Elden Ring Nightreign: Ideal for Handheld Gaming PCs

Okay, so here we go. I’m not really sure where to start, but I’m gonna dive right in. Elden Ring on the Asus ROG Ally X—yeah, it ran like a dream, kinda like skating on fresh ice. But with Nightreign, well, everyone (me included) is all jittery wondering if the magic’s still there, you know? Elden Ring was a piece of work, and Shadow of the Erdtree? Tough cookie, that one. Now Nightreign is supposed to be its own beast, so there’s that. But hey, the surprise? It somehow runs even better.

Why is this a shocker? I dunno, maybe it’s just me, but when I first heard about Limveld being the new map, I was like, “Oh, that makes sense.” Smaller map, less chaos on screen. Plus, Limveld leans more on Limgrave vibes, less on the flashy magic stuff from Shadow of the Erdtree. My poor ROG Ally needed a break after that one.

Aaand now a detour into hardware talk. Strap in. There are tons of handheld PCs, yawn, but get this—the Asus ROG Ally X is king, or queen, whichever floats your boat. It boasts this AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme. Sounds fancy, right? Toss in 24GB RAM at some crazy speed, and bam, you’re cooking with gas. Oh, and a promised AMD Ryzen Z2 later? I mean, what even is that? Anyway, competition beware, No stray arrows for the Steam Deck though. That thing’s got game, and Valve’s tweaks might just have it running circles again someday.

Testing time! Yeah, I spent most of it roaming the castle in Limveld. Giant pots being hurled like magical cannonballs at me. Fun, right? It’s where frames usually give up, so I kinda used it as my testing ground. Started a new match with every graphics preset—don’t ask why, that’s what the game suggests, and who am I to disobey?

So I cranked my ROG’s Operating Mode to Turbo—sounds badass, huh? And plugged in, cause let’s face it, battery won’t cut it. Extra RAM to the GPU like sending in the cavalry. Most devices can barely manage half of that! Boosted everything up to get the most juice out of it.

Okay, boring stats incoming. But here’s the thing: 1080p, max settings—smooth 30 fps, dipping slightly when the magic rains down. No surprises there. Most drops? Inside confined spaces. See a pattern? Yeah, I thought so. Anyway, I rambled enough about frame rates, just know it’s solid enough.

Now in 720p, things surprisingly step up a notch. It’s snappier, capable of hitting 60 fps, though not always. Low settings make Limveld look… bleh. Like, ever see one of those flat, soulless low-poly islands? Yeah, that.

In enclosed spots, performance shines, occasionally hitting highs over 30 fps. Medium at 39 fps most times, not bad, eh? But 720p, even with max sheen? Feels better. Between looks and smoothness, it’s a trade-off some folks might make. Choices, man, choices.

Okay, almost done. Elden Ring Nightreign on the Asus ROG Ally X? Lovely ride on 1080p max, occasional hiccups and all. But some might prefer smoother waters at reduced settings. Big shoutout to my fellow chicken alfredo enthusiasts (you know who you are). And yeah, I’m probably off rambling somewhere about how gaming’s an art form. But hand me a handheld console, and, man, the world’s a brighter place.