When Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC was first announced, the clamors were more for the ability to finally see Cloud, Tifa and the rest of the crew in “better graphics.” But not everyone has the type of PC that can run the game with the best visuals possible. Some players these days also only play on gaming handhelds. This quick play test is for those people as we played FFVII Rebirth PC on the ROG Ally.

Yes, just the ROG Ally and not its half-step upgrade, the ROG Ally X. As a first generation device, we feel the ROG Ally is a good baseline to start with. 

Is FFVII Rebirth PC handheld compatible? 

The official Final Fantasy VII account across multiple social platforms have already announced that Rebirth is Steam Deck verified. That’s not the end-all be-all for gaming handhelds, but it’s a good place to start. 

At the very least, it confirms that you should be able to play the game with only a handheld in tow. 

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Remake Intergrade are both Steam Deck verified ✅

Pre-purchase the Twin Pack up to 30% off to download and start FFVII Remake Intergrade today ahead of FFVII Rebirth’s launch on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/9JJYX5U075

— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) January 17, 2025

PC Requirements 

Square Enix understands that not all PCs are created equal. That’s why they made sure to release the PC requirements to adequately enjoy the game, no matter the hardware you’re rocking. 

Here’s a look at the specs. 

For a better appreciation of what each configuration will look like, they even shared a PC Graphics Preset Video. 

FFVII Rebirth on ROG Ally

So, with all of that out of way, what’s the experience like playing the game on the ROG Ally? In a word: Decent. 

It’s been at least a couple of years now since we’ve seen these PC Gaming Handhelds handle AAA games. And as someone who grew up and started playing first on Nintendo Famicom or the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) as it’s most widely known in the Western world, I continue to be floored by the fact that we’re now able to play modern games on a device we can bring anywhere. I digress. 

The technology is relatively young and does come with compromises. Chief of which is length of play time. Typically, you’ll only get, at most, under two hours of playtime if you’re pushing your PC Gaming Handheld to the brink. 

With FFVII Rebirth PC on the ROG Ally, that experience rings true. 

Playtime duration

To get the best possible experience, I had the ROG Ally on Turbo Mode with the FPS (frames per second) limiter turned off. 

In the first hour or so of the playthrough covering the beginning of the game, the GPU was operating at 95% capacity with the FPS fluctuating from a low of 27 fps to a high of 60 fps. 

In these settings, I was able to play for roughly around an hour and 14 minutes before the battery levels reached red levels – somewhere between 15-18%. 

I plugged in the ROG Ally before resuming my playthrough. 

Visuals and performance

Still playing on battery, I resumed my playthrough. All the while, I didn’t tweak the graphics settings at all. By default when I fired up the game, the main Graphics Quality setting was set to Medium. 

However, other graphic settings like Background Model Detail, Ocean Detail, Character Model Detail, and a few more were set to high. 

With these settings, I tried playing the game on the various modes of the ROG Ally. 

Operator Mode

In Operator Mode, the game had no problem playing cutscenes. But once gameplay kicked in, the lag and stutters were pretty bothersome. I do not recommend playing in this mode. 

Performance Mode

In Performance Mode, the experience was a lot better. If you’re trying to squeeze more playtime while playing unplugged, this is the best compromise. 

You’ll experience some noticeable stutters here and there, especially when there’s a lot happening on the screen. But for the most part, this mode was serviceable. 

Turbo Mode

Turbo Mode is the best mode to play such a demanding game like FFVII Rebirth PC on the ROG Ally. That’s pretty obvious. It’s also still not perfect. 

When you get to the spots where you’re starting to unlock Limit Breaks and Special Abilities, you will experience some stuttering. But it’s not to a level that’s totally bothersome. 

The experiences mentioned above were all done while playing on battery or unplugged. We’re pretty sure it’ll improve if the ROG Ally was plugged. 

We also didn’t tweak the graphics settings at all as we had a limited time to play prior to the official release of the game. Rest assured we’ll conduct more tests with more handhelds and more configurations as soon as we can. 

Should you play FFVII Rebirth on PC?

FFVII Rebirth is my personal Game of the Year for 2024. In my spoiler-free review I mentioned that it’s “the game we all envisioned when a remake of the original Final Fantasy VII was first announced. It’s packed to the brim with mini-games, activities, and quest lines that are all worth your time, with a main storyline that is captivating, enthralling, and awe-inspiring.”

About a year later and my opinion remains the same. No matter what type of gamer you are, FFVII Rebirth is well-worth checking out. I feel the overall experience is that good. And I’m happy more players are now able to enjoy it as it becomes available on PC. 

FFVII Rebirth on PC starts at US$ 69.99. 
As of publishing time, it’s still available for pre-purchase at 30% off, which is US$ 48.99.