"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 might be eager to know if the Asus ROG Ally X can handle it. Aiming for a minimum of 30 frames per second for playability, with a dream of reaching 60fps, let's dive into how well this powerhouse performs with such a demanding title.

The world of PC gaming handhelds is thriving, and the Asus ROG Ally X stands out as a leader. Powered by the AMD Z1 Extreme, this device boasts an impressive 24GB of system memory, with 16GB dedicated to the GPU. What sets it apart is its memory speed, clocking in at 7,500MHz, which significantly boosts the memory bandwidth crucial for the integrated graphics. This makes the ROG Ally X an ideal candidate for testing the limits with Doom: The Dark Ages, serving as a benchmark for other handhelds to follow.

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

7With its enhanced battery life and superior memory speed, the Asus ROG Ally X has solidified its position as the premier handheld gaming PC available. Check it out at Best Buy.Can the Asus ROG Ally Handle Doom: The Dark Ages?

Before diving into the game, ensure your chipset is up to date. On the ROG Ally X, this is simple: Navigate to Armoury Crate via the bottom right menu button, click the cogwheel at the top, and head to the Update Center. Look for the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver update, and if it's not visible, hit Check for Updates. Once the RC72LA update is available, select Update All.

For optimal performance, I plugged the Ally X into an outlet and set it to Turbo Operating Mode (30W). Additionally, I maxed out the vRAM allocation to Texture Pool Size at 4,096 megabytes in the game's graphics menu, taking advantage of the ROG Ally X's ample 24GB RAM.

All tests were conducted without resolution scaling. I also ran tests with dynamic resolution, but the results mirrored the 720p metrics as the target frame rate remained 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, 720p35fpsFor testing, I repeatedly played the intense opening of Doom: The Dark Ages’ second mission, Hebeth, which immediately challenges the hardware with its effects and particles. The results were disappointing.

At 1080p, Doom: The Dark Ages on the Ally X was unplayable, averaging just 15fps on Ultra Nightmare. Lowering settings to Nightmare, Ultra, and High barely improved this, hovering around 16fps, while Medium reached 17fps. Only the Low setting at 1080p offered a slight improvement at 20fps, yet it still lacked smoothness. Clearly, 1080p is not viable for this game on the Ally X.

Switching to 720p showed some improvement but still fell short of ideal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra settings averaged 24fps, while High managed 26fps. These frame rates are barely playable, suitable only for those desperate to experience Doom: The Dark Ages on a handheld. It wasn't until dropping to Medium at 720p that the game reached a playable 30fps, with Low settings hitting 35fps.

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

While I'm a big fan of handheld gaming PCs, including my Asus ROG Ally X, it's clear that current hardware struggles with demanding titles like Doom: The Dark Ages. If 30fps is your threshold for playability, you'll need to stick to Medium or Low settings at 720p.

Steam Deck users are in a similar boat, given its less powerful specs compared to the Ally X. Expect to play at 800p on Low settings just to reach 30fps, a scenario that applies to 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 in devices like the Asus ROG Ally 2 and rumored Xbox-branded models, promises to enhance gaming performance. We'll have to wait and see how well these new devices handle games like Doom: The Dark Ages.