Doom: The Dark Ages Faces Handheld PC Hurdles

Doom: The Dark Ages is finally here, and if you're a handheld gaming enthusiast like me, you're likely curious whether the Asus ROG Ally X can run it smoothly. I consider 30 frames per second the absolute baseline for a playable experience, though higher frame rates—especially 60fps—would be ideal, even if unlikely for such a graphically intense title.

While the previous entry, Doom Eternal, was celebrated for its stellar performance on the Ally, don't expect the same from The Dark Ages—I'm afraid you're in for a letdown.

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Asus Asus ROG Ally X

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

Before diving in, ensure your chipset drivers are up to date. On the ROG Ally X, this is straightforward: Open Armoury Crate (using the menu button in the lower-right corner), click the gear icon at the top, and navigate to the Update Center. The AMD Radeon Graphics Driver should appear as an available update. If not, select Check for Updates. Once the RC72LA update appears, click Update All.

For these tests, I connected the Ally X to a power outlet and used Turbo Operating Mode (30W) to maximize performance. I also allocated the maximum vRAM to Texture Pool Size in the game's graphics settings—4,096 megabytes. While the default is 2,048MB, the Ally X's 24GB of RAM (with 16GB usable) provides ample headroom, even at Ultra Nightmare settings.

All testing was conducted with resolution scaling disabled. I also tested each graphics preset with dynamic resolution, but the results mirrored the 720p metrics, so they're omitted here. This is because the target frame rate was unattainable from the start, causing dynamic resolution to default to 720p regardless.

To conduct the test, I repeatedly replayed the opening sequence of Doom: The Dark Ages' second mission, Hebeth. This segment immediately immerses players in intense action, pushing the hardware to its limits with complex effects and particle systems. The results were surprising.

Running Doom: The Dark Ages at 1080p on the Ally X is a disappointing experience. It averaged just 15fps on Ultra Nightmare, which is unplayable, and frame rates showed minimal improvement with lower presets. Nightmare, Ultra, and High settings at 1080p averaged 16fps, while Medium reached 17fps. The only notable gain came with Low settings, which hit 20fps at 1080p—still far from smooth. Regardless of your graphics preset, 1080p is simply not viable.

Performance improved at 720p, though it remains suboptimal. Ultra Nightmare, Nightmare, and Ultra settings averaged 24fps, while High reached 26fps. I wouldn't call these playable, but they're tolerable if you're determined to experience Doom: The Dark Ages on a handheld. Playability finally arrived at Medium settings (720p), averaging 30fps. Low settings performed even better, delivering 35fps.

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

I'm a huge fan of handheld gaming PCs and my Asus ROG Ally X, but this title exposes their limitations. Saying the Ally X struggles with Doom: The Dark Ages is an understatement. If 30fps is the minimum for playability, that's only achievable with Medium or Low graphics at 720p.

Steam Deck users won't fare much better. Given its lower specifications compared to the Ally X, and considering the challenge it poses for Asus' device, Valve's popular handheld is unlikely to perform differently. You'll likely be limited to 800p resolution on Low settings just to reach 30fps—a reality for all current-generation handhelds.

There's still reason for optimism, however. Doom: The Dark Ages should see improved performance with the next generation of mobile chipsets. The AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme is expected to debut in handhelds later this year, with rumors suggesting it may power the Asus ROG Ally 2—leaked images even show an Xbox-branded model. We'll have to wait and see how demanding titles like this perform on the new hardware.