Doom: The Dark Ages Runs Terribly on My Handheld Gaming PC

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

Before we begin, marque definite to update your chipset earlier playing Doom: The Dark Ages. Thankfully, it’s beauteous casual connected the ROG Ally X: Open Armoury Crate (bottom close paper button), prime the cogwheel astatine the top, and spell to Update Center. AMD Radeon Graphics Driver should beryllium an disposable update. If it isn’t there, prime Check for Updates. Once the RC72LA update appears, prime Update All.

For these tests, I plugged the Ally X into an outlet and played connected Turbo Operating Mode (30W) to get the astir retired of the machine. I besides allocated the maximum magnitude of vRAM to Texture Pool Size successful the in-game graphics menu, which is 4,096 megabytes. The default is 2,048, but the ROG Ally X has 24GB of RAM (16GB usable) and it’s obscurity adjacent capableness adjacent astatine Ultra Nightmare, truthful there’s plentifulness of breathing room.

All tests were performed with solution scaling off. I tested each graphics preset with dynamic solution arsenic well, but the results were identical to the 720p metrics, truthful they’re not included. This is due to the fact that the people framework complaint was unachievable crossed the tests to statesman with, truthful dynamic solution conscionable defaulted to 720p anyway.

For the test, I replayed the opening conception of Doom: The Dark Ages’ 2nd mission, Hebeth, implicit and over, due to the fact that it thrusts the subordinate into the enactment immediately, pushing the hardware to its bounds with each of its effects and particles. The results were shocking.

Doom: The Dark Ages astatine 1080p connected the Ally X is simply a disaster. It yielded an mean of 15fps connected Ultra Nightmare, which is unplayable, and the framework complaint hardly changed with little presets. Nightmare, Ultra, and High astatine 1080p averaged astatine 16fps, portion Medium was astatine 17fps. The lone large alteration was connected Low, which averaged 20fps astatine 1080p, but it’s inactive lacking successful smoothness. 1080p is an impossibility nary substance what graphics preset you select.

The crippled fared amended astatine 720p, but it’s inactive not ideal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra averaged astatine 24fps, portion High came successful astatine 26fps. I wouldn’t see these playable, but it’s bearable if you’re hopeless to play Doom: The Dark Ages connected your handheld gaming PC. It wasn’t until I dropped the settings to Medium astatine 720p that it became playable, hitting an mean of 30fps. Low was adjacent better, coming successful astatine 35fps.

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

I adore handheld gaming PCs and my Asus ROG Ally X, but this is an illustration wherever they conscionable don’t person capable power. To accidental the Ally X struggles with Doom: The Dark Ages is an understatement. If 30fps is the bottommost level for playability, that’s lone imaginable done the Medium and Low graphics presets astatine 720p.

Steam Deck users won’t person overmuch luck either, arsenic its specs are inferior to the Ally X, and if it tin hardly tally connected Asus’ handheld, it won’t person antithetic luck connected Valve’s fashionable device. You’ll astir surely beryllium stuck playing astatine its 800p solution connected Low graphics conscionable to deed 30 fps – and that’s existent for each current-generation handhelds.

Not each anticipation is lost, though. Doom: The Dark Ages volition payment with the adjacent procreation of mobile chipsets hitting the market. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme is going to marque its mode into handhelds sometime this year, and leaks suggest it whitethorn beryllium powering the Asus ROG Ally 2 – determination are adjacent leaked images of an Xbox-branded model. We’ll conscionable person to hold and spot conscionable however good demanding games similar Doom: The Dark Ages fare.

Claire finds joyousness successful impassioned ramblings astir her closeness to video games. She has a bachelor’s grade successful Journalism & Media Studies from Brooklyn College and 7 years of acquisition successful amusement journalism. Claire is simply a stalwart defender of games arsenic an artform and spends astir days overwhelmed with excitement for its past, contiguous and future. When she isn't penning oregon playing Dark Souls, she tin beryllium recovered eating chickenhearted fettuccine alfredo and gushing astir handheld gaming PCs.

Originally posted:

May 16, 2025 8:12 pm