Doom: Dark Ages Hits Snags on Handheld PCs

Doom: The Dark Ages has finally arrived, and if you're a handheld gaming enthusiast, you're likely wondering how the Asus ROG Ally X handles this demanding title. While 30fps serves as the baseline for playability, higher frame rates - especially the coveted 60fps - would be ideal, though potentially unrealistic for such an intensive game.

Doom Eternal, the previous entry in the series, was praised for its excellent performance on the Ally. However, expectations for similar performance in The Dark Ages should be tempered.

A Note on the Hardware

The current landscape of PC gaming handhelds is diverse, but the Asus ROG Ally X stands at the pinnacle. While it shares the AMD Z1 Extreme processor with other top-tier devices, its key advantage lies in its generous 24GB of system memory (with 16GB allocated to GPU by default) and superior 7,500MHz memory speed. This enhanced memory bandwidth particularly benefits the Z1 Extreme's integrated graphics, making the ROG Ally X the best current test case for Doom: The Dark Ages' performance on handhelds.

The Best Handheld Gaming PC

Asus ROG Ally X

With double the battery capacity and significantly faster memory, the Asus ROG Ally X has established itself as the premier handheld gaming PC currently available.

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

Before testing, ensure your system is updated through Armoury Crate's Update Center. For optimal performance, tests were conducted while plugged in using Turbo Mode (30W) with maximum vRAM allocation (4,096MB) for Texture Pool Size. All tests disabled resolution scaling, as dynamic resolution consistently defaulted to 720p due to performance limitations.

Testing focused on the intensive opening section of the Hebeth mission. At 1080p, performance proved universally inadequate, barely exceeding 20fps even on Low settings. The 720p results showed modest improvements, with only Medium (30fps) and Low (35fps) presets achieving playable frame rates.

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

Current-generation handhelds struggle significantly with Doom: The Dark Ages. The ROG Ally X, as the most powerful option available, can only deliver 30fps at medium settings in 720p. Steam Deck users will face even greater challenges, likely requiring 800p resolution on Low settings for similar performance.

Looking ahead, upcoming mobile chipsets like the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme may change this landscape. Rumors suggest this processor could power the next Asus ROG Ally iteration - potentially with Xbox-branded versions - offering hope for better performance with demanding titles like Doom: The Dark Ages in future hardware generations.