EA's chief thinker Rich Hilleman reckons Microsoft and Sony "nearly expired" making PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and that we'll see incremental updates long before a true next generation rolls around.
"I expected we'll see a PlayStation 3.5 before we see a PlayStation 4 and an Xbox 560 before we see an Xbox 720," Hilleman told VentureBeat.
His words are arguably reflected in Sony's move to make a PS3 Slim and Microsoft's decision to do Project Natal, which was conceived to effectively relaunch the Xbox 360 sometime next autumn.
How long until we see a true next generation is unclear, although Sony's oft-touted Ten Year Plan suggests we have a while to go.