or an integrated kickstand
Nubia’s Red Magic gaming phones are pretty chunky and angular, but the Nova’s design is more in line with what you’d expect from a regular tablet. It’s got that familiar flat-edged form factor, with an all-metal body and tightly rounded corners.
At 7.3mm, this isn’t the thinnest tablet on the market, but nor is it distractingly thick. By the same token, a weight of 530g is only a little heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE – though Nubia’s use of the word ‘dainty’ on its website is a bit of a stretch.
It’s only when you turn the Nova Tablet over and look at the back that it makes its gaming aspirations known. Nubia has applied its familiar semi-transparent finish to the thin band running between the camera module and the opposite edge of the tablet.
Those aren’t actual components you can see through the transparent material, just a fancy bit of circuitry accented by a gold color. You also get a little diagram sketching out the internal heat pipe, with the words ‘Cooling System’ helpfully printed on it. Nubia has also advertised the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version chip in a similar manner.
One genuine component on display is the cooling fan, which can be seen alongside the rear camera. This lights up in full RGB when in use, as do the words ‘Red Magic’ in the opposite corner. It’s not exactly subtle by normal standards, but relative to the wider gamer aesthetic, it’s all quite low-key.
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The tablet feels nice to handle, with a power key partly recessed on the left edge. This doubles as a fingerprint sensor, and it performs quickly and reliably. As always, it’s never quite as intuitive an experience as the same system on a smartphone, but there is also a basic facial recognition system in place.
I’m a little puzzled by the omission of a 3.5mm headphone jack on the Red Magic. Given the size and thickness of the tablet and its gaming focus, providing the means for latency-free personal audio would seem like an obvious step.
Indeed, it feels as if Nubia hasn’t quite hit upon the final form of the gaming tablet just yet. It makes sense that the Nova lacks the capacitive air trigger buttons of, say, the Red Magic 9S Pro, as gamers are going to be pairing it up with a Bluetooth controller rather than holding it like a phone (though the idea of some rear-mounted capacitive controls is an intriguing one).
With this in mind, I’d argue that having a case with a decent kickstand would be more than a nice extra here, entering into ‘must-have’ territory. The company assures me that an optional cover should be available for the Nova Tablet’s global launch (alongside a stylus), but I wonder if such a thing should come as standard, even if that meant a slightly higher asking price. This feels like the kind of tablet that would really benefit from one. There’s even a case to be made for the device itself having a built-in kickstand, rather like the Nintendo Switch.
Design score: 3.5/5
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: display
(Image credit: Future)
10.9-inch IPS LCD with 2.8K resolution
Rapid 144Hz refresh rate
550 nits peak brightness
The Red Magic Nova Tablet employs a 10.9-inch display, which doesn’t feel as large as it once did. Not with the likes of the OnePlus Pad 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus bursting past the 12-inch mark.
It’s nice and sharp at 1800 x 2880 (Nubia calls this resolution ‘2.8K’), but the stand-out spec is a 144Hz refresh rate. The OnePlus Pad 2 also hits this mark, but it’s not what you’d call a typical refresh rate for a tablet. True, most mobile games won’t even hit the heady heights of 120Hz, but it’s nice to see a little headroom here nonetheless.
This refresh rate is paired with an 840Hz touch sampling rate, which means that it’s nice and responsive for those speedy multiplayer action games, should you not be using a paired Bluetooth controller.
Image quality is solid rather than spectacular. What with this being an IPS LCD, it lacks the pop and punch of an OLED, but that’s still not the kind of component you’ll typically find in a mid-priced tablet.
I would have liked the Nova to get a little brighter, though. Nubia cites a top brightness of 550 nits, which is fine. In practical terms, I frequently found myself cranking it up to the top brightness even when viewing the tablet indoors. This yielded a comfortable viewing experience, but a little more would have been welcome to help overcome those instances of glare or reflectiveness.
The screen is flanked by four symmetrically arranged speakers, with assistance from DTS-X Ultra Sound for a so-called “3D audio experience”. The resulting output is clear and loud, though we’re not talking about anything approaching iPad quality here which, given that price tag, is wholly understandable.
Display score: 3.5/5
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: performance
(Image credit: Future)
Slightly faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ‘Leading Version’ chip
12GB or 16GB RAM of LPDDR5X RAM
256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0 storage
Nubia has used the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version chip here that powers its latest gaming smartphone, the Red Magic 9S Pro. This is a slightly overclocked version of the chip that runs most of the best Android phones in 2024. In other words, it’s one of the very best mobile chips on the market. In benchmarking terms, it’ll top or at least match anything running on Android, and you’ll need to invest in an Apple M2-powered iPad Air or an M4-powered iPad Pro to flat-out beat it.
General performance is unimpeachable, especially with either 12 or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM backing it up. I’m testing the top spec, and I couldn’t make it sweat at all in general usage.
Of course, it’s not in regular scenarios that this tablet needs to be judged. This is a machine that’s built for gaming performance, and there isn’t much to worry about on that front either.
It’ll run both Genshin Impact and Wreckfest on maxed-out graphical settings with more or less perfect fluidity. That’s to be expected, because both of those games are a few years old now.
This speaks to a wider issue with dedicated mobile gaming devices. Mobile games themselves haven’t really pushed any technical boundaries for quite some time – at least not on Android – while mobile processors continue to get more and more powerful. The end result is that even a half-decent mid-range smartphone can play these more visually opulent games pretty well.
