Recap: Gaming studios face increasingly difficult decisions as they grapple with the escalating costs of creating cutting-edge visuals and the diminishing returns these visuals often provide. The challenge lies in striking a balance between visual spectacle, engaging gameplay, and sustainable development practices. For decades, giants in the gaming industry like Sony and Microsoft banked on realistic visuals to captivate audiences. Other publishers like Naughty Dog (The Last of Us, Uncharted series), CD Projekt Red (The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077), Rockstar Games (Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto V), and Guerrilla Games (Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West) have consistently prioritized visual excellence and this approach has led to critical acclaim and commercial success.This strategy has transformed once-flat pixelated worlds into immersive experiences that rival cinematic productions. However, the cost of achieving such realism has skyrocketed, leading to a reevaluation of priorities within the gaming sector.Marvel's Spider-Man 2, released in 2023, is one example. Leveraging the PlayStation 5's processing power, developers at Insomniac Games crafted a visually stunning New York City. Peter Parker's iconic suits were rendered with intricate textures, while skyscrapers reflected sunlight with remarkable accuracy.This level of detail, however, came at a steep price. The game's development reportedly cost around $300 million, more than triple the budget of its predecessor from just five years earlier.Another example of the industry's technical prowess can be seen in a particularly noteworthy scene in The Last of Us: Part II, when the protagonist Ellie removes her shirt, revealing bruises and scrapes on her back. This moment unfolds without any graphical glitches, demonstrating the painstaking attention to detail that has become a hallmark of high-budget game development. // Related StoriesWhile these visuals are impressive, they raise questions about the sustainability of such investments. Despite Spider-Man 2's commercial success, with over 11 million copies sold, Sony announced 900 layoffs in February 2024, which affected the game's developers at Insomniac.In short, the financial returns on these investments are diminishing. At the same time, audience preferences are shifting as well. Jacob Navok, a former executive at Square Enix, told The New York Times that high-fidelity visuals primarily appeal to a specific demographic of gamers in their 40s and 50s.Meanwhile, younger generations are gravitating towards games with simpler graphics but robust social features, such as Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite.For many young gamers, "playing is an excuse for hanging out with other people," said Joost van Dreunen, a market analyst and professor at New York University. This social aspect has become a driving force in game design and popularity.As development costs soar and player preferences evolve, some studios are exploring alternative approaches. The live service model, which prioritizes regular content updates over graphical fidelity, has gained traction. Games like Genshin Impact have found tremendous success, generating billions in revenue primarily through mobile platforms.However, this model has risks. High-profile failures like Warner Bros. Discovery's Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Sony's short-lived Concord demonstrate the challenges of entering the competitive live service market.Industry professionals are divided on the path forward. Some, like David Reitman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, see potential in artificial intelligence to reduce the costs associated with high-end graphics. Others, like independent developer Rami Ismail, are skeptical of quick technological fixes and worry about the industry's current trajectory.

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Mod's In Your FavourSure, gaming in 2024 had some killer underrated gems, but it was really the year of the modAnd not just the rude ones either, though obviously they did their bit.Image credit: VG247 Article by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Dec. 28, 2024 Last year, around this time, I wrote a feature arguing that Starfield, with its perfectly OK, but a bit synthetic and cold universe, was 2023s actual game of the year.Not because it was the best game of 2023, but because the feeling of playing it, the short bursts of fun within a meander through the galaxy that often lacked much meaning or wonder, best mirrored the experience of living and working in and around the games industry last year. A would-be masterpiece with all of the awe-inspiring size and scale, but very little of the soul, for a medium that was constantly chucking more people onto the layoff fire while we all clung on to the bangers we did get for comfort.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. I wouldnt say 2024, while arguably even more depressing on the state of the industry front, had a big game like Starfield that accidentally served as so fitting a mood metaphor for it.Instead, Im going to do what I did a bit in that feature last year - Im gonna momentarily chuck the gloom into the sun, and concentrate on the good. As it always does, the indie space kicked out underrated gems and gems that got plenty of credit this year on the reg.Everyones list of these will be different, but heres mine.Chill racing management sim Golden Lap was as vibe-immaculate as Funselektor releases have proven to always be when I reviewed it, and its only gotten better since as its devs have worked hard to rectify its teething issues and start to add improvements over the past few months.Thalassa: Edge of The Abyss was an emotion-heavy stumble