14 DAY TRIAL // Just as more and more rumors point to the arrival of next generation consoles like the PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720, BioShock creator and Irrational Games director Ken Levine believes existing devices still have some power left to amaze gamers both visually and in terms of gameplay.
Existing HD consoles like the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 will be around for quite some time, at least according to their manufacturers, Sony and Microsoft, respectively, but they are showing their age in front of the PC, at least.
However, just as quite a few developers are demanding new hardware, Ken Levine, the mind behind BioShock and the upcoming BioShock Infinite, is quite confident that there's still lots of power left in current devices.
"It's clear there's still a fair bit of juice left in these machines," he said to CVG. "You look at Arkham City, Uncharted and Gears of War and you're starting to see that these games don't look old to me. They look very current."
"I was playing Batman the other day and he's flying over this huge city, the snow is landing on the wings of his cape and you can see it hitting and melting... they still retain the power to visually amaze me."
Levine also revealed that developers can still use existing devices to push for new gameplay ideas, instead of waiting for new platforms to try them out.
"From a gameplay standpoint absolutely there's a ton of juice left [in current consoles]. There are lots of things to explore. That doesn't mean it's not challenging to build on what you've done - obviously Infinite is a very large step up in terms of technology from BioShock 1."
BioShock Infinite is set to include a lot of unique ideas, including a skyhook system, with players using rails to get around from platform to platform and fight with enemies.
Do you agree with Levine or do you think that new consoles should appear as soon as possible?