Where these gaming devices can set themselves apart is with sustained performance. Those top-notch off-the-shelf chips, when paired with bespoke cooling systems, can run faster for longer. To that end, Nubia has equipped the Red Magic Nova Tablet with a 20,000 RPM cooling fan.
Interestingly, you don’t get the accompanying open vent of the Red Magic smartphone series. This device instead uses the extra internal volume to create an extended but closed loop for cooling. Allied to that is a nine-layer cooling system, together with a 103mm-long 3D heat pipe.
It all sounds very impressive, but I was a little concerned about the performance stability of the Red Magic Nova Tablet. I ran a couple of 3D Mark Stress Tests, which simulate extended gaming performance through 20 consecutive minute-long graphical tests, with the tablet set to maximum gaming performance via the Game Space UI.
The results were mixed. The high-end Solar Bay Stress Test, in particular, ranged from 72% (fairly stable) to 26.5% (downright unstable), indicating that at least some degree of throttling is taking place over time. Switching between Rising and Balanced performance modes didn’t seem to make any difference here, either.
Even that top mark of 72% is far from blistering. It’s about what I got with the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus – a capable performer for sure, but also not a gaming specialist with a particularly extensive cooling system. True, the Red Magic scored higher marks in general, but it was no more consistent with it. I should also note that the tablet would occasionally run uncomfortably hot by the end of these tests.
Interestingly, I found similarly less-than-stellar results in these tests on the Red Magic 9S Pro smartphone. No other tablet or phone series has such a meaty cooling system, so could this indicate some inherent thermal limitations with the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Leading Version?
We should always bring it back to the games regardless, and in real-world use, I didn’t run into any throttling issues when gaming for extended spells. After an hour of Wreckfest running on maximum graphical settings, I didn’t notice any big drop in frame rate.
Nubia has included a single 50MP camera on the rear of the phone. Suffice it to say, if no tablet is particularly great for taking pictures, then a mid-priced gaming tablet definitely shouldn’t be relied upon. It’s an appropriately bare-bones offering with no OIS, though it does at least support 4K video at 30fps.
The 20MP selfie camera is similarly limited, though at least Nubia hasn’t resorted to using a terrible under-display example, like with its smartphones. It’ll do fine for video calls.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: software
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Red Magic OS 9.5 on Android 14
Ugly but functional UI
Game Space UI lets you fine-tune your gaming setup
Software has always been a bit of a weakness with Red Magic devices, and that hasn’t changed with the transition to a larger tablet form factor. You’re getting the same Red Magic OS 9.5 that ran on the Red Magic 9S Pro smartphone, layered over the same Android 14 OS.
It’s not an attractive UI, despite Nubia having corrected a lot of its worst aspects such as clumsy screen-filling widgets and poorly translated text. It still feels a little unfinished, as evidenced by the odd syntax-mangling Game Space notification.
I’d rather not have to deal with Nubia’s custom feed to the left of the main home screen, which pulls in randomly chosen news stories, as well as the kind of game recommendations no self-respecting gamer would entertain.
On a similar point, there are two folders dedicated to Hot Apps and Hot Games on the home screen. Needless to say, none of the applications contained within look remotely ‘hot’.
With all that said, Red Magic OS 9.5 is perfectly smooth and functional. It runs at a consistently speedy lick, and doesn’t flood the home screen with third-party apps. Yes, there’s an extraneous web browser, and yes, Booking.com sneaks its way in again. But both are at least stashed away in the app tray.
There’s no physical switch to activate Nubia’s Game Space app here, unlike with the brand’s gaming phones. It’s still there, though, running along in the background while playing games, as well as being accessible from the drop-down notification menu.
You can use this app to tweak fan, CPU, and GPU settings, and to set up screen recording. You can also tweak screen sensitivity settings here, as well as play around with screen ratios, among other things. It’s a powerful tool for gamers looking to set their favored game up just so.
Ultimately, Red Magic OS 9.5 is a perfectly functional UI that’s easy enough to work with, if tough to truly love.
Software score: 3.5/5
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet review: battery life
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10,100mAh battery
10 hours of light gaming is possible
80W charging gets it from 0 to 100% in an hour
Nubia has equipped the Red Magic Nova Tablet with a monstrous 10,100mAh battery. That’s bigger even than that of the OnePlus Pad 2, which is a bigger device.
The official estimate for battery life here is up to 10 hours of uninterrupted gaming on a single charge. However, this would presumably be with the display refresh rate set to 60Hz, the brightness kept relatively low, and a fairly undemanding game being played. I suspect that this isn’t a particularly representative scenario for your average committed gamer.
For my own usage, with the brightness and refresh rate cranked up to maximum, I couldn’t get anywhere near that figure, regardless of the game. After 30 minutes of Warzone Mobile, the battery life had dropped by 17%, which maps out to around three hours of gaming.
Even with lighter fare, I couldn’t get close to that stated figure. After 30 minutes of Slay the Spire, that percentage had dropped by 12%, suggesting it would have lasted four hours.
In more normal usage, with a little light gaming, some web browsing, and light app usage, you could very well get through a full working day on a single charge.
With such a large cell, there’s always the worry about charging times. Nubia has mitigated this with 80W charging support, and it even includes the brick in the box.
I couldn’t quite match Nubia’s estimate of a full charge in 55 minutes, but it still only took a smidgen over an hour in my testing. A quick 15-minute splash got it to 36%.
