"Doom: The Dark Ages Struggles on Handheld PC"

The much-anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages has arrived, and if you're a fan of handheld gaming PCs, you're probably eager to know if the Asus ROG Ally X can run it smoothly. Aiming for at least 30 frames per second (fps) is essential for playability, though hitting 60fps would be the dream scenario. Unfortunately, if you're expecting the same stellar performance as with Doom Eternal on the Ally, you might be in for a surprise.

The world of PC gaming handhelds is thriving, with the Asus ROG Ally X leading the pack. While it uses the same AMD Z1 Extreme processor found in other top-tier handhelds, it stands out with its impressive 24GB of system memory, of which 16GB is dedicated to the GPU. The memory speed of 7,500MHz significantly enhances memory bandwidth, crucial for the integrated graphics of the Z1 Extreme.

This makes the ROG Ally X an ideal candidate for testing Doom: The Dark Ages, offering the best chance to meet the game's demanding system requirements. As games continue to push hardware limits, the Ally X serves as a benchmark to determine if less powerful handhelds can keep up, until the next generation of devices arrives later this year.

The Best Handheld Gaming PC### Asus Asus ROG Ally X

7With double the battery life and significantly faster memory, the Asus ROG Ally X has established itself as the premier handheld gaming PC on the market. See it at Best BuyCan the Asus ROG Ally Handle Doom: The Dark Ages?

Before diving in, ensure you've updated your chipset for the best performance with Doom: The Dark Ages. Updating is straightforward on the ROG Ally X: Navigate to Armoury Crate (bottom right menu button), click the cogwheel at the top, and head to the Update Center. Look for the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver update, or use the "Check for Updates" feature to locate the RC72LA update, then select "Update All."

For these tests, the Ally X was plugged in and set to Turbo Operating Mode (30W) to maximize performance. The in-game graphics menu's Texture Pool Size was set to the maximum of 4,096 megabytes, leveraging the Ally X's ample 24GB RAM (with 16GB usable) without straining the system even at Ultra Nightmare settings.

All tests were conducted with resolution scaling disabled. While dynamic resolution was tested, results mirrored those at 720p, as the target frame rate was unattainable, causing dynamic resolution to default to 720p.

Doom: The Dark Ages ROG Ally X PerformanceUltra Nightmare, 1080p15fpsUltra Nightmare, 720p24fpsNightmare, 1080p16fpsNightmare, 720p24fpsUltra, 1080p16fpsUltra, 720p24fpsHigh, 1080p16fpsHigh, 720p26fpsMedium, 1080p17fpsMedium, 720p30fpsLow, 1080p20fpsLow, 720p35fpsTesting focused on the intense opening section of the second mission, Hebeth, to fully stress the hardware with its effects and particles. The results were less than encouraging.

Running Doom: The Dark Ages at 1080p on the Ally X was challenging, averaging just 15fps on Ultra Nightmare, making it unplayable. Lowering the settings to Nightmare, Ultra, and High barely improved the situation, averaging 16fps, while Medium nudged up to 17fps. Only the Low preset at 1080p offered a modest increase to 20fps, still far from smooth. Clearly, 1080p performance is not feasible on any graphics preset.

Switching to 720p provided somewhat better results, though still not ideal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra averaged 24fps, and High settings reached 26fps. While not truly playable, these settings might be tolerable for die-hard fans. It wasn't until dropping to Medium at 720p that the game became playable, averaging 30fps. Low settings at 720p even improved to 35fps.

Asus ROG Ally X Isn’t Ready for Doom: The Dark Ages

As much as I appreciate handheld gaming PCs and my Asus ROG Ally X, it's clear they lack the power needed for Doom: The Dark Ages. The Ally X struggles significantly to deliver a smooth gaming experience. If 30fps is your benchmark for playability, you're limited to Medium and Low settings at 720p.

Steam Deck enthusiasts will face similar challenges, given its less powerful specs compared to the Ally X. Expect to play at its 800p resolution on Low settings just to achieve 30fps, a scenario that holds true for all current-generation handhelds.

However, there's hope on the horizon. The next generation of mobile chipsets, such as the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme expected later this year, may change the game. Rumored to power devices like the Asus ROG Ally 2 and possibly an Xbox-branded model, these advancements could significantly improve performance for demanding titles like Doom: The Dark Ages. We'll need to wait and see how these developments unfold.