All Gaming Laptops Should Copy the HP Omen Max 16’s All-Too Obvious Feature

Players who want low latency for their wireless gear either opt for wired connections or 2.4GHz dongles. Most Bluetooth connections are simply too slow for most hardcore gaming needs. That’s because a Bluetooth connection won’t let you maximize the polling rate on your mice. That polling rate is how fast data from the mouse sensor gets sent to the PC, which is more important for games that require precise clicks, like first-person shooters or real-time strategy titles. A 2.4GHz connection will also help ensure audio isn’t compressed or garbled when it’s sent from a PC to a headset. So when HP, which makes HyperX gaming products, told me they stuck their 2.4GHz receiver inside the laptop itself, I felt like I was hit upside the head. It’s akin to how Apple automatically pairs its own Magic devices with its Mac products, but we haven’t seen a similar service specifically tailored to gamers.

Gamers are all too used to plugging in dongles, whether they’re Razer “Hyperspeed” connections to its various peripherals. Cutting out the number of dongles will only benefit gamers. The big problem with this setup is, for the time being, only the HP Omen Max 16 has this “Instant Pair” feature embedded. The only two peripherals it works with are the HyperX Pulsefire Saga Pro mouse and the HyperX Cloud III S headset. The Pulsefire has a 4,000Hz polling rate only accessible over 2.4GHz, while the HyperX Cloud III comes with both a plug-in boom mic as well as a built-in mic for when you don’t want a stick hovering near your lips, and either way you’ll want higher connection speeds for your friends to hear you.

See HyperX Headset at Best Buy

See HyperX Gaming Mouse at Best Buy

As with most first-gen products, I encountered more than a few annoying bugs. The first time I tried connecting the headset, the device simply refused to initiate instant pairing. The instruction manual tells users to press the power button twice, but the device refused to handshake with the PC’s receiver, even with the latest firmware. After multiple hours of trying over and over, it inexplicably connected. The mouse was especially egregious. The Pulsefire Saga Pro paired to the PC, but it immediately developed problems with the mouse scroll missing inputs. After installing HP’s Ngenuity software, the mouse quit working altogether. After troubleshooting with HP, the company sent me a separate firmware patch to download, and then, after multiple tries reinstalling the firmware and reconnecting the mouse, it finally worked without issue. HP said its latest firmware update issued through Ngenuity should have fixed the issue.

Both devices still come with their dongles, so it’s not like either was unworkable with the Omen Max 16 or any other PC. I still encountered some pairing issues even after I went through the wringer of initial tests. Still, once I had Instant Pair working, it was hard to go back. I could bring my gaming rig to another room and back to my desk without needing to slot in several separate dongles. The HyperX Cloud III S is a real standout as well, with excellent comfort and directional audio from the 53mm drivers. Both the mouse and headset allow for 3D-printed caps to customize the devices, and perhaps HP should consider allowing something similar with the Omen line to make the lineup truly cohesive. The only problem is getting to the point you can enjoy the whole ecosystem together.

The HP Omen Max 16 is already hampered by its ambitions. It’s a big laptop that won’t fit cleanly into most average-sized backpacks, not to mention its 6.1-pound heft combined with the ludicrous size of its 330W power brick. Actually using the laptop is similarly awkward. The squishy feel of its full-size keyboard resulted in an awkward experience whether I was typing or playing games. I found I would press keys and realize the command didn’t register merely because I did not press down on the spacebar with enough gusto.

At least the performance was exactly where I expected it to be. After updating the Omen Gaming Hub software (there was an apparent issue with the app hogging CPU performance), I was seeing solid benchmarks across multiple synthetic CPU tests. The Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX stands just below what you can get out of a 285HX, but the actual loss in both games and in rendering tasks is minimal compared to what you would end up spending on something more akin to an MSI Titan 18. Especially if you use the “Unleashed” overclock mode in Omen Gaming Hub, you can achieve stellar performance that makes an RTX 5090 seem even more expensive than its price tag implies—with the obvious drawback being the jet engine sound of the fans when playing games at those settings.

In tests across games like Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered, Black Myth: Wukong, and Monster Hunter: Wilds, I saw more than playable frame rates in each, though you’ll still need to rely on upscaling and DLSS when you enable intensive ray tracing and path tracing settings. Nvidia’s multi-frame gen can take those numbers over the top, but you’ll still find a happy medium without any need for “fake frames.”

HP’s gaming arm is trying something different, though it’s still trying to claw attention from the competition with the inclusion of an RGB light bar under the front of the chassis. There are more than a few reasons I would gravitate toward the HP Omen Max 16 as my PC of choice, but there are niggling issues that need to be ironed out. HP is held back by its software more than anything else, but despite its keyboard, the Omen Max 16’s hardware—specifically, the Instant Pair feature with peripherals—is something every PC maker should look to emulate.

See HP OMEN MAX 16 at Best Buy

See HyperX Headset at Best Buy

See HyperX Gaming Mouse at Best Buy