Battery score: 4/5
Should I buy the Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet?
Buy it if...
You want the fastest tablet possible for less than $500/£500 In terms of performance bang for your buck, the Red Magic Nova Tablet beats all comers.
You’re a committed mobile gamer The Nova Tablet is set up for gaming, with top-level performance and a suite of game-enhancing tools.
You dig the gamer aesthetic Nubia hasn’t gone too hard on the gamer aesthetic, but you still get a ‘cool’ semi-transparent motif on the back with some RGB lighting.
Don't buy it if...
You’re a fan of clean UIs Nubia’s custom software is a little on the ugly side, straying too far from stock Android.
You want the ultimate gaming tablet experience, money no object It might be fast and gaming-focused, but an iPad Pro remains a better gaming tablet overall.
You want a genuinely mobile gaming device The Red Magic Nova Tablet isn’t too big or heavy, but it’s still not ideal for gaming on the move.
Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet: also consider
OnePlus Pad 2 The OnePlus Pad 2 is perhaps the most direct competitor here, with its £549/£499 pricing, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 power, and larger 12.1-inch 144Hz display.
iPad Air (2024) The latest 11-inch iPad Air is more expensive than the Nova Tablet at $599 / £599, and its 60Hz display isn’t massively gamer-friendly, but it’s more powerful and has access to a bigger library of high-end games.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is similarly priced and a classier all-round operator, but it lacks the Nova Tablet’s gaming chops thanks to inferior power and a 90Hz display.
How I tested the Nubia Red Magic Nova Tablet
Review test period = 1 week
Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
Tools used = Geekbench 6, GFXBench, 3DMark, native Android stats, bundled Nubia 80W power adapter
Onyx has been aggressively pushing out new ereaders and e-paper writing tablets for a while now – the brand released the unique and compact Onyx Boox Palma and the Boox Note Air 3 series in quick succession, then followed it up with a new series called Go. This includes the Onyx Boox Go Color 7 ereader and the Boox Go 10.3 writing tablet that launched together, and a smaller Go 6 ereader that came later. It’s nice to have choices but, at the speed that it’s churning out new models, is Onyx making great products to keep up with the competition?
With the Boox Go 10.3, the Chinese brand has done better than what it did with the Go Color 7, which had too many software flaws when I tested it. The Go 10.3, on the other hand, is a far better device that looks remarkably like the reMarkable 2.
As the name suggests, it’s a 10.3-inch dedicated e-paper writing tablet and, like its Scandinavian counterpart, writes like a dream. Stylus input is fantastic with no lag whatsoever. With different pen and brush choices, plus different nib thicknesses, it will easily work as a digital sketch pad too.
While the reMarkable 2 was designed to remove distractions from the creative process, the Go 10.3 isn’t so discerning – you get full access to the Google Play Store on account of it running on a trimmed-down version of Android 12, plus there are a lot more features in the note-taking application than on a reMarkable. It’s important to note that not all third-party apps will allow stylus input, so you’ll need to decide which ones will be the most useful to you.
It can also double up as an ereader thanks to the baked-in library app (NeoReader), something the reMarkable doesn’t quite master. However, lacking a screen light – just like the reMarkable – you’re not going to be able to use it for nighttime reading.
What I find most impressive here is that Onyx has trimmed its user interface down to make it a lot – and I do mean A LOT – more streamlined than on its previous e-ink tablets, but it still requires a slight learning curve. If you’re willing to put that time in, it could well be the better e-paper writing tablet for you, especially since the price difference between it and the reMarkable 2 isn’t all that different.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: price & availability
List price: $379.99 / €419.99 (about £355) / AU$699
Ships with a stylus and magnetic sleep case from the Boox Shop
Available to buy directly from the Boox Shop or third-party retailers
Launched in June 2024, the Boox Go 10.3 e-paper tablet carries a list price of $379.99 / €419.99 (about £355) / AU$699. When purchased directly from the Boox Shop, this price includes the stylus and a beige magnetic sleep case, but the latter may not be available as part of the bundle in some markets when bought from third-party resellers.
Given the reMarkable 2 has a similar price tag, now available for $379 / £389 / AU$639 bundled with the base Marker – which is a small drop since the reMarkable Paper Pro was launched – the Boox is quite well priced. In fact, it’s cheaper than the company’s own Onyx Boox Note Air 3, which retails for $479 / €549.99 (around £445) / AU$749 at full price.
However, without a screen light, it’s a little hard to recommend over other writing e-paper tablets like the Kobo Elipsa 2E ($399 / £350 / AU$629) and the Amazon Kindle Scribe (starting price of $339 / £339 / AU$549). If you want something far more portable than the 10-inch tablets, the Kobo Libra Colour will set you back $219.99 / £219.99 / AU$359.95 plus an additional $69.99 / £69.95 / AU$119.95 for the Kobo Stylus 2 purchased separately – that's good bang for buck considering you get a good color display and the full suite of Kobo writing features.
• Value score: 3.5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: specs
Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: Design & display
Beautiful, slimline design in white and grey
10.3-inch E Ink Carta 1200 screen with no frontlighting
Built-in speakers and mic
The Boox Go 10.3 takes a lot of its design cues from the reMarkable 2 but there are some differences that make the Onyx tablet smaller, lighter and potentially more durable. For starters, the Go 10.3 has a textured rear panel that feels very much like faux leather but is plastic. It offers a lot more grip than the glass on reMarkable 2, and makes the Boox lighter in comparison. This also means that the Go 10.3 doesn’t need the little nubs that the reMarkable uses as feet to protect its rear panel.
