The much-anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages has arrived, and for enthusiasts of handheld gaming PCs like the Asus ROG Ally X, the burning question is whether it can handle this demanding game. Aiming for at least 30 frames per second (fps) as the minimum for playability, with an ideal target of 60fps, we dive into the performance capabilities of the ROG Ally X.
A Note on the Hardware ----------------------The landscape of PC gaming handhelds is vibrant, and the Asus ROG Ally X stands at the pinnacle. While it uses the same AMD Z1 Extreme as other top handhelds, its advantage lies in its robust 24GB of system memory, with 16GB dedicated to the GPU. Moreover, its memory operates at a blazing 7,500MHz, offering superior 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. It's the benchmark to determine whether less powerful handhelds can keep pace with increasingly demanding games, especially until the next generation of handhelds 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 firmly established itself as the leading handheld gaming PC on the market. See it at Best BuyCan the Asus ROG Ally Handle Doom: The Dark Ages?
Before diving into gameplay, ensure your chipset is updated for Doom: The Dark Ages. Updating on the ROG Ally X is straightforward: access Armoury Crate from the bottom right menu, click the cogwheel, and navigate to the Update Center. Look for the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver update. If it's not visible, click "Check for Updates" and install the RC72LA update when it appears.
For optimal testing, I connected the Ally X to an outlet and set it to Turbo Operating Mode (30W). In the game's graphics settings, I maximized the vRAM allocation for Texture Pool Size to 4,096 megabytes—twice the default setting of 2,048 megabytes. This was feasible given the ROG Ally X's ample 24GB of RAM, which remains underutilized even at the highest settings.
All tests were conducted without resolution scaling, and although dynamic resolution was tested, the results mirrored those at 720p, as the target frame rate remained unattainable, causing the 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 the test, I replayed the opening section of the game's second mission, Hebeth, which immediately challenges the hardware with intense effects and particles. The results were surprising.
At 1080p, the ROG Ally X struggled significantly with Doom: The Dark Ages. The Ultra Nightmare setting averaged a mere 15fps, which is unplayable. Lowering the settings to Nightmare, Ultra, and High only marginally improved the frame rate to 16fps, while Medium settings reached 17fps. Even at the lowest setting, 1080p performance topped out at 20fps—still not smooth enough for a satisfying gaming experience.
At 720p, performance improved slightly but remained below expectations. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra settings averaged 24fps, with High settings slightly better at 26fps. While these are technically playable, they're far from ideal. It wasn't until I set the graphics to Medium at 720p that the game became playable, averaging 30fps. Lowering to Low settings boosted this to 35fps.
Asus ROG Ally X Isn’t Ready for Doom: The Dark Ages
As much as I cherish handheld gaming PCs, including my Asus ROG Ally X, it's evident that current models lack the power to handle Doom: The Dark Ages effectively. If 30fps is the minimum threshold for playability, the ROG Ally X can only achieve this at Medium and Low settings at 720p.
Steam Deck users are likely to face even more challenges, given its lower specs compared to the Ally X. They'll probably need to play at 800p on Low settings just to reach 30fps, a scenario that applies to all current-generation handhelds.
However, hope is not lost. The upcoming next generation of mobile chipsets, including the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme expected to power devices like the Asus ROG Ally 2 and potentially an Xbox-branded model, promises to enhance performance. We'll need to wait and see how these advancements impact the playability of demanding titles like Doom: The Dark Ages.
