Doom: The Dark Ages Struggles on Handheld PC

Doom: The Dark Ages has finally arrived, and if you're a handheld gaming PC enthusiast like myself, you're likely curious about how well the Asus ROG Ally X can handle this demanding title. My baseline for playability is set at 30 frames per second (fps), though I'd love to see higher, ideally 60fps, even if it's a stretch for such a graphically intensive game.

While the previous installment, Doom Eternal, ran impressively on the Ally, fans hoping for similar performance with The Dark Ages may be in for a letdown.

A Note on the Hardware

The world of PC gaming handhelds is thriving with diversity, and the Asus ROG Ally X stands out at the forefront. It shares the AMD Z1 Extreme chip with many other top contenders, but what sets it apart is its impressive 24GB of system memory, with 16GB dedicated to the GPU. Moreover, its memory operates at a swift 7,500MHz, offering superior bandwidth that's crucial for the Z1 Extreme's integrated graphics.

The ROG Ally X represents the pinnacle of current handheld technology, making it the ideal candidate to test Doom: The Dark Ages. As games become increasingly demanding, the Ally X serves as a benchmark to determine if less powerful handhelds can keep pace, at least until the next wave of handhelds arrives later this year.

The Best Handheld Gaming PC

Asus Asus ROG Ally X

With its doubled battery life and significantly faster memory, the Asus ROG Ally X has solidified its position as the leading handheld gaming PC on the market. You can find it at Best Buy.

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

Before diving in, ensure your chipset is updated for the best performance in 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, or hit Check for Updates if it's not visible. Once you see the RC72LA update, select Update All.

For my tests, I connected the Ally X to a power outlet and used Turbo Operating Mode (30W) to maximize its performance. I also set the Texture Pool Size to its maximum of 4,096 megabytes in the game's graphics settings, well within the 24GB RAM capacity even at the Ultra Nightmare setting.

All tests were conducted without resolution scaling, and while I did test dynamic resolution, the results mirrored those at 720p, as the target frame rate was unattainable, causing dynamic resolution to default to 720p.

Here's how the Asus ROG Ally X performed with Doom: The Dark Ages:

• 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

For testing, I repeatedly played the opening of the second mission, Hebeth, which is action-packed and stresses the hardware with its effects and particles. The results were disappointing.

Running Doom: The Dark Ages at 1080p on the Ally X was unplayable, averaging just 15fps on Ultra Nightmare. Lowering the settings to Nightmare, Ultra, and High barely improved performance, averaging 16fps, while Medium nudged it up to 17fps. Even on Low, the game only reached 20fps at 1080p, which still feels choppy. At 1080p, no preset offered a smooth experience.

Switching to 720p showed some improvement, but it was still far from ideal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra averaged 24fps, and High reached 26fps. These frame rates are marginally playable, but certainly not optimal. It was only at Medium settings at 720p that the game became genuinely playable, hitting the 30fps mark. Dropping to Low settings at 720p increased performance to 35fps.

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

As a fan of handheld gaming PCs, I'm disappointed to say that the Asus ROG Ally X struggles significantly with Doom: The Dark Ages. If 30fps is your minimum for playability, you're limited to Medium and Low settings at 720p.

Steam Deck users won't fare any better due to its less powerful hardware. Even on the Ally X, performance is subpar, so expect similar issues on Valve's device, likely needing to play at 800p on Low settings to reach 30fps. This is a challenge for all current-generation handhelds.

However, there's hope on the horizon with the next generation of mobile chipsets, like the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, expected to hit the market this year. Rumors suggest it could power the Asus ROG Ally 2, and there are even whispers of an Xbox-branded model. We'll have to wait and see how these new devices handle demanding games like Doom: The Dark Ages.