through the wreckage of a ship and the lives of its crew that I think flew under a lot of peoples radars, but is definitely worth a go if youre a fan of Baldurs Gate 3s narrator, and like doing a bit of sobering detective work. In the underworld, the mighty underworld, the Chronos sleeps tonight. Melino, Melino, Melino, Melino... | Image credit: SuperGiant GamesStill Wakes The Deep opted to lean more into the Lovecraftian and stock horror than it did the terrifying reality of what can happen when things go bad out in the big blue abyss for its scares, but its still good, with its great Scottish accents and chase with a giant head.Hades 2 was another thing I had a lot of fun with, even if I havent had much time to go back and check out Supergiants changes since routinely getting my arse kicked by Chronos and those damn sirens when it rolled into early access in a form that was just as good as the first game, if arguably not one capable of conclusively eclipsing such a hard act to follow.Renaissance painting romp Death of the Reprobate might be the one of these that was my favourite discovery in hindsight, especially since Im now in the process of going back and playing its Pythonesque point-and-click predecessors, which are just as unique and hilarious.Thats five just off the top of my head, and it doesnt include great Steam next fest demos for stuff like Keep Driving. More tea, Bishop? | Image credit: VG247/Team FOLONThough, as I said, every year has its cool indie things, so with that in mind, heres the real best thing its important to shout out when it comes to helping make 2024 in video games as great as it was at times. Mods.Sure, every year has plenty of good and noteworthy mods, and its a space thats been starting to be recognised more by many major and minor publishers for the key role it can play in helping people get even more out of their games - especially those big single-player RPGs I like - for a few years now, 2024 was a big step forward.Fallout: London, despite its buggy launch, was an unofficial full-blown Fallout game you could sink hundreds of hours into loving in a year that basically cried out for a fresh entry in the series due to the TV show whetting everyones appetites.Larians addition of official mod support to Baldurs Gate 3 - for both PC and consoles - helped 2023s actual game of the year manage to outdo some of the metrics from the release year in which it basically blew all of us away.CD Projekts release of REDkit modding tools for The Witcher 3 triggered a revival for that game, with competitions getting a lot of interesting entries from folks keen to try relatively advanced stuff like quest and new area design.There are also plenty of 2024 releases thatve been big on the modding front. From Stalker 2, to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and even occasionally the likes of Helldivers 2.Heading into 2025, it feels like moddings as big a part of what people love about gaming than ever before, and as someone who loves getting to write about them on the regular at work, thats this years biggest bright side for me.

Don't Call It A...Astro Bot reminded us all that PlayStation has a lot of good games that haven't had sequels in a while, and it turns out the company's boss has said they're looking into bring back "past IP""The various IPs that we own are an important asset to PlayStation."Image credit: Team Asobi News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Dec. 28, 2024 One of the best games of the year, Astro Bot, served as a great reminder of how much great IP PlayStation has and doesn't use, but that might be changing.There are so many titles that featured in Astro Bot, this year's the recipient of the coveted Game of the Year Award at this year's The Game Awards, that are beloved PlayStation titles, but haven't had a new game in forever. Some of them, like Spyro and Crash, are out of PlayStation's hands given that they're owned by Xbox these days, and others like Okami are third party, but hey, that one's getting a sequel anyway! Still, there were plenty of classics featured that could honestly do with another go around, like Ape Escape, Gravity Rush, and Bloodborne, for example. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. There's no actual word on any of these games getting a new entry, and the last couple seem pretty unlikely, but PlayStation boss Hermen Hulst has shared that the company is interested in bringing back some older titles.Speaking to Famitsu (as translated by VGC), Hulst said that "the various IPs that we own are an important asset to PlayStation, and as part of our efforts to strengthen our portfolio, we are continually looking at opportunities to leverage past IP, as well as develop new franchises. Our goal is to publish games by the worlds best creators, both inside and outside of PlayStation, and we have achieved many successes so far by working closely with external development studios."Hopefully that doesn't mean Ape Escape will come back as a gacha game where you can pull different apes (even though that sounds like a not half-bad concept as I'm writing this), but with Sony prioritising live-service above all else - even though that's not been going smoothly - anything is possible. At least just give us a Bloodborne remaster, Sony, please