The aluminum edges of the Go 10.3 are rounded, leading to slim bezels that sit flush with the glass screen. The lower bezel, which is broader on both the Boox and the reMarkable, is comparatively smaller on the Go 10.3, making it the slightly shorter tablet and potentially shaves off a tiny weight too. The flip side to that is the Go 10.3 is more prone to accidental screen touches as compared to the reMarkable 2. Personally, I prefer the bezels on the reMarkable 2, with the metallic finish and white borders – epitomizing Scandinavian minimalism – compared to the light grey on the Boox.
Keeping the rest of the design looking sleek, the Go 10.3’s power button, placed on the top right edge (compared to the top left on the reMarkable), sticks out only marginally, so you can find it by feel. The bottom edge houses the USB-C port in the middle, with speaker and mic grills on either side of it.
The Boox Go 10.3 lying atop the reMarkable 2(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The Go 10.3 is now arguably the thinnest writing tablet in this class – its thickness is only just enough to enclose the aforementioned USB-C port – measuring just 4.6mm. That’s just a millimeter less than the reMarkable 2 which, until now, has held the title of the thinnest e-paper writing tablet. The Go 10.3 tips the scales at a mere 375g, which is lighter than the reMarkable 2 (403.5g) and the 2022 Amazon Kindle Scribe (433g). Despite that, it doesn’t feel fragile in the hand.
As the name suggests, the Boox boasts a 10.3-inch display, which uses the E Ink Carta 1200 screen technology. That’s now a generation behind with the Carta 1300 already in use in the Kobo Clara BW and Amazon adopting it in its 2024 range of Kindles. Where the Go 10.3 one-ups the reMarkable 2 is in screen resolution and overall contrast – you get a 300ppi display here (compared to 226ppi), while a side-by-side comparison shows that the blacks are blacker on the Boox. This makes text appear sharper on the Go 10.3 as compared to its competition, although the contrast on the Kobo Elipsa 2E (which also has a 227ppi screen resolution) is much better than the Go 10.3, which makes the latter a superior ereader.
That said, the reMarkable’s screen has a better anti-glare coating than the Boox – during my testing I frequently had issues with overhead lights creating bright spots on the Go 10.3, which made reading at certain angles quite difficult.
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(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Thanks to the glass layer on the screen, writing on the Go 10.3 is a pleasure. I’d say it comes close to the reMarkable 2 and the Kindle Scribe – which are my favourite e-paper tablets to write on – with the Boox coming in a very close third. It ships with a stylus, which is a basic pen that doesn’t have the eraser functionality – for such a premium tablet, I think that’s a glaring omission.
If you’re buying the tablet directly from Onyx, you’ll also get a magnetic sleepcover for the Go 10.3. It’s a lovely-looking beige faux-leather folio, with a fold on the rear panel to convert it into a stand. However, the flap that keeps the folio closed is a separate piece that attaches magnetically and is easily dislodged when taking the tablet in and out of the bag. In fact, if you fold the cover back completely, the flap magnetically sticks to the front panel and comes away with it when you close the folio. It’s a small thing but I found it so annoying that I stopped using it after a couple of days into my testing.
Unfortunately you’re likely to lose the stylus without the folio case. While the right edge of the Go 10.3 is magnetic to secure the stylus, it’s too darn weak to be of any use. The curved edge doesn’t help either, reducing the amount of surface area the pen gets to secure itself to.
• Design & display score: 4 / 5
The Boox Go 10.3 beside the reMarkable 2 – the former is slightly shorter and thinner(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: Software & user interface
As mentioned earlier in this review, the Boox Go 10.3 runs a custom, trimmed-down version of Android 12 that focuses purely on reading and writing. Importantly, Onyx has also used this focus to streamline the user interface on the Go 10.3, which makes it a much easier Boox tablet to use than any I’ve tested before.
I suspect it’s this better UX that has eliminated a lot of the software issues I had with the Onyx Boox Go Color 7, or the company put all its efforts into the bigger flagship tablet and didn’t test out the smaller ereader enough before release. Whatever the reason, it means the Go 10.3 is a superior writing tablet that can give the reMarkable 2 a run for its money.
So while you won’t get the smartphone experience here, you will be able to download third-party apps from the Google Play Store, which makes the Go 10.3 a more versatile writing tablet than anything from the competition.
Android OS and apps
Customized Android UX
The most streamlined UX of any previous Boox writing tablet
Not all third-party apps are usable
All current Boox devices run on a customized version of Android – Android 12 in this case – which is how you’re able to get access to the Google Play Store. Despite the OS being a little out of date compared to what you’d get on the latest Android phone, it’s not an issue for an e-paper tablet.
The Boox already has full support for Evernote and OneNote, as well as easy syncing to cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, but you can also download and use other apps that you prefer. One thing to keep in mind is that not all of them will offer stylus input if the developer hasn’t allowed for it on the Android version of that particular app, or there could be input delays when rendering the writing on screen, which happened to me when trying Evernote.
