We are just a few days away from the public launch of Doom: The Dark Age, the latest installment of the iconic id Software franchise, which continues to celebrate over 32 years of legacy in the video game industry. This new title uses the id Tech 8 engine, which incorporates advanced features such as ray tracing for global illumination, reflections, and shadows, similar to what was experienced in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle with its previous engine.
Ray tracing and the lack of optimization do not help it work on portable devices
One of the main features of the game is its ability to run on portable gaming PCs, such as the Asus ROG Ally. However, users should be aware that they may experience performance drops and stability issues, partly due to the availability of outdated drivers. This situation has been a source of frustration for many, as updating the GPU drivers on the ROG Ally has become a complicated process, unlike the ease of updating offered by AMD’s desktop and laptop versions.
During the testing phase, Doom: The Dark Ages was able to run on low graphical settings with FSR Performance, achieving around 30 fps, although these figures only held for about 40 seconds before the drivers failed. This limitation significantly reduces the visual quality and overall gaming experience, especially regarding ray tracing effects, which are compromised by the upscaling that makes the image blurry.
As more developers adopt ray tracing as a standard in their titles, it becomes imperative for portable console vendors like Asus to improve their driver update processes. Without an effective solution, the performance of these devices could become obsolete against the demands of future, more demanding games.