Attorneys representing President-elect Donald Trump have asked the Supreme Court to pause a law that would force TikTok-owner ByteDance to sell the short-form video app or see it banned from the United States.If the app isnt sold, the ban is set to take effect in just a few weeks, on January 19. ByteDance is challenging the constitutionality of the law officially titled the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear arguments on January 10.In a new filing, Trumps lawyers describe the ban-or-sell deadline, coming one day before his inauguration, as unfortunate timing that interferes with his ability to manage the United States foreign policy.The filing does not specify what approach Trump might take to the issue, but it claims that he alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government. The filing also notes that he currently has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, allowing him to evaluate TikToks importance as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including core political speech.The laws supporters have claimed TikTok presents a national security threat because the Chinese government could use it to collect data and push propaganda to US viewers. While Trump attempted to ban TikTok during his first term as president, he has expressed support for the app more recently. During his presidential campaign, he posted on Truth Social, FOR ALL OF THOSE THAT WANT TO SAVE TIK TOK IN AMERICA, VOTE TRUMP!Several civil liberties and free speech groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier, have filed their own brief supporting TikToks appeal and arguing that the government has not presented credible evidence of ongoing or imminent harm caused by TikTok.

Trusting AIgettyThe hype and excitement with artificial intelligence is starting to morph into substantive concerns: helping people and organizations achieve greater success. Questions now loom: will AI help deliver superior customer experience, enrich peoples work experience, and create entrepreneurial opportunities? Or is it just the latest shiny new thing?When done right, AI can be a very successful tool for wowing customers, pleasing employees, and launching new ventures. However, the key is to do AI right in an ethical and trustworthy manner.Trust and ethics in AI is what is making business leaders nervous. For example, at least 72% of executives responding to a recent survey from the IBM Institute for Business Value say they are willing to forgo generative AI benefits due to ethical concerns. In addition, more than half (56%) indicate they are delaying major investments in generative AI until there is clarity on AI standards and regulations.Successful AI is, and will always be, a people-centric process. Boosting people in their work. Delivering products and services to customers. Keeping things running smoothly. AI technology is still in its early stages, and we have to assume that human input and oversight will continue to be crucial in developing responsible AI," said Jeremy Barnes, vice president of ServiceNow.While the level of human involvement required may change as AI continues to evolve, I dont believe it will ever be a fully hands-off process, said Barnes. Continuous improvement in AI requires regular monitoring and updates, relying on user research and human expertise for valuable insights and feedback. This ensures AI systems can evolve and adapt effectively and ethically.MORE FOR YOUAs with everything else in life, trust in AI needs to be earned. That trust is likely to keep improving, but its something that will evolve over years. Right now, trust is possible, but only under very specific and controlled circumstances, said Doug Ross, US chief technology officer at Capgemini Americas."Today, guardrails are a growing area of practice for the AI community given the stochastic nature of these models, said Ross. Guardrails can be employed for virtually any area of decisioning, from examining bias to preventing the leakage of sensitive data."At this time, generative AI use cases require significant human oversight, agreed Miranda Nash, group vice president for applications development and strategy for Oracle. For example, generative AI embedded in business processes helps users with first drafts of employee performance summaries, financial narrative reports, and customer service summaries.The key word here is help, Nash continued. The responsibilities of end users havent changed. They still need to review and edit for accuracy to ensure their work is accurate. In situations where AI accuracy has been validated with months or even years of observation, a human may only be needed for exception handling.The situation is not likely to change soon, Jeremy Rambarran, professor at Touro University Graduate School, pointed out. Although the output that's being generated may be unique, depending on how the output is being presented, there's always a chance that part of the results may not be entirely accurate. This will eventually change down the road as algorithms are enhanced and could eventually be updated in an automated manner.Its important, then, AI decisions should be used as just one input into a human-governed orchestration of the overall decision-making process, said Ross.How can AI be best directed to be ethical and trustworthy? Compliance requirements, of course, will be a major driver of AI trust in the future, said Rambarran. We need to ensure that AI-driven processes comply with ethical guidelines, legal regulations, and industry standards. Humans should be aware of the ethical implications of AI decisions and be ready to intervene when ethical concerns arise.Its also important to foster a culture of collaboration between humans and AI systems, Rambarran said. Encouraging interdisciplinary teams composed of domain experts, data scientists, and AI engineers to all work together to solve complex problems effectively is vital.Scoreboards and dashboards are tools that can facilitate this process, said Ross. We can also segment decisions into low, medium, and high-risk categories. High-risk decisions should be routed to a human for review and approval.AI wont progress beyond the shiny-new-object phase without the governance, ethics, and trust that will enable acceptance and innovation from all quarters. Were all in this together.

