Hey there, tech lovers! Nuked here with some cool news about your favorite gaming handheld. Ready to be amazed? Let’s dive into how Doom: The Dark Ages is surprisingly running on the Steam Deck!

Initially, we couldn’t test Doom on the Steam Deck due to a launch bug and the game’s hefty minimum specs. But recently, Valve released a new SteamOS preview that finally allows the game to start up on the portable device.

After trying it out, I found that with everything set to “Low” graphics and FSR on “Performance,” you can enjoy the game at the Deck’s native resolution of 1280×800 pixels. It runs smoothly at around 30 to 40 fps, providing a surprisingly playable experience.

While the visuals are simplified—less lighting and fewer effects—the gameplay remains engaging. Some scenes look pretty impressive, thanks to fire effects even on the modest hardware. Honestly, it’s amazing that a game with ray tracing features can even run at all on such a system.

Cranking up the graphics to medium or high drops the frame rate significantly, making gameplay sluggish. Lowering the resolution to 768×480 can boost fps, but at the cost of very grainy visuals similar to old handheld screens. Also, turning off FSR Frame Generation helps performance but is better left off to prevent further slowdown.

This experience shows that even demanding titles like Doom: The Dark Ages can be enjoyed on portable hardware if you’re willing to compromise on graphics. Plus, it hints that with dedicated optimization, a more ultra-low setting could push even better performance in the future.

So, fellow gamers, it’s a promising sign that Valve’s aging device still holds surprises. We eagerly await a more powerful Steam Deck 2.0, but for now, this proves you can still get some good gaming on-the-go!