Another thing to keep in mind when using an e-paper tablet like the Go 10.3 is that not all apps are optimized for this kind of display. Practically every app on the Play Store will have been developed for use on an LCD or OLED display – so a smartphone or a multimedia tablet – and E Ink’s screen tech doesn’t respond as well. Firstly, the screen refresh rate isn’t fast enough for most non-productivity applications, so while you can watch videos on YouTube in black and white, it’s not the best experience. You can play some mobile games (again, in black and white), but your graphics won’t be as clean as on your phone or regular tablet, and that’s despite the Go 10.3 using a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor paired with an Adreno 610 GPU.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
What I really like about the Go 10.3 over other similar Onyx Boox note-taking tablets is the overall user interface – it’s a lot cleaner and streamlined here, and isn’t plagued with the same software glitches I found when I tested the Boox Go Color 7. The only problem is that the default Fonts folder in the Settings isn’t connected to the Storage tab where it needs to live – so anyone sideloading fonts will need to create a new Fonts folder under Storage to make them work on NeoReader (the native library app).
The main applications are arranged to the left, making navigation simple, and an easy swipe up from the bottom bezel exits the app you're on. The system settings are also more streamlined, but there are still plenty of customization options within the System Display tab and Gestures. The latter is similar to what you’d find on other Android devices which, I personally think, is a bit of an overkill for the Go 10.3 but I’m sure other users would appreciate the various options.
As with other Boox devices, there’s also a NaviBall, which is optional to use. Tap on this circular icon and it will open a selection of up to nine configurable buttons to trigger up to 30 different functions.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
You also have the Control Center on the Go 10.3 which is an easy way to access specific features like the AI assistant, Boox cloud storage, Kids Mode, Split Screen and, importantly, the E Ink Center. The last option is the most useful in my opinion as this is where you can control a lot of the system settings for the device, especially adjusting the refresh rate from a choice of four speed settings. Better yet, you can set individual apps at different refresh rates to suit.
The one feature on any Boox device that’s been the least useful is the built-in bookstore. You’ll typically find titles that are already in the public domain, but considering you can always use the Kindle or Kobo app on the Go 10.3, you can ignore the Store tab entirely. You can also use the native browser to make purchases online.
One thing to note here: like the Boox Go Color 7, the Go 10.3 doesn't register on a Mac device's Finder application, which makes it hard to transfer files via a cable. It does, however, register on a Windows machine, but I found that existing files cannot be found via the usual pathways. The best way to use this Boox tablet is via cloud sync.
• Software score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Writing & productivity
Native note-taking app is great but might be overkill for some users
Broad support for note apps and cloud services
Excellent stylus input
When it comes to writing, the Go 10.3 has excellent stylus input – there was never any lag during my testing. That said, I did have the input fail a few times on the native Notes app (where a line appeared on screen the moment the stylus touches it), and a full restart of the tablet was needed to fixed the problem. I’ve encountered this issue on the Kobo Elipsa 2E as well, but the latter allows for just that page to be refreshed, which solves the problem quicker than on the Boox.
Despite being a grayscale device, there is support for a handful of colors on the Go 10.3. You’ll see the options when you choose a pen or brush type in the Notes app and, when exported – as a PDF or PNG file – you’ll see those colors displayed on your computer.
There are five pen types to choose from, each with up to five thickness (width) levels.
There’s a heck of a lot of other functionalities within the Notes app itself, so you really don’t need a third-party application for writing or drawing, unless you’re syncing them to a specific cloud account.
You can add shapes and layers for, say, flowcharts and you can insert links to notes as well. The AI icon helps convert handwritten notes to text and, for the most part, the conversion is correct unless your handwriting is literally chicken scratches. Similar to the reMarkable 2, the Go 10.3 is excellent for annotating PDF files – you can fill forms and sign on the device, then export to your computer or a cloud service of your choice. There’s also image-to-text support (OCR) available if you need it, which will make pretty much anything within the powerful Notes app searchable.
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Each document can have up to 500 pages, but I found that the bigger the notebook gets, the slower it is to reopen the next time you want to access it on the Go 10.3. This happened with a 7-page document, and the largest I had during my testing was 10 pages, so I’m not entirely sure how well a 100-page document will perform, let alone 500 pages. The aforementioned 10-page document even crashed once during my testing period.
The one thing I wish the native Notes app had was an easier way to delete individual pages within a document. This functionality exists, but is hidden away: you need to tap on the page number displayed on the top right corner, which opens the individual pages on a side panel. There, you need to spot the three dots for each page and then select ‘delete’. It’s a lot easier to do this on other writing tablets like the reMarkable 2, the Kobo Elipsa 2E and the Kindle Scribe.
Another missing feature for multi-page documents is tap-to-turn – you have to use the arrow icons on the top right corner to navigate page by page, or open the side panel to reveal all the pages.
If you’re a digital artist, the Go 10.3 will make an ideal sketchpad. There’s 4,096 pressure sensitivity levels that can capture nuances of the stylus quite well, with brush strokes looking quite detailed on the E Ink display. That said, there’s no tilt support on the Go 10.3, which you will get on the reMarkable 2.
• Writing and productivity score: 4.5 / 5
Reading
Native library app is full featured
Default Fonts folder is not linked for use
Lacks a screen light for nighttime reading
Like the native Notes application, the baked-in NeoReader is also full-featured and has been built for e-paper screens. Text is sharp and very readable on the grayscale display and the customizable Floating Toolbar is handy for quick access to shortcuts. However, comparing the 300ppi display on the Go 10.3 with the 227ppi Kobo Elipsa 2E shows a marked difference in contrast – the lower resolution screen has darker text, which makes it stand out more without the frontlight on.