The newly launched AI Art Magazine features artwork from around the world, including this image from ... [+] Irish conceptual artist Kevin Abosch.The AI Art MagazineArt made with artificial intelligence is ubiquitous online, appearing on platforms from Instagram and Reddit to websites hosting generative AI tools themselves. Now, artists have a new and somewhat ironic outlet for showcasing their digital, algorithm-assisted creations: paper.A polished new print publication, The AI Art Magazine, focuses entirely on AI and art, as its name suggests. The first issue, which came out Dec. 6, spans 176 pages filled with artwork submitted in response to an international open call and selected by jurors artists, graphic designers, technologists and one AI-generated judge named Xiaomi that looks part robot, part anime character. The independently funded biannual magazine, which is published in Germany, costs 22 euros (roughly $22.95) and doesnt include ads, at least not yet.This project is fueled by pure passion and a shared vision to chart the course for the future of AI art, reads a magazine mission statement. It is a collective effort, driven by a community that dares to imagine, innovate and inspire.The cover of the magazine's inaugural issue features work by Japanese artist Emi Kusano, who shares ... [+] her approach to AI in an interview.The AI Art MagazineThe jurors include Boris Eldagsen, who turned down a prestigious photography award after revealing hed generated the winning image with AI to provoke debate. In brief blurbs, the judges share why they chose to feature particular works, while accompanying essays and interviews allow the creators to elaborate on their artistic process, what excites them about incorporating AI into their work and their views on its strengths, weaknesses and limitations.It is a world-shaping technology that needs the voices of artists to engage with it critically and creatively, to ask where it might fail us and how it might better our lives, artist Kevin Esherick says in a Q&A. The best way to understand these technologies is to work with them.Read More: Peru Expedition Uncovers 27 New Species, Including Rare Swimming MouseEsherick was just 20 when his older brother died, and its a loss he feels daily. The piece featured in the magazine, a hazy, dreamlike image of his late sibling, is part of his deeply personal series Im With You, which imagines a world where his brother is still here to share in lifes moments.The Brooklyn-based artist trained an AI model on pictures of his brother, then disrupted the image generation process, leaving only a cloudy imprint of his form. Esherick produced more than 100,000 images for the collection, then narrowed them down to 24, naming each after a song his brother loved or would have loved. In Especially in Michigan 2024, seen in the magazine, its as if his deceased family member exists behind a veil, in another realm of consciousness.For me, these pieces are reflections on grief and memory, absence and presence, joy and hope, Esherick says. Theyre about possibility, what couldve been, and what lives on.The magazine itself centers on whats possible at a time when artists are grappling with what AI means for them, their futures and creativity on the whole. The inaugural issue includes 50 images in all, with the next issue scheduled for the summer.Essays and interviews allow a slect number of featured creators to elaborate on their artistic ... [+] process and what excites them about incorporating AI.The AI Art MagazineIn Multiple Sclerosis Ataxia, Sabine von Bassewitz tries to visually convey the experience of a relapse marked by spasticity and movement difficulties, not to mention emotional upheaval. The work depicts an artist sitting on the floor drawing with a disembodied hand while wearing a shoe on one arm.I find it very difficult to describe the symptoms verbally in a way that my listeners can understand, the German photographer says in the magazine. I often get the impression that even the neurologist treating me doesnt fully understand even though she is very familiar with the subject. Midjourney, on the other hand, seems to understand me.AI Is A Reality And Will Not DisappearIn the past couple of years, AI has fundamentally transformed the art landscape as widely used generative tools like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and OpenAIs Dall-E enable anyone to create images simply by inputting text prompts. This rapidly evolving field has sparked passionate, and often divisive, debate among creatives. Some embrace machine learning as a tool that can steer them in weird and wonderful directions, while others are angry their work is being stolen from the internet to train AI datasets without credit or compensation. Many also fear it will steal their livelihoods.I fully understand traditional artists' concerns, Mike Brauner, the magazines publisher and co-founder, said in an email interview. However, you need to recognize that AI is a reality and will not disappear. We are at the very beginning of something groundbreaking, and I can only encourage every artist to familiarize themselves with the new possibilities.Brauner, founder of Hamburg-based creative agency Polardots Studio, co-founded the magazine alongside illustrator Christoph Grnberger, author