52 PCWorld JANUARY 2022REVIEWS HP VICTUS 16
As you might expect, the Victus 16’s
webcam ranges somewhere between
mediocre to poor, with a 0.9Mpixel (720p
video) user-facing sensor. The resulting
image is grainy though with decent color
balance and exposure. Don’t expect much
out of the webcam and you won’t be
disappointed. Windows Hello isn’t
supported via the webcam or any other
sensor on the laptop.
HP includes ten of its own apps on the HP
Victus, ranging from HP Audio Switch, which
replicates Windows’ ability to switch speaker
outputs, to myHP, a gateway to tips and tricks
about the PC as well as selected third-party
offers. HP also loads up the Victus with a100GB Dropbox trial, an ad for ExpressVPN, a
trial for McAfee LiveSafe and Personal
Security, Disney+, Amazon.com and Amazon
Alexa, and more.
One app worth trying out is the Omen
Gaming Hub, a focal point for those who
own HP gaming products as well as a
dashboard for the Victus 16 itself. The Hub
offers the opportunity to win rewards points
and try out AI-powered coaching, a
capability HP added two years ago. The
dashboard offers a real-time look at the CPU
and GPU utilization and temperature, plus
the Network Booster (where you can assign
specific networking priorities to apps and
games) and the Performance Control, aHP’s included Omen Gaming Hub app is a nice way to keep an eye on the Victus vitals.