But what of Sony? The was specifically built with longevity in mind. It's become the de facto Blu-ray player for a large number of gamers, and is just a great multimedia platform in general. More importantly, games like Uncharted 3 prove that the PlayStation 3 still has a huge amount of potential if third-party developers are willing to take steps to try and unlock it.

Sony, of course, has made a great deal of noise about having a "ten year plan" for the PlayStation 3. In this case though, I do actually believe them; they've certainly put their money where their mouth is with their previous two systems. Hell, new PlayStation 2 games were still being released in Japan as recently as 2009. The only reason developers is that the PSP has taken over as the top console in Japan (no, really).

In terms of home consoles at least, that would seem to make Sony the lone holdout; but they've already got plenty on their plate with the Vita. The recent shift in emphasis to handhelds platforms in Japan means that Sony has a large stake in its success, even with mobile platforms starting to supplant handhelds here in North America. This is a monumental opportunity for Sony; a chance to wrest control of the handheld market away from Nintendo. And unlike Nintendo, I think Sony is in a better position to let their console coast for another year or two while they get their handheld established.

Regardless, we have definitely reached this generation's endgame. We'll still be playing our Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s for a few more years yet, but the transition has already started for all of the major platform holders. For some, the announcement of a new console will bring frustration, as there are plenty of gamers who are perfectly content with this generation. For others, a new generation will bring the hope of renewal after years of sequels and reboots.

For me, the transition to a new generation will be tinged with the disappointment that Japanese development never really caught up with the tech. And like others, I'm not quite ready to buy another console just yet. I'm content to stick with both my PS3 and Xbox 360, even if it really was time for Nintendo to put out something new.