Doom: The Dark Ages Struggles on Handheld PC

Doom: The Dark Ages has finally arrived, and if you're a fan of handheld gaming PCs like the Asus ROG Ally X, you're likely curious about its performance capabilities. Aiming for at least 30 frames per second (fps) as the minimum for enjoyable gameplay, with a dream of hitting 60fps, let's dive into whether the Ally X can meet these expectations. While the previous game, Doom Eternal, ran smoothly on the Ally, Doom: The Dark Ages presents a different challenge, and unfortunately, it doesn't live up to the same performance standards.

A Note on the Hardware

The world of PC gaming handhelds is diverse, but the Asus ROG Ally X stands out with its top-tier hardware. Equipped with the same AMD Z1 Extreme as other leading handhelds, the Ally X boasts a significant advantage: 24GB of system memory, with 16GB dedicated to the GPU. What sets it apart even further is its memory speed, clocking in at a remarkable 7,500MHz, which enhances memory bandwidth crucial for the Z1 Extreme's integrated graphics.

This makes the ROG Ally X an excellent benchmark for testing Doom: The Dark Ages, as it offers the best chance of meeting the game's demanding system requirements. As games continue to push boundaries, the Ally X serves as a benchmark for other handhelds, setting the stage for the next generation of devices expected later this year.

The Best Handheld Gaming PC: Asus ROG Ally X

With double the battery life and significantly faster memory, the Asus ROG Ally X has established itself as the premier handheld gaming PC on the market. You can find it at Best Buy.

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

Before diving into the game, ensure your chipset is up to date. On the ROG Ally X, this is straightforward: Open Armoury Crate from the bottom right menu button, click the cogwheel at the top, and navigate to the Update Center. Look for the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver update, and if it's not visible, select Check for Updates. Once the RC72LA update appears, choose Update All.

For these tests, I connected the Ally X to an outlet and operated it in Turbo Mode (30W) to maximize performance. I also set the Texture Pool Size to its maximum of 4,096 megabytes in the game's graphics settings, as the default 2,048 megabytes doesn't push the Ally X's 24GB (16GB usable) RAM to its limits, even on the Ultra Nightmare setting.

All tests were conducted with resolution scaling disabled. While I did experiment with dynamic resolution, the results were consistent with the 720p metrics and thus omitted, as dynamic resolution defaulted to 720p due to unattainable target frame rates.

Doom: The Dark Ages ROG Ally X Performance

For testing, I repeatedly played the opening section of the second mission, Hebeth, in Doom: The Dark Ages, which immediately immerses the player in intense action, pushing the hardware to its limits. The results were disappointing.

At 1080p, the game's performance on the Ally X was dismal, averaging only 15fps on Ultra Nightmare, making it unplayable. Lowering the settings to Nightmare, Ultra, and High barely improved the frame rate, averaging 16fps, while Medium settings yielded 17fps. Even on Low settings, the game only managed 20fps at 1080p, still not smooth enough for enjoyable gameplay.

Switching to 720p offered slightly better results, but still not ideal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra settings averaged 24fps, while High settings reached 26fps. These frame rates are barely playable, but if you're eager to experience Doom: The Dark Ages on your handheld, they might suffice. It wasn't until I dropped to Medium settings at 720p that the game became playable, averaging 30fps. Low settings at 720p were even better, hitting 35fps.

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

As much as I love handheld gaming PCs and my Asus ROG Ally X, it's clear that they lack the power needed for Doom: The Dark Ages. The Ally X struggles significantly with this game, only achieving the minimum playable frame rate of 30fps on Medium and Low settings at 720p.

Steam Deck users will face similar challenges, as its hardware is less powerful than the Ally X. Expect to play at 800p on Low settings just to reach 30fps, a scenario that applies to all current-generation handhelds.

However, there's hope on the horizon. The next generation of mobile chipsets, such as the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, is expected to hit the market soon. Rumors suggest it might power the Asus ROG Ally 2, and there are even leaked images of an Xbox-branded model. We'll have to wait and see how well demanding games like Doom: The Dark Ages perform on these new devices.