The Boox Go 10.3 (left) is fine to read on but lacks contrast when compared directly to the Kobo Elipsa 2E (right)(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
On the Go 10.3, however, the lack of a light – which it borrows from the reMarkable 2 – makes it hard to use as an ereader for nighttime reading. So if you want your e-ink tablet to double as both an ereader and a note-taker, you might be better off looking elsewhere.
And while there’s wide font support, the NeoReader only has a single (unnamed) serif option available for use without dedicated weights or stylization (like bold and italics). While you can sideload a plethora of fonts, they don’t get saved within the default Fonts folder – instead, you need to create a new one within Storage for the additional fonts to be enabled within the library app.
If you happen to already have a Kindle or Kobo account, I personally recommend them over NeoReader, although the customizations here will be limited to what the two platforms allow on their Android apps. The page setup, though, is cleaner and makes reading a nicer experience. And, as I’ve previously mentioned, the built-in bookstore isn’t worth checking out at all.
• Reading score: 3.5 / 5
Onyx Boox Go 10.3 review: Performance
Minimal ghosting compared to other Boox tablets
Responsive screen
Decent battery life, but significant drain in sleep mode
The combination of the mid-range Snapdragon 680 CPU and the Adreno 610 GPU is plenty to keep the Go 10.3 ticking along real nicely. During my testing, I noticed no issues with core tasks like writing and reading.
It’s arguably one of the best writing experiences I’ve had on an e-ink tablet, with absolutely no stylus input lag, although I found some multi-page handwritten documents can take a little longer than expected to open. One of my documents, which was 10 pages, even crashed, although I think I’ll put this down as a one-off as it happened just once. That said, launching Android apps is quite fast for a device like this and can match some budget phones or traditional tablets.
Individual apps can have their own refresh rates set, which is excellent, although even at the fastest speed, some apps might stutter. This includes the browser which, when scrolling through rapidly, will have a few hiccups. That’s natural, though, as it’s just how e-ink screens are.
One improvement I’ve noticed on the Go 10.3 compared to other Boox tablets is the lack of ghosting. During my testing, I experienced only the mildest when I was using the browser, but had no issues when using the Notes app to write or draw. I did have the occasional overlay when using the NeoReader but, again, it was significantly less than other Boox devices.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Without a screen light, the 3,700mAh battery can go quite the distance – depending on how much you use the Go 10.3, it can last 2-3 weeks on a single charge. However, there is a significant drain when the tablet is in sleep mode. I found it can drop anywhere from 2% to 10%, depending on how long it stays inactive. Onyx gets around this issue by allowing you to let the device power down completely after a day or two of inactivity (you can select this in the Settings pane), but even then I found a little battery drain. While this issue might be fixable via a future firmware update, it can mean that a full charge could last no more than a week.
Moreover, if you use the built-in speakers for listening to audiobooks or music, you might end up draining the battery a little faster than when using it for just writing and reading. And while sound quality isn't the best for music, it's perfectly adequate for audiobook narrations and can get quite loud within a small room. I personally prefer using one of the best wireless headphones for listening on any e-ink tablet.
Topping up the battery isn’t too bad – I found the Go 10.3 went from 20% to full in approximately two hours. This is when plugged into a 65W wall charger and using a high quality USB-C to C cable (not the provided one) – it will be slower to juice up if you plug the device into a PC, laptop or a docking station, or if you use a USB-A to C cable.
• Performance score: 4 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Should I buy the Onyx Boox Go 10.3 e-paper tablet?
Buy it if...
You want the lightest, thinnest e-paper writing tablet
Thinner and lighter than even the reMarkable 2, the Boox Go 10.3 is arguably the best-looking 10-inch e-paper writing tablet I've tested. It's just a shame that the stylus doesn't secure well to the side or the top of the device.
You want access to Android apps on your e-ink tablet
There are plenty of 10-inch e-paper writing tablets to choose from these days, but the ability to use third-party Android apps might just prove to be advantageous to some users.
You want to do more than just read and write on the e-ink tablet
It might not support stylus tilt functionality, but the Boox Go 10.3 is still wonderful to draw on. And writing is just as great, if not better, with no input lag to complain about. Better yet, it's got built-in speakers, so you can listen to music or audiobooks (even stream via the Android app of your choice).
Don't buy it if...
You want your writing tablet to double as your ereader as well
While you can read on the Boox Go 10.3 just fine, the lack of a frontlight means it's not much use in the dark, when many an avid reader would love to wind down with a good book.
You need more than 64GB of storage
For an expensive tablet, it's a shame that the Boox Go 10.3 has no expandable storage – especially since there are other Boox devices that come with a microSD tray that can support up to an additional 1TB of data.
You'd prefer a more budget-friendly option
Most 10-inch e-ink note-taking tablets are expensive, but if you don't mind opting for a smaller device, like the Kobo Libra Colour or the Kobo Sage, you can save a lot of money despite having to purchase the stylus separately.
