Elden Ring Nightreign: Ideal for Handheld Gaming PCs

Elden Ring ran like a dream on my Asus ROG Ally X, right? But now there’s Nightreign out, and I, along with other handheld gaming geeks, am itching to know if it keeps up the good work. Shadow of the Erdtree was a beast compared to the original, and since Nightreign stands alone, it’s got this big potential to push limits. But—guess what?—it actually runs even better!

At first, you think, “Really?” but then again, why wouldn’t it? Nightreign’s got this tiny map called Limveld. Less on the screen, easier on the machine. Helps that it’s Limgrave-esque rather than having all those Shadow of the Erdtree fancy effects. And yep, those visuals used to make my Ally sweat.

### Quick Hardware Chat

Tons of handheld gaming PCs float around. The Asus ROG Ally X tops them, though. It rocks the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, just like the Lenovo Legion Go. But with 24GB RAM at 7,500MHz, it’s like hulked out compared to the original, with 16GB jammed into the GPU. So yeah, perfect for trying out new stuff like Nightreign. Until… maybe the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme shows up later with that rumored Xbox Ally? Who knows.

Sure, the ROG’s specs shine on paper, but hold up—the Steam Deck isn’t just sitting quietly. Valve’s optimization magic could squeeze performance out of a rock. They did it for Elden Ring on Steam Deck ages ago, and maybe they’ll sprinkle some of that magic dust on Nightreign too.

### Can It Take Nightreign Head-On?

Castle center of Limveld—my testing ground. Giants there lob massive pots of magic. Framerate takes a nosedive here, my benchmark spot to see how things fare. Started new matches per graphics preset—game’s advice, not mine.

Cranked my ROG Ally X to Turbo mode (30W) and had it plugged in, funneling max wattage into performance. Gave 16GB RAM to the GPU. Something most handhelds can’t compete with. Smart settings, right?

Getting into numbers? Yeah, I tried Maximum Preset at 1080p, hovered around 30 fps—sometimes dipped to 27 fps thanks to those magic bombardments. Only time the High preset dived below 30 fps, battling up the castle, at 35 fps average but hit 28 fps occasionally. Other settings stayed above 30 fps, Medium at 39, Low at 43 average.

720p hikes up those numbers, brushing up against 60 fps. Maximum 720p: 41 fps, barely slipping to 38 low. High’s average sat at 44 fps, worst point being 40. Medium-low’s crunchy visuals but superb performance—tempting, isn’t it?

### Nightreign and Asus ROG Ally X: Made for Each Other?

Nightreign dazzles at 1080p Maximum, smooth for the most part despite minor hiccups. But not everyone’s cut for 30 fps. If you’re cool with lowering the resolution, 720p Maximum could hit your sweet spot—hovers at 41 fps, sit between seamless and sharp visuals.

If 60 fps is your holy grail, 720p Medium or Low is your battleground. But don’t dream of a steady 60 fps—only happens during less-demanding moments. Low settings? Limveld goes drab, with simplistic shadows and low-poly structures.

Oh, and quick shout to Claire—always vibing with games like they’re a long-lost friend. Brooklyn College journo grad, seven years in the entertainment game, and a stalwart video game artform defender. If not exploring worlds of Dark Souls, she’s chowing down fettuccine alfredo, yammering about handheld gaming PCs. Well, that’s it. Or maybe not? But yeah, that’s all for now.