of the book Age of Data: Embracing Algorithms in Art & Design, which focuses on the aesthetics and creativity of a new generation of designers turning to algorithm-supported tools. The pair chose to produce the magazine with open-thread binding to contrast digitally created art with traditional bookmaking, resulting in a striking homage to the fusion of modern technology and classic artistry.While The AI Art Magazine is currently print-only, Brauner revealed plans to launch a companion online database where artists can display their work. We received an overwhelming number of submissions from 40 countries for our first open call, he said, and we really want to give those a stage to present themselves."We are at the very beginning of something groundbreaking," says Mike Brauner, publisher and ... [+] co-founder of the new biannual magazine.The AI Art Magazine

Bottom line: Travel documents are on the brink of a technological revolution as facial recognition systems become mainstream. But some countries are finding it tricky to strike a balance between convenience and privacy, as well as security and efficiency. In the coming years, the traditional paper passport, a document that has been a cornerstone of international travel for over a century, may soon become obsolete. In its place, facial recognition technology and smartphones are poised to become the new standard for identity verification at airports worldwide.This shift towards biometric identification is not a distant possibility but a rapidly approaching reality. Airports in numerous countries, including Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, and India, are already conducting trials of passport-free travel systems. Singapore, for example, allows its residents to enter and exit the country without physical passports, and is extending this convenience to departing foreign visitors.The drive to streamline the travel experience is driving this trend. Athina Ioannou, a lecturer in business analytics at the University of Surrey, notes that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of contactless travel technologies. "It's probably going to become the mainstream way of traveling, as I understand, in the near future," Ioannou told Wired.At the heart of this technological shift is the concept of a Digital Travel Credential (DTC). Developed by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the DTC system comprises two key components: a virtual element representing the information traditionally stored in passport chips, and a physical part stored on the traveler's smartphone. These components are cryptographically linked to ensure authenticity and prevent forgery.The implementation of DTC systems varies, with some approaches still requiring travelers to carry but not necessarily present their physical passports, while more advanced versions aim to eliminate the need for a physical passport entirely. // Related StoriesEarly trials have shown promising results. In Finland, a small-scale DTC pilot conducted by border officials demonstrated that identity checks could be completed in just eight seconds, with technical processing taking only two seconds.While the prospect of reduced airport queues is undoubtedly appealing, the transition to digital travel documents raises significant concerns. Privacy experts caution about the lack of transparency surrounding these technologies and the potential for data breaches and increased surveillance. The ICAO itself acknowledges risks such as "look-alike fraud," criminal data collection, system outages, and the possibility of false rejections in facial recognition systems.The development of verification systems by various companies worldwide adds another layer of complexity. "We don't really know how secure these systems are," said Udbhav Tiwari, director of global product policy at Mozilla. "The fact is that all of these companies develop these systems often do so in deeply proprietary manners."Adam Tsao, who leads digital identity efforts at the security company Entrust, told Wired that another concern is who will handle the data, including who can access it, for what reasons, and how much control they have over its use. Tsao advocates for a precise and controlled approach to data sharing in our increasingly digital world. He suggests that the ideal scenario would involve providing only the necessary information, for a limited time, to the appropriate parties and for specific purposes. However, Tsao acknowledges that achieving this level of precision in data management presents significant challenges.Perhaps not surprisingly, the implementation of these systems has not been without controversy. In India, the Digi Yatra face-recognition boarding system has faced criticism over its introduction and enrollment processes. "The way that it's happening in India is no longer voluntary, and it's no longer something we can hold the government or anybody else accountable for," said Disha Verma, from the Internet Freedom Foundation.The Digi Yatra system has been operating in 24 airports around the country and may be opening up to foreign citizens in 2025. Meanwhile, the privacy and compliance issues the system has raised will only heighten as there are plans in India to roll out the identity technology to hotels and historical monuments.