Also consider
reMarkable 2
It might be getting a little long in the tooth (having released in 2020), but this Scandinavian writing tablet nails productivity perfectly. No distractions, minimalistic user interface and a remarkable (pun intended) writing experience. If you have some extra cash, the keyboard folio can be real handy. Read our in-depthreMarkable 2 reviewfor more details
Amazon Kindle Scribe
While there's a new (2024) edition of the Scribe available now, the original Amazon writing tablet is a little cheaper and a very good alternative if you want a 10-inch e-ink note-taker. It's the only such device to support Microsoft Word documents natively and it's screen is arguably one of the most well-optimized displays I've tested. Read our fullAmazon Kindle Scribe reviewto learn more
Kobo Elipsa 2E
It's not the smoothest screen to write on, but the note-taking features in Kobo's Advanced Notebooks is par excellence. Handwriting recognition is also one of the best I've tested and, to me, this is arguably the best alternative to opt for if you want both an ereader and a writing tablet in one. Read our fullKobo Elipsa 2E reviewfor more information
If you prefer something smaller and cheaper, you can opt for the Kobo Libra Colour – you'll get a 7-inch color display and the full Kobo writing suite, but you will need to purchase the stylus separately. Check out our in-depthKobo Libra Colourreview to learn more
How I tested the Onyx Boox Go 10.3
Used the device for approximately two months
It became my main writing device during that time
Did some reading and listened to some audio files as well
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The first thing I did when I took the Go 10.3 out of its box was to sign into my Onyx account to sync existing notes across from previous Boox tablets I've used. I then signed into my Google account to transfer some ebooks to the tablet and access the Play Store.
Previous experience with Boox devices had already taught me to avoid the built-in bookstore, so I promptly downloaded both the Kindle and Kobo Android apps to access the libraries I've built up on those two platforms. I also downloaded a couple of benchmarking applications to determine what CPU was being used (Onyx doesn't make it very clear on its site) and check the battery stats.
The Go 10.3 then became my daily note-taker – I used it for a lot of work-related notes, including jotting down points for this review – and, even though I'm no artist, I did try drawing some simple sketches. All my notes are synced to my Google Drive account for access on a laptop or PC, and I also exported a couple of documents to cloud storage as PDFs for printing.
Given this is a writing tablet first and foremost, I tested the native Notes app thoroughly, but also tried out Evernote briefly.
Platform reviewed: PS5 Available on: PS5, PC Release date: October 31, 2024
PlayStation Studios holds the keys to a staggering number of franchises, but the company really, really wants you to know about Horizon.
That’s the impression I’ve been getting ever since Horizon Zero Dawn debuted on the PlayStation 4 back in 2017, with the company catapulting protagonist Aloy to the front of as many marketing campaigns as possible since. Perhaps that’s down to Hermen Hulst moving from developer Guerilla Games up the ladder to become the boss of Sony’s first-party output, but whatever the case, the franchise is here to stay.
And, while we’re due a blocky version of Aloy’s adventures this year with LEGO Horizon Adventures, we’ve also got a drop-dead gorgeous remaster of the PS4 original coming to PlayStation 5.
If you’ve not caught up with Aloy and her robot-slaying bow skills, Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered offers the best opportunity to do so as one of the best PS5 games of recent years. If you’re a seasoned member of the tribe, however, you may find less to enjoy.
A post-post-apocalypse, again
(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)
It’s worth noting that attaching ‘Remastered’ to the title of the base game actually feels a little like a misnomer in this context. This is far more impressive than a new lick of paint over the first, original version of the game. That’s not to say it isn’t drastically prettier (which I’ll come to shortly), but if you’re expecting the game to feel a little less special based on that title, you may be surprised.
Within ten minutes, I played as a young Aloy wandering the subterranean halls of a lab that’s been buried for centuries. Aside from the way the light bounces off the water, reflecting intricately across the walls, when Aloy first grabs her Focus (the gadget she uses to navigate the world), the way its purple-hued UI contrasts with the cavernous corridors made me sit forward in my chair.
Exteriors also showcase a significant glow-up. I found there to be more dynamic lighting and lens flare on display, both from the sunlight over mountains and trees and from the angry eye of the Watcher machines, but it’s the foliage that feels most impressive.
(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)
Aloy walks through it as it sways and reacts to her movements, and she reaches out her hands to touch it in return. Cutscene motion capture has been redone in many spots (at least according to Sony), but some slightly iffy animations with the younger Aloy feel a little off, notably when she falls awkwardly into the aforementioned lab.
That’s alleviated after the time jump that sees her reintroduced as an adult, however, and from that moment on you’d struggle to tell the difference between this remaster and the second game in the series, 2022’s Horizon Forbidden West.
It’s not just Aloy that sees a glow-up, either. Her mentor, Rost, has more detail in his character model, with a more realistic beard than I remember in 2017, and while some unnamed non-player characters (NPCs) look much the same, all named characters have drastically improved detail in their features and clothing, right down to stitching on outfits.
That extends to the machines that roam the world, too, with everything from the Watcher to the Thunderjaw to the Stormbird having clearer, more mechanical details like robotic sinews and circuitry.
Time for another look
(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)
Sure, it’s prettier than the 2017 original, but Zero Dawn was never a slouch in the visual department. In fact, the reason fewer people were talking about it was likely its awkward release timing alongside the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - another open-world game that enjoyed the benefit of being attached to an established franchise.
With that in mind, this remaster marks a great opportunity to look at Zero Dawn free of those contemporaneous comparisons, and it’s remarkable just how well the game’s underlying mechanics hold up.
It’s a game full of satisfying moments, most notably in combat. Whacking a robot to see its armor plating fly off and sparks fly remains just as enjoyable now as it was in 2017, and while stealth remains a formulaic process of wandering between patches of long grass, there’s something so kinetic about Zero Dawn’s bow and trap combo that makes it no wonder Sony is reportedly working on a game-as-a-service within this universe.
