Halo 4's O'Connor: "I expect this generation will last a lot more years"

Halo 4 developer 343 Industries has suggested that the Xbox 360 isn't at the end of its lifespan in terms of technical capabilities. The franchise development director has explained why the console's malleable tech allows it to evolve.

Speaking with GI.biz, O'conner said of people asking him about the Xbox 360 reaching its limit, "The funny thing is I've been asked that question a lot, I think it's natural as we start looking forward to the next generation of hardware."

"But I would actually strongly contest the fact that the Xbox 360 is at the end of its life cycle," O'Connor continued, "this has already been one of the longest generations and there's a really good reason for it, which is that current consoles are incredibly flexible and still really powerful."

"The reason that Halo 4 looks good is that that machine has an awful lot of untapped power still and it's going to continue to. I think that looking forward into the future I can see years from now, even after next-gen platforms are out, that you'll have lower priced versions of the existing consoles happily living side by side and serving really valuable functions."

"Not just becoming the little brothers like cast offs, but still being your Netflix player, still being you DVD player, your Blu-ray player in the case of the PS3, and still doing really vital things around your house. And that means if people are still using it they're still going to want gaming experiences on it."

"I would say that I expect this generation will last a lot more years. Now you've got your hardcore fans who are going to look at that statement and say 'but I want new hardware.' We know new hardware is going to come, it always does, but I think the utility of the older consoles is going to last longer than ever before."

What do you think? Are consoles more than just their raw technical power? Let us know below, and be sure to check out our own interview with Halo 4's Frank O' Connor here.