John Carmack of id Software is worried about the current generation of platforms. He thinks they’re plenty powerful and capable of doing amazing things; he just doesn’t believe they’re going to be around much longer. Speaking at QuakeCon, Carmack claimed:

"I know internally how many steps away the 3D hardware vendors are from where they think they’ll be pitching consoles. And honestly it would be great if this generation of consoles lasted twice as long as the last one, if we had a viable eight-year commercial lifespan for this generation of titles, and I know some people are saying this is the plan - I don’t think it’s going to turn out that way.

"I think it’s going to be far too tempting to one-up your competitor because they don’t think you’re doing this, but you really are to get it out earlier and try and get some first-mover advantage. So I don’t think it’s going to be too long."

There have been some grumblings recently that the next Xbox may make its debut in 2010, though we really have nothing to base that on other than rumor. Still, if a console manufacturer even thinks that the competition is about to debut a new system, you can bet they’re going to ramp up their research and production timetable so they can get their new box out as well. So while Sony has touted a ten-year lifespan for the PS3 and Microsoft has repeatedly stood behind the longevity of the Xbox 360, sources like Carmack believe that’s all bluster and the next-next gen consoles might be here sooner than we think.