Doom: The Dark Ages Struggles on Handheld PC

The much-anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages has arrived, and for enthusiasts of handheld gaming PCs, particularly those with an Asus ROG Ally X, the burning question is whether this device can handle the game's demands. With a minimum playability benchmark set at 30 frames per second (fps), and an ideal target of 60fps, let's dive into the performance of this latest Doom installment on the ROG Ally X.

The landscape of PC gaming handhelds is flourishing, and the Asus ROG Ally X stands out as a top contender. While it shares the AMD Z1 Extreme with other leading handhelds, its secret weapon is its substantial RAM allocation—24GB, with 16GB dedicated to the GPU. The memory's high speed of 7,500MHz enhances the Z1 Extreme's integrated graphics performance, making the ROG Ally X an excellent testbed for demanding games like Doom: The Dark Ages. As games continue to push hardware limits, the Ally X's performance will serve as a benchmark for less powerful devices until the next wave of handhelds arrives later this year.

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

With twice the battery life and significantly faster memory, the Asus ROG Ally X has established itself as the premier handheld gaming PC available today. Check it out at Best Buy.

Can the Asus ROG Ally Handle Doom: The Dark Ages?

Before diving into gameplay, ensure your ROG Ally X is up to date. Updating the chipset is straightforward: Navigate to Armoury Crate (accessible via the bottom right menu button), click the cogwheel, and head to the Update Center. Look for the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver update; if it's not listed, select "Check for Updates." Once the RC72LA update is available, choose "Update All."

For optimal performance, I connected the Ally X to a power outlet and set it to Turbo Operating Mode (30W). I also maximized the vRAM allocation to the Texture Pool Size at 4,096 megabytes in the game's graphics settings—double the default 2,048, taking advantage of the ROG Ally X's robust 24GB RAM capacity.

Testing was conducted with resolution scaling disabled. Although I explored dynamic resolution, the results were consistent with those at 720p, as the target frame rates were unattainable, causing dynamic resolution to default to 720p anyway.

Here are the performance metrics for Doom: The Dark Ages on the ROG Ally X:

Doom: The Dark Ages ROG Ally X Performance

• Ultra Nightmare, 1080p: 15fps
• Ultra Nightmare, 720p: 24fps
• Nightmare, 1080p: 16fps
• Nightmare, 720p: 24fps
• Ultra, 1080p: 16fps
• Ultra, 720p: 24fps
• High, 1080p: 16fps
• High, 720p: 26fps
• Medium, 1080p: 17fps
• Medium, 720p: 30fps
• Low, 1080p: 20fps
• Low, 720p: 35fps

The testing focused on the opening section of the game's second mission, Hebeth, which is notorious for its high demand on hardware due to its intense effects and particles. The results were underwhelming, particularly at 1080p, where the game averaged only 15fps on Ultra Nightmare and barely improved across lower settings. Even at 720p, the game only became playable at the Medium and Low presets, reaching 30fps and 35fps, respectively.

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

Despite my enthusiasm for handheld gaming PCs and the Asus ROG Ally X, it's clear that current hardware isn't up to the task for Doom: The Dark Ages. Achieving the minimum playability of 30fps is only feasible at 720p on Medium or Low settings.

Steam Deck users should expect similar challenges, given its less powerful specs compared to the Ally X. Playing at 800p on Low settings might be the only way to hit 30fps, a scenario that applies to all current-generation handhelds.

However, the future looks promising with the upcoming AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chipsets expected in new handhelds this year, including the rumored Asus ROG Ally 2 and an Xbox-branded model. These advancements may finally enable handhelds to handle demanding titles like Doom: The Dark Ages more effectively.