Using the tripcaster to fell a colossal mechanical beast, or sliding away from a Strider while triggering slow motion to fire a fire arrow at the canister on its back are made more tactile by the improved rumble and haptic triggers of the DualSense wireless controller this time around, and while the sound of the Focus through the controller speakers still feels a little annoying at times, the whole thing tickles the brain so nicely that I’d suggest Horizon is to third-person combat what Destiny is to first-person shooters.
Best Bit
(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)
There’s a moment right at the start of the game where a young Aloy wanders through the ruins of a lab that’s been buried underground. The way the light in the area reflects off the water in the cave-like lab is a great early showcase of this remaster’s graphical fidelity.
Everything is executed to such an impressive level of finesse that I can see myself grinding levels to earn skills for Aloy all over again, and that’s even with features from the sequel missing like vertical traps and a charged spear attack. That means coming back from Forbidden West doesn’t feel as jarring as it could have done, and if you’ve not played Zero Dawn before playing the sequel then there’s never been a better time.
A big part of why it feels so good to play is the performance mode options, which are pretty much a straight transplant from Horizon Forbidden West. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered runs in 4K in Favor Resolution mode but can run in Favor Performance Mode at 30, 40, and 60 frames per second (FPS) modes with tradeoffs at each level on PC, while the PS5 version offers just a 60 FPS version.
I will say that while Resolution mode is often my preference for increased detail, the Performance mode quickly became my standard way to enjoy the remaster. That’s mostly down to the increased fluidity which can be felt throughout just about any animation, whether it’s Aloy running or aiming her bow. Whichever mode I tested, however, I didn’t see frame drops of any real consequence, nor any major drop in visual fidelity.
The only real disappointment when returning from the sequel is that Horizon Zero Dawn’s world is noticeably flatter in terms of topography. There are still hills and craggy cliffs to climb, but Forbidden West added more in the way of verticality to its terrain which makes things feel a little less varied here.
"I’ve been here before"
(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)
Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered is £45 / $50 for anyone jumping in for the first time, but if you already own it you’ll get it for just £10 / $10. For that, it’s hard not to be tempted given what’s on offer visually, and given it’s been free on various PlayStation promotions in the past, you may be surprised to know you already have access to it.
This Remaster also includes the Frozen Wilds expansion which adds a new region, quests, and skills for Aloy to unlock, making it a truly complete edition - except we’ve already had a Complete Edition… and a PS5 performance patch, too.
That might mean you’re less excited to go back than you otherwise would have been, but you can import your save if you left off at any point prior. The process is very simple, and leans on cloud saves too - I was grateful to have found some old saves from back in 2018 that I could use to get back to some of the game’s most impressive machines. You can also start a New Game+ from your prior save. The Photo Mode is also great, offering a whole host of options with which I snagged the majority of the shots in this review and it’s easy to dive in and out of it from the pause menu.
Your level of enjoyment in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will likely depend on how much time you’ve spent with it before. If it turned you into a lifelong fan of Aloy’s adventures, then you’ll undoubtedly pay the modest fee for a visually stunning facelift of the first chapter. If you finished it and put it down, there may be less reason for you to return.
You’ll be disappointed if you’re looking for new content, but that’s not what this Remaster is about. It’s a stunning game, and if you want to revisit the game - or you missed Frozen Wilds and want to see that in all its glory - then this is the definitive and best-looking version of the game to play now.
Should you play Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered?
Play it if...
You flat-out missed it last time Horizon has become a big franchise for PlayStation, and this is a great way to experience its beginnings if you’ve not played the PS4 or upscaled PS5 version.
You want to enjoy your PS5’s graphical prowess As far as PlayStation exclusives go, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is a great way to show off the console’s power with some genuinely impressive visuals and character models.
You’re looking for moreHorizon If you’ve been hankering for more PS5 Horizon content after finishing Forbidden West then this is the way to get it - even if it’s retreading old ground in terms of benign a remastered of the original, the cheap upgrade price of $10 / £10 represents exceptional value, and it almost feels like a whole new adventure.
Don't play it if...
You’re looking for new content for the game Aside from the inclusion of Frozen Wilds, there’s little new here that wasn’t around at launch in 2017. The low upgrade pricing helps entice, but unless you’re a huge Horizon fan, you’ll likely dip in and dip out.
Accessibility
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered follows on from Forbidden West with an array of accessibility features including remappable buttons, hold/press options for commands, adjustable weapon wheel speed, and co-pilot functionality to allow a second controller to be used to mirror controls. There are also a series of difficulty settings to make the game easier or more challenging, including modifiers to damage dealt, damage taken, and an auto heal option.
You can opt to have quest destinations automatically show on screen or to be able to explore and find them by yourself, while subtitles are offered in multiple sizes and with or without backgrounds. Tinnitus sounds can also be switched off entirely, and there are audio and vibration cues when action prompts are shown on screen.
The biggest omission, however, is colorblind modes. While these were added post-launch with Forbidden West, they’re simply not here in Zero Dawn Remastered. Here’s hoping it’s patched in soon.
(Image credit: Sony/PlayStation)
How I reviewed Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
I played the game from the beginning for around 10 hours, before jumping into a late game save from the PS4 version to tackle bigger, endgame-level machines for a further five hours.
I spent half of the time in Performance mode, and the other half in the quality mode to test the differences between them. All of this was done on a base (launch) PlayStation 5 console with a Sky Glass 4K TV and the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7P.
