That's the message that my boss Julian Rignall has been preaching here at the office pretty much all week; that this is the last great hurrah for the and the PS3. This time next year, we'll be looking at not just the , but the PS4 and possibly a new Xbox 360 as well.

His opinion is borne out by long experience and the events of this past E3. Most of the games on the show floor were sequels in the franchises that have grown and flourished on the current tech. And games like Battlefield 3 clearly show that the tech has reached its maturation.

This hasn't exactly been a typical console cycle though. Neither Microsoft nor Sony seem particularly interested in moving onto the next set of consoles; the former because the Xbox 360 is doing so well, and the latter because they're still trying to recoup their investment in the PS3. Rolling out new hardware means losing money, and I doubt that either Microsoft or Sony are interested in the investment required to kick off a new generation.

We're getting there though. In November, the Xbox 360 will be six years old. Most consoles only make it five years before a successor is introduced; the Xbox and GameCube could only make it four before being unceremoniously killed off. The Xbox 360 isn't exactly antiquated, but it's definitely not matching up to the more powerful PC hardware currently available. That's just the nature of the hardware cycle.

If Microsoft unveils their new console at E3 2012, that will mean that the Xbox 360 has lasted seven (relatively) healthy years. They'll be able to ride the momentum that they've built up into another console cycle in which they figure to enjoy strong western third-party support. They may even let the Xbox 360 have a bit of a tail, rather than killing it outright.