Hirai: Rival next-gen systems will last five years

Sony Computer Entertainment boss Kaz Hirai has revealed his belief that the Xbox 360 and Wii will only be around for five years, while Nintendo's "mainstream" audience is likely to "move on".

That's according to an interview given to The Guardian, in which he reasserts the PlayStation 3's ten-year cycle and plays up the significance of supporting core gamers.

"If you go mainstream too quickly and don't support the core gaming audience then you lack the pillar to support your platform. Without this pillar you end up with a fickle audience that might be big but will probably move on," he said.

"This is fine if you're looking at a five-year life cycle like all of our competitors, even looking back in history, have always done. The new console comes out and the old one is immediately disregarded."

He added that making judgements on the PS3's success after just two years wasn't a fair reflection on the company's long term plans.

"For other consoles which have a five-year life cycle it is much easier to judge performance after two years," he said, despite Microsoft recently claiming that the Xbox 360 was also set for a 10-year lifespan.

The full rundown from the Sony press conference at E3 is available now, while a complete list of all the news from LA can be found on the GamesIndustry.biz event page.