Tech News Roundup — July 24, 2026 (PM)
A potentially malicious Steam Workshop map is turning a popular indie game into a security story, while AMD is presenting open source and open standards as central to its AI strategy. Microsoft has pushed LG to stop unwanted McAfee pop-ups, and fresh testing suggests Snapdragon X Elite laptops remain a difficult Linux proposition. The rest of the edition spans Steam improvements, major PC and Xbox games, and platform-policy changes.
Microsoft
Microsoft intervenes after LG monitor software installs McAfee pop-ups. LG monitors were found to automatically install software on connected Windows PCs, producing forced-dismissal pop-ups for LG apps and McAfee. Microsoft says Windows chief Pavan Davuluri contacted LG, which has agreed to disable the McAfee pop-up in its monitor app. The episode is a reminder that OEM software can add adware-like behaviour even when the hardware itself is only a display. [The Verge]
Gaming
Diablo 2’s enduring pull may come down to breakpoints. Path of Exile co-creator Chris Wilson argues that Diablo 2 makes upgrades feel unusually meaningful because attack, cast, block, and hit-recovery improvements only take effect when they cross discrete frame-based thresholds. That produces a sharper sense of progression than modern action RPGs where every item often delivers only a small, continuous power increase.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 shows off its first unedited combat deep dive. Creative Assembly’s Alpha Strike livestream demonstrated 1v1 skirmishes between Astra Militarum and Ork forces. The real-time battles depend on cover, suppressing fire, flanking, unit-specific abilities, officer commands, and heavy weapons, with large squads turning each engagement into a particularly loud and chaotic spectacle.
Steam makes gifting games much less cumbersome. Valve’s storefront now lets guests buy and gift games without creating a Steam account, send gifts directly to an email address, and gift to friends in other regions when the transaction meets the regional-pricing rules. Unclaimed email gifts are refunded after 30 days, so the feature is more convenient but still not a way to schedule a gift indefinitely.
Linux & Open Source
Snapdragon X Elite performance regresses further on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. Retesting an Acer Swift 14 AI laptop found the Snapdragon X Elite experience under Linux even more disappointing than the previous round: performance has regressed, and the overall experience remains more troublesome than comparable AMD Ryzen AI or Intel Core Ultra systems. The result undercuts the promise of the latest Arm Windows-laptop hardware as a straightforward Linux platform.
AI / ML
AMD puts open source and open standards at the centre of Advancing AI 2026. Open-source software, open ecosystems, and open standards were among the most repeated themes at AMD’s AI event, alongside the expected focus on models and hardware. The emphasis extends AMD’s existing open-source posture while signalling a stronger push to make interoperability part of its AI platform story.
Security / CVE
Meccha Chameleon Steam Workshop maps may be dropping malware. A security researcher found a suspicious Blueprint actor hidden in custom Unreal Engine 5 map metadata for the popular indie game. When a map loads, the actor can write a batch file into the player’s Documents folder, launch a hidden PowerShell process with execution-policy bypassed, and contact an external server for a second script. Players who downloaded custom maps should inspect their Steam Workshop content and avoid loading untrusted maps until the investigation is resolved.
Hardware
The ECB wants public input on the next euro banknotes. The European Central Bank has shortlisted 10 design proposals for the next generation of euro notes, the first complete redesign since the currency entered circulation in 2002. The public can vote for its preferred designs while the ECB works toward the final selection.
Startups
- The Verge finds an almost empty office at drone startup Odyssey Robot. A report from Pasadena describes a small, apparently inactive coworking office listed as the headquarters of Odyssey Robot, an upstart US drone company. The on-the-ground detail forms part of a wider look at the companies and products appearing in the US drone market. [The Verge]
In Brief
EU regulators say TikTok’s minor-protection settings should not be opt-in. Preliminary Digital Services Act findings call for minors’ public posts to default to a more restricted audience and not be recommended in the For You feed. The European Commission also says that even private accounts can remain discoverable through other users’ following lists. [The Verge]
Facebook is testing a TikTok-like opening experience. Meta plans to put some users directly into full-screen video when they open Facebook, initially in countries with a strong preference for video and potentially in the US next year. [The Verge]
Roundup compiled from the TTRSS Tech feed. 12 articles from 4 sources, grouped into 11 story clusters.