How long do you think this gen is going to be?

@nyadc: I don't think they outstayed there welcome yet but 3 to 4 more years is logical and all signs point to that being the case. I don't see how people can say 7 to 8 year's and know anything about how the industry works.

You will most likely see a new PS and Xbox system by 2018 at the latest.

Im American. Dont we owe people money? Obesity is lazy.

At least 7 more years with this awesome current gen hardware.

Too long.

"Gens" need to die. Console manufacturers should be putting out new hardware yearly and game devs choose which versions to support. The idea of stagnant hardware every 5-10 years is just terrible. Not all games need super amounts of power to run. Not every game needs to be a graphical showcase. Games can also have multiple levels of rendering based on hardware specs. There is no way there can't be new consoles yearly. Devs and consumers are just too stuck in their ways.

The mobile market has adapted perfectly. Software comes out that supports a minimum level of hardware based on what that software is doing. Sometimes apps come out that don't support 3+ year old phones. That's just how they are made. If you want to use that software you need the hardware for it. Devs aren't bending over in every situation if they feel they do not need to support that old hardware to make sales and a profit.

There is no reason why gaming can't be the same. A CoD game could support 3-4 year old consoles and everything since without problem. There is nothing forcing them to take full advantage of the brand new hardware. Each year they could just bump the minimum requirements by a single year. It would still cover a few years of hardware but they would also be able to safely increase the graphical fidelity.

What would be the point, the hardware wouldn't show significant improvements for how much consoles sell in that time (the $350 consumer budget). Look at the weak ass hardware we got in the current gen after last gens 8 years. Don't know about you, but I was expecting more. Also, it's taking about two years for this gen just to get started. Do you really think there'll only be a few more years before they start again. Especially since the current gen consoles are selling well.

Plus I can't speak for other console gamers, but if you want to dish out $350 every 4 or so years, be my guest.

Console gamers would be fools to dish out and want to start again so soon.

It's not length that matters - it's girth that matters.

Hopefully 10 years minimum. I'm still on last Gen since I don't see any reason to upgrade.

I wouldn't be able to keep up with it if the console makers made hardware yearly. I would skip it every 2 or 3 years. Nintendo has a chance to break that trend by releasing a new proper console around 2018 if that makes you glad.

@GameboyTroy: That's the point. You don't need the hardware every year. However this flexibility gives devs the ability to choose the ranges of hardware to support rather than having to support 8+ year old devices.

I would expect most devs to support the past 2-3 years of consoles for the big games while indie games and less demanding games can support 5+. This effectivly kill 5+ year gens and reduces the stagnation of hardware that plague console gaming.

The devs are kind of having a hard time having a budget to make games with and the amount of time it takes to make them. I'm not sure if they'll be able to keep up with new consoles being made every year. Especially the ones that take 2 to 5 years to make games. We'll just have to wait and see if that actually happens. This isn't mobile phone gaming, this is console gaming.

@GameboyTroy: Since the consoles went to x86 and much more modern graphic APIs that all mimics DirectX, supporting the latest hardware isn't all that difficult. PC devs support the latest hardware all of the time, even if their game has been in development for several year. No reason console devs can't do the same. It would be on Sony and Microsoft to make sure each new console follows the same API and coding conventions of their last. No more changing the CPU to something radical and rewriting the graphic API.

Been thinking this for a while now especially with x86 being the standard. It works for all parties involved

As soon as Nintendo releases NX I'm betting that MS and Sony will follow shortly after. At least this time both should offer Backwards Compatibility this time. At least assuming they release physical consoles.

I don't think it'll last as long as gen 7 did, or is since it's still going.

For Xbox One, not that long seeing this trend weekly. The PS4 will last at least 7-8 years.