March 7 Tech news roundup: Firefox is getting a rounded design, Google reduces Play Store fees for developers, Paramount Plus and HBO Max will merge

Firefox is getting a redesign

Mozilla is planning to give Firefox a makeover. The browser’s interface was last refreshed in 2021, with Proton. Prior to that, there was Photon in 2017, and Australis in 2014. Internal mockups that were shared by Sören Hentzschel have revealed the upcoming design for the browser, which is called, Nova. Firefox’s tab bar and address bar will have a rounded design, as will the sidebar and vertical tabs. This design can also be seen in the new tab page’s speed dials, search box, and widgets. Even the main web content area in the Nova design has rounded edges. Mozilla is also modifying the color palette of Firefox with gradients and subtle changes.

Here’s what the current design looks like. It’s quite dated, compared to the likes of Chrome, Vivaldi and other browsers.

Firefox is also getting side-by-side tabs, or split-screen tabs, which will allow users to view two web pages in a single tab. Mozilla is also said to be working on bringing compact mode back to Firefox. While these mockups may not represent the final design that Mozilla has planned, they do paint a nice picture of what users can expect from Firefox’s Nova design.

Google Play Store fees reduced for app developers

Google has announced that it has reduced the fees that developers have to share with it. The announcement comes as part of a settlement in the long running legal feud between Epic Games and Google. The lawsuit began in 2020, when Fortnite was kicked out of the Play Store by Google, as Epic had opted to use third-party payment options to avoid paying a 30% cut to Google.

However, Google lost the case in 2023 when a US court ruled against it. Google appealed against the remedies that were announced in 2024, but failed to win. But, Epic offered to reach a settlement last year.  The Mountain View company terms it as a new era for choice and openness. As a result of this developers will have more freedom to offer their own billing systems, or even direct users to other websites for purchasing in-app content. Google has also introduced a Registered App Stores Program, which will allow it to verify Android apps distributed by third-party market places, providing they meet certain quality and safety benchmarks.

App developers no longer have to pay 30% commission fees for transactions that take place via Google Play. Google says that the new system will charge a 5% billing fee, plus a 20% service fee for transactions from existing app installs. New installs will have a 15% fee on transactions. The changes will roll out to the US, UK, and Europe by June 2026, but Google will expand them globally next year. Whether this will make apps and games more affordable for users remains to be seen.

HBO Max and Paramount Plus will merge as a single service

Paramount has announced that its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery will see Paramount+ and HBO Max combine as a single streaming platform. In December 2025, Netflix had revealed that it had agreed to acquire Warner Bros. But, things didn’t turn out the way it had hoped, after Paramount entered the battle. After some intense rounds of bidding, Paramount’s offered to pay 2.8 Billion that Warner Bros. Discovery would owe Netflix, if the original deal fell through. Netflix recognized that Paramount’s offer was superior to its own, and backed out of the deal, leaving Paramount to swoop in to take the prize, which includes CNN. David Ellison , the CEO of Paramount, said that HBO would continue to function independently despite the merger.

Paramount+ and HBO Max have a combined total of over 200 million subscribers in over 100 Countries around the world. This number could drop when the two streaming services merge, as there would be users who have subscribed to both platforms. Paramount is yet to reveal the name of the new streaming service, it will likely be announced when the acquisition has been completed.

Nintendo sues US government over tariffs

Nintendo of America has filed a lawsuit against the US government. The Verge reports that the company is demanding a prompt refund and interest of duties that it paid due to import tariffs. The console maker wanted to open pre-orders for the Switch 2 on April 9th 2025. But, on the same day, the government imposed tariffs on imports that affected many countries. This forced Nintendo to delay the handheld’s pre-orders by a couple of weeks. Despite the tariffs, Nintendo did not increase the price of the Switch 2. But, in order to compensate for the high import costs, it increased the prices of various accessories.

Nintendo isn’t the first company to sue the government due to increased tariffs, several others have done so, including the likes of Toyota, FedEx, Costco, to name a few. Several gamers were quick to point out that even if Nintendo won the case, it is unlikely to benefit users, as they would not get refunds on the prices that they paid.

Valve says Steam Machine is still set to ship this year

Speaking about gaming consoles affected by prices, Valve’s plans to launch the Steam Machine this year, is still on. The hybrid PC, along with the Steam Frame and Steam Controller, were originally planned to be released in early 2026. But, the plans were impacted to due to the ongoing memory shortage, which has been driven by AI companies buying up entire inventories for their servers. This has led to severe shortages across the globe, and prices of RAM, SSD, have been inflated with astronomical prices.

This left Valve with no choice but to delay the launch of its gaming devices. The company had changed the date from early 2026 to Q1 2026. A recent announcement suggested that the Steam Machine’s launch could be pushed back further. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Valve has updated its statement to confirm that all three products will be shipping this year despite the shortage. It’s still unclear what the devices would cost. On a side note, the company had recently revealed that the Steam Deck OLED would go out of stock intermittently, due to the RAM crisis.