The much-anticipated Doom: The Dark Ages has arrived, and if you're a handheld gaming PC enthusiast, particularly an Asus ROG Ally X owner, you're likely curious about its performance capabilities. Aiming for a minimum of 30 frames per second (fps) for a playable experience, with a dream of reaching 60fps, you might be setting your hopes high for this demanding title. While the previous installment, Doom Eternal, ran smoothly on the Ally, the same cannot be said for The Dark Ages, and fans might find the performance underwhelming.

A Note on the Hardware

The world of PC gaming handhelds is thriving, and the Asus ROG Ally X sits at the pinnacle. Powered by the AMD Z1 Extreme, it shares its core with other top handhelds but distinguishes itself with a significant advantage: 24GB of system memory, with 16GB dedicated to the GPU. This memory operates at a brisk 7,500MHz, providing superior bandwidth crucial for the integrated graphics. This makes the ROG Ally X the prime candidate for testing demanding games like Doom: The Dark Ages, serving as a benchmark for what other handhelds can expect.

The Best Handheld Gaming PC: 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. Check it out at Best Buy.

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

Before diving into the game, ensure your chipset is up to date. Updating on the ROG Ally X is straightforward: access Armoury Crate via the bottom right menu button, click the cogwheel, navigate to Update Center, and install the AMD Radeon Graphics Driver update (RC72LA).

For testing, the Ally X was plugged in and set to Turbo Operating Mode (30W) to maximize performance. The in-game Texture Pool Size was set to the maximum of 4,096MB, leveraging the Ally X's 24GB of RAM (16GB usable) to handle even the most demanding settings like Ultra Nightmare.

Tests were conducted without resolution scaling, and dynamic resolution adjustments showed no significant improvement, reverting to 720p due to unachievable frame rate targets. The performance data from replaying the action-packed opening of the second mission, Hebeth, was eye-opening:

At 1080p, the performance was dismal, averaging only 15fps on Ultra Nightmare and barely improving at lower settings. Even at 720p, the results were subpar, with Ultra Nightmare to Ultra settings averaging 24fps, and High at 26fps. Playability only emerged at Medium settings at 720p, achieving the desired 30fps, while Low settings reached 35fps.

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

Despite my affection for handheld gaming PCs and the Asus ROG Ally X, it's clear that current hardware struggles with the demands of Doom: The Dark Ages. Achieving a playable 30fps is only feasible at Medium and Low settings at 720p. For Steam Deck users, the situation is even more challenging, given its lower specs. Expect to play at 800p on Low settings just to reach 30fps, a reality for all current handhelds.

However, there's a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The next generation of mobile chipsets, including the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, expected later this year, promises improved performance. Rumors also suggest an Xbox-branded model and the Asus ROG Ally 2. We'll have to wait and see how these advancements handle demanding games like Doom: The Dark Ages.