December 27 Tech news roundup: Firefox’s AI features will have a kill-switch, Steam Deck LCD model discontinued, Clair Obscur disqualified from Indie Game Awards

Firefox will have a kill-switch for AI features

Last week, Mozilla’s CEO, Anthony Enzor-DeMeo revealed the plans for the future of Firefox. A major focus will be on bringing AI features to Firefox, to transform it into a modern AI browser. The news alarmed users who were concerned about their privacy, despite reassurances from Mozilla which said that all AI features in Firefox will be opt-in, i.e. they will not be enabled by default. It will be up to the user to choose whether they want to enable and use the AI features.

Enzor-DeMeo has also clarified that Firefox will include a kill-switch for AI features, which will disable them completely. However, some Firefox users still remain concerned that Mozilla’s intent over adding AI to the browser is not a good thing. Many people are worried that the mere existence of AI-related code for LLMs in a browser could compromise their privacy. It remains to be seen whether that could be true, but such alarmism could affect Firefox negatively, and it could end up losing a chunk of its user base to other browsers like Vivaldi or Firefox-forks like Waterfox, Librewolf.

Valve discontinues the Steam Deck LCD model

Valve is quietly discontinuing the original Steam Deck, i.e. the one with the LCD screen. The handheld console debuted in 2022. Valve announced a newer version of the device, aka the Steam Deck OLED model, in 2023.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 model. 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 noticed a message which said that the Steam Deck LCD 256GB model is being phased out, and once it is sold out, it will no longer be available. This leaves the Steam Deck OLED models as the only options, which could be a problem for potential buyers, as its price starts $549, as opposed to the LCD model which was more affordable at $399. Valve’s decision to discontinue the Steam Deck LCD could have been influenced by rising RAM prices.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s disqualified from the Indie Games Awards

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 broke several records this year, sweeping the trophies at several game award shows. It won 9 out of the 13 categories that it was nominated for at The Game Awards 2025. It didn’t do badly at the Indie Game Awards either, winning the Game of the Year award and the Debut Game award. However, the win was short-lived as The Indie Game Awards announced that Clair Obscur was disqualified from the nominations. According to the award show’s game eligibility rules, the use of generative AI is forbidden.

When Expedition 33 was released, some players had noticed that there were some placeholder textures in the game. Once it was discovered, the mistake was quickly corrected by Sandfall Interactive, the developers of the game. Despite this happening well over six months ago, somehow the game was nominated for the awards, and later disqualified unceremoniously.

The disqualification raised a debate among gamers, who began to take sides. Some fans defended the use of gen AI for placeholder content, saying it helps speed up the development of the game and that it does not affect real artists, and the removal was unfair. Other fans opposed this view, stating that it gen AI has no place in games, and that it results in unethical use of other artist’s work or AI slop.

Following the removal, Blue Prince was named the Game of the Year, while Sorry We’re Closed was named the Best Debut Game. Meanwhile, a popular blog alleged that Blue Prince had also used generative AI, but the article failed to provide any evidence regarding the claim, and later retracted its controversial statement.

Warner Bros. Discovery has rejected Paramount’s offer

Earlier this month, Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery reached an agreement which would allow the former to acquire the latter. The deal is worth $82.7 Billion. However, Paramount Skydance had its eye on WBD, and made a hostile takeover bid worth $108, just a few days after Netflix and WBD had announced their deal. This new bid could have complicated things considerably, however WBD has rejected Paramount’s offer. In a letter to its shareholders, Warner Bros. Discovery said that Paramount’s offer is inferior to the Netflix merger, and that the original agreement is beneficial for 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 assets such as the rights for Harry Potter media, Game of Thrones, DC Comics universe, among other movies, and TV shows. The deal will also bring HBO Max’s streaming business under Netflix’s control, though both streaming services will continue to exist independently, once the deal has been completed. It’s not really surprising why Paramount wants to acquire WBD so desperately.

Steam goes 64-bit only on Windows 10 and 11

Valve’s Steam client for desktop PCs is now a 64-bit app on Windows 10 and 11. This doesn’t mean that it will stop working on 32-bit computers. But, Valve is ending support for the 32-bit version of its desktop app next week, on January 1, 2026. It’s just that the legacy version of the client will no longer receive updates after the said date. 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 only operating system, and according to Valve’s own data, only a tiny 0.01% of gamers run Steam on a 32-bit system.  So this change will not affect a lot of people.

On a side note, Steam’s Winter Sale is underway, and runs until January 5, 2026. Valve is set to launch its Steam Machine, a new Steam Controller, and the Steam Frame VR headset in Q1, 2026. It is unclear what the devices would cost, and considering the recent situation regarding the RAM and SSD market, Steam’s next-gen devices may be out of the reach of many gamers.