One week, big shifts: firmware, browsers, rockets, robots

Firefox brings – From a temporary Chromecast streaming hiccup to Firefox finally adopting Web Serial, May 24 brought a stack of tech moments that either remove friction—or promise it soon. Other highlights ranged from LVFS gaining major sponsors, more PS5 consoles running Linu

For a lot of people, a living-room streaming problem feels small until you realize it’s blocking your whole routine. This week. that fear briefly hit owners of a first-generation Chromecast—after chatter suggested the 2014 device had been pushed out by Google. A Google representative shut that down. explaining in a statement to Ars Technica that the streaming issue was temporary and that it should now be resolved.

Even so, the reassurance comes with an asterisk. The OG Chromecast hasn’t been officially supported since 2023, so nobody can say how long it will keep working as services and software evolve around it. Google be Google, after all.

The week’s other big pivot is aimed at something even more hands-on: letting browsers talk directly to hardware. After resisting for years, Mozilla brought Web Serial to Firefox. The change has its skeptics—there’s been plenty of debate over whether it’s wise to let the internet communicate with physical gadgets—but anyone who’s flashed Meshtastic or configured a Betaflight-powered drone from the browser already knows the appeal. Mozilla’s own announcement acknowledges that “most folks won’t use this API. ” but it points to “the community of builders and tinkerers” as the group most likely to be excited.

Mozilla has also teamed up with Adafruit to make sure web-based microcontroller workflows are compatible in Firefox 151 and beyond. If you try it. the real question is whether your favorite hardware setup suddenly feels easier—or whether you hit the usual wall of browser permissions. driver quirks. and the long tail of “works on one board. not yours.”.

That theme—lowering the friction between devices and the software that updates them—showed up elsewhere too. Linux Vendor Firmware Service (LVFS) picked up three premier-level sponsors: Lenovo, Dell, and HP. As reported by It’s FOSS, they signed on for $100,000 per year each. LVFS itself is a central repository where hardware vendors upload firmware updates. while fwupd helps clients pull updates down automatically instead of you hunting through vendor websites.

The same practical push toward making more systems usable turned up in the world of PlayStation 5 hardware. More PS5 consoles can now run Linux. Last month. a software solution for booting the operating system on PS5 consoles running relatively ancient 3.x and 4.x firmware was released. This time, developer Andy Nguyen has gotten it working on firmware 5.x and at least some versions of 6.x. It’s still behind Sony’s latest release. but the expansion means more owners—and more test beds—can get in on the action.

Space also brought forward movement, though not just from SpaceX. The successful first flight of Starship V3 has dominated attention for the past few days. but Blue Origin had its own milestone on Friday: it said it completed the investigation into the failure of its New Glenn rocket from April 19. and that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved its return to flight.

The FAA’s statement says Blue Origin identified the direct cause of the mishap as a cryogenic leak that froze a hydraulic line and led to a thrust anomaly during the second stage engine burn. That chain of events left the payload—a next-generation communications satellite with a massive 2. 400 sq ft deployable antenna array developed by AST SpaceMobile—in an unsustainable orbit.

Robots, meanwhile, leaned into pure showmanship. China’s Unitree Robotics unveiled a mech standing 2.7 meters tall, complete with a promotional video showing it smashing cinder blocks. The message is clear even if the details aren’t: it’s a big. flashy step. likely designed to prove capability in public. But the basics you’d want—speed and endurance—aren’t provided. and a company spokesperson says the design still needs refinement before it’s ready for production. Still. it’s the kind of announcement that makes people start thinking about what they’ll do when the box finally arrives. especially when the price is described as being more than half a million dollars.

And then there’s the kind of news that reminds hackers why they started in the first place. The iconic soundtrack for DOOM has been inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. The 1993 shooter remains one of the most emblematic pieces of software in the hardware hacking world. and while the story doesn’t claim the game’s heavy metal-inspired digital riffs had anything to do with the decision. it will probably hit the same note for E1M1 fans—because it’s hard not to feel a little giddy when a piece of game history earns official recognition.

Across browsers, firmware tools, console experiments, rocket investigations, and even the legacy of a 1993 soundtrack, this week’s through-line is simple: technology keeps changing the rules of what’s possible—and sooner or later, people notice.

Hackaday Links May 24 2026 Chromecast 2014 temporary issue Mozilla Web Serial Firefox 151 Adafruit compatibility LVFS sponsors Lenovo Dell HP $100 000 per year fwupd PS5 Linux Andy Nguyen 5.x 6.x Blue Origin New Glenn April 19 investigation FAA return to flight cryogenic leak froze hydraulic line thrust anomaly AST SpaceMobile 2 400 sq ft deployable antenna array Unitree Robotics 2.7 meters mech cinder blocks DOOM soundtrack National Recording Registry Library of Congress