Firefox will have a kill-switch for AI features
Last week, Mozilla's CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo, revealed plans for the future of Firefox. The main focus will be on bringing AI features to Firefox, turning it into a modern AI browser. This news alarmed users who were concerned about their privacy, despite assurances from Mozilla that all AI features in Firefox would be opt-in, meaning they would not be enabled by default. It will be up to the user whether he wants to enable and use the AI features or not.
Enzor-DeMeo also clarified that Firefox will include a kill-switch for AI featuresWhich will completely disable them. However, some Firefox users are still worried that Mozilla's intention to add AI to the browser is not a good thing. Many people are concerned that the mere existence of AI-related code for LLM in a browser could compromise their privacy. It remains to be seen whether this may be true, but such panic could negatively impact Firefox, and it could lose a portion of its user base to other browsers like Vivaldi or Firefox-forks like Waterfox, LibreWolf, etc.
Valve closes steam deck LCD model
Valve is quietly discontinuing the original Steam deck, i.e. the one with the LCD screen. Handheld console debuting in 2022. Valve announced a new version of the device, aka the Steam Deck OLED model, in 2023. The OLED versions came with 512GB and 1TB of storage, and effectively replaced the 64GB and 512GB versions of the LCD Steam Deck LCD models. But, Valve has continued to sell the Steam Deck 256GB LCD version until now.
Buyers who went to the store page on Valve's website to order a Steam Deck saw a message that said Steam Deck LCD 256GB model is being phased outAnd once it's sold out, it will no longer be available. This leaves the Steam Deck OLED model as the only option, which could be a problem for potential buyers, as its price starts at $549, while the LCD model was more affordable at $399. Valve's decision to discontinue the Steam Deck LCD may have been influenced by rising RAM prices.
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33 disqualified from Indie Games Awards
Claire Obscure: Expedition 33 broke many records this year, winning trophies at several game awards shows. It won 9 out of the 13 categories it was nominated for at The Game Awards 2025. It didn't do too badly at the Indie Game Awards either, winning the Game of the Year award and the Debut Game award. However, this victory was short-lived as the Indie Game Awards announced that Clair Obscur was disqualified from nominations. According to the awards show's game eligibility rules, the use of generator AI is prohibited.
When Expedition 33 was released, some players noticed that there were some placeholder textures in the game. Once it was discovered, the mistake was quickly fixed by Sandfall Interactive, the game's developers. Despite this happening six months earlier, somehow the game was nominated for awards, and later Disqualified unceremoniously,
The disqualification sparked debate among gamers, who began taking sides. Some fans defended the use of General AI for placeholder content, saying that it helped speed up the game's development and did not affect the actual artists, and that the removal was unfair. Other fans oppose this approach, saying that this generation of AI has no place in games, and results in unethical use of other artists' work or AI sloppiness.
After being removed, Blue Prince was named Game of the Year, while Sorry We're Closed was named Best Debut Game. Meanwhile, a popular blog alleged that Blue Prince also used Generative AI, but the article failed to provide any evidence regarding the claim, and later retracted its controversial statement.
Warner Bros. Discovery rejects Paramount's offer
Earlier this month, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery reached an agreement that will allow the former to acquire the latter. This deal is worth 82.7 billion dollars. However, Paramount Skydance had its eye on WBD, and just days after Netflix and WBD announced their deal, it made a hostile takeover bid of $108. However, things can get quite complicated in this new dialect WBD rejects Paramount's offerWarner Bros, Discovery said in a letter to its shareholders that Paramount's offer is inferior to the Netflix merger, and the original agreement is beneficial to shareholders, Paramount is reportedly considering whether to come back with a better offer,
Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery will give it access to highly profitable properties such as the rights to Harry Potter media, Game of Thrones, the DC Comics universe, among other movies and TV shows. The deal will also bring HBO Max's streaming business under Netflix's control, although both streaming services will continue to exist independently after the deal is completed. It's not really surprising why Paramount wants to acquire WBD so desperately.
Steam only runs 64-bit on Windows 10 and 11
Valve's Steam client for desktop PCs is now a 64-bit app on Windows 10 and 11. This does not mean that it will stop working on 32-bit computers. But, Valve is ending support for the 32-bit version Its desktop app will be released next week, on January 1, 2026. It's just that older versions of the client will not receive updates after the said date. The games themselves are not affected in any way, users can continue to download and play 32-bit and 64-bit games. Windows 11 itself is a 64-bit operating system, and according to Valve's own data, only 0.01% of gamers run Steam on 32-bit systems. Therefore this change will not affect many people.
From the other side, steam winter sale is ongoing, and runs until January 5, 2026. Valve is set to launch its Steam Machine, a new Steam Controller, and Steam Frame VR headset in Q1, 2026. It's unclear what the device will be priced at, and given the recent situation regarding the RAM and SSD market, Steam's next-generation devices may be out of reach for many gamers.