One of the lost object tracking updates that appeared for Android phones this year was the ability to locate them even when they run out of juice. The convenience is shipped as part of Androids Find My Device system. It, however, appears that Samsungs next flagship will miss out on that convenience.The folks over at Android Authority did some code sleuthing and spotted details of a disabled Bluetooth finding protocol. Owing to the inactive status, the phone wont appear on the location finding map once it runs out of battery juice. Before we proceed further, do keep in mind that these are pre-launch details about unreleased hardware, so the situation might change down the road.Recommended VideosAs for the feature itself, which Android serves as Find your offline devices, it relies on Bluetooth and location proximity data from nearby Android devices. The idea is not too dissimilar from how Apples own Find My network works for millions of devices across the globe, relaying their location so that users can find misplaced gadgets.Nadeem Sarwar / Digital TrendsGoogle wont say how exactly location finding works for devices that have run out of juice and gone offline, except for a vague specialized Pixel hardware on one of its store listings. The feature is active by default and supports the recent wave of Google hardware, including the Pixel 9 and Pixel 8 series phones.Please enable Javascript to view this contentWhat it does, however, is piggyback off the network pings from nearby devices, which subsequently relay their location on the Find My Device network. To enable it for your phone, follow this path:RelatedSettings > Google > All Services > Find My Device > Find your offline devices.Users can pick offline finding range between two options: With network in high-traffic areas only and With network in all areas. Googles support page mentions that offline devices will be discoverable for several hours after they run out of local power.This is what the Galaxy S25 Ultra could look like. dbrand / Digital TrendsWhen others detect your items, they securely send the locations where they detected them to Find My Device, explains the company. As far as the Galaxy S25 Ultra goes, Samsung is reportedly going to equip it with the second-generation Corning Gorilla Glass Armor protective shield.Moroever, the design has been slightly overhauled, thanks to rounder corners and a splash of new colors. Internally, things dont appear to be changing dramatically, save for your usual year-over-year iterative updates.The camera hardware will be a familiar affair, led by a 200-megapixel main camera. Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC will lead the charge, but aspects like charging pace and battery capacity are not receiving any noticeable upgrades, as per leaked material.Editors Recommendations

Homelessness hit a record high this year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development found.About 770,000 people were experiencing unsheltered homelessness in January.In a silver lining, homelessness among veterans decreased markedly.This year, homelessness was the worst it has ever been for everyone except veterans, that is.The Department of Housing and Urban Development released the results from the annual point-in-time surveys of unsheltered homeless people, which cities nationwide conducted in January.Overall, homelessness was the highest it has been since the government began keeping track, with about 770,000 experiencing unsheltered homelessness on a single night in January. That's an 18% increase from the same time in 2023, the HUD said in its report released on Friday."While this data is nearly a year old and no longer reflects the situation we are seeing, it is critical that we focus on evidence-based efforts to prevent and end homelessness," Adrianne Todman, HUD's acting secretary, said in a press release.Veterans were the sole group that saw a positive change. According to the survey, homelessness among veterans dropped to 32,882, the lowest number on record and about an 8% decrease from 2023. Unsheltered homelessness among veterans also dropped to 13,851, an 11% decrease from 2023."This year, HUD has helped connect nearly 90,000 veteran households to stable, rental homes," the department said in the press release. The Department of Veterans Affairs permanently housed 47,925 vets in 2024.Researchers at the Brookings Institution found that homeless people in many major cities rely on temporary and emergency shelters. Building paths to permanent housing, on the other hand, improved housing access overall, leading to declines in homelessness in some cities, the researchers found.