Over the last 15 years, mobile gaming has exploded. On our phones, we can now frag with the best of them, and the visual realism is improving year by year. (If you have not played Alien: Isolation on an iPhone, it’s worth checking out.)
That said, I define mobile gaming differently than most. For me, it means grabbing a high-end gaming laptop and heading to a friend’s house — forget using a phone or tablet. I prefer the most intense graphics realism and sound quality available, the feeling of being transported to another realm. I’m not a competitive gamer; I’m here for the story, the visuals, and the sound — similar to a theatrical experience.
Laptop gaming is much more enjoyable without a cord.
Recently, I’ve been using an Alienware X16 R2 gaming laptop for my mobile adventures. I play ultra-realistic games like Senua's Saga: Hellblade II without worrying about battery life. Playing the game in the backseat of a car, at the library, or Starbucks feels like total freedom. I’m a little bored with online shooters, having played my share of the Doom and Quake games long ago. Instead, I aim to stay engrossed in the visual presentation and story.
Here’s a typical scenario: I recently played the entire Indiana Jones and the Great Circle game on Alienware X16 without ever plugging in the laptop. The story is fantastic, and the voice-acting is about the best ever. Here’s how I accomplished that, with some technical details that might surprise you.
Where to start with the Alienware X16 R2
The good news about the Alienware X16 is that it automatically adjusts several performance-related variables. This is a built-in feature: When you fire up a game like Hellblade II or Flight Simulator 2024, the computer identifies the system processes required for high performance and maxes out the GPU settings.
The laptop uses the Alienware Command Center (AWCC). You can manually adjust the AWCC for balanced power or a low power draw. The automatic adjustments work fine for the most part, but that’s just the beginning. You can go much further by tweaking settings to save battery life. Adjusting several options in Windows 11 allowed me to add about a third more battery life during my testing.
Let’s start with the one that impacted me most significantly. I tend to play video games for about 20 or 30 minutes, then I need a break. I’ll refill my coffee or chat with a colleague. As a journalist, I might need to do a quick interview. I just want to let the laptop sit idle, which consumes battery power.
There’s a much better way to take breaks. I now press Alt + F4, which opens the Shut Down Windows dialog box. You can then put the laptop to sleep or shut it down entirely.
If I’m gaming for six hours, I can make the laptop last longer simply because it’s not running when I take breaks. It’s simple math: The X16 is supposed to last seven hours per charge, but I used it all day because I used sleep mode during breaks. It meant the laptop was drawing minimal power while in sleep mode.
You might think that’s cheating, but it’s a wise practice. The alternative is what I usually do: I let the laptop sit idle, using up more battery.
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The other major tweak I made on the X16 is to lower the screen refresh rate. Now, this compromise is at least worth considering, especially if you can’t tell the difference. On a Windows laptop, go to the Start menu then Settings > System > Display > Advanced display settings. Select 60Hz as the refresh rate. Start a game and check if you notice any difference. (Refresh rate determines how many images are “refreshed” per second; a higher number like 240Hz means more fluid visuals.)
It’s also worth lowering the refresh rate when browsing the web or posting on social media, and only cranking up the refresh rate for games.
Other advanced tricks and tips
Of course, you can change several other settings to save on battery life. I’ve found that putting my laptop on sleep mode made the most significant difference, because the computer was not running. My experience is that letting a laptop sit idle makes it seem like it does not last as long or meet the stated specifications.
Here’s one other tweak: Expert gamers might already know this, but using dark mode on a laptop can squeeze out a little more juice. It’s because the laptop does not have to work as hard to show black. For dark mode, go to Settings > Personalization > Colors. Under Choose your mode, select Dark. It won’t matter when you are playing games, but will help if you are configuring settings, downloading patches, or checking email.
Windows lets you create a power plan as well. These settings are found by going to the Control Panel > Hardware and Sound; select Power Options and click Create a power plan. I suggest creating a power plan for Gaming and one for Work. It’s all pretty straightforward, and you can select the plan you want to use. For example, you can set performance to only 50% for the Work power plan to save power.
A few more tweaks are also worth a shot -- lowering the brightness on your laptop will save power for an entire day, although I tend to skip this one. I like a bright and clear display for gaming. Like changing the refresh rate only for productivity work, consider lowering the brightness when not playing games. Every laptop is different, but there’s typically a hotkey to raise and lower brightness.
Using these tips together could save as much as 30% in battery life, especially if you can live with the lower refresh rate setting and dimming the screen.
Mobile gaming, or laptop gaming, is much more enjoyable without a cord. I spent more time killing aliens and less time fishing around for a cord and finding a place to plug in for the day.
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