Was "next-gen" a common term during previous generations?

[NJ5]

We're now 3-4 years into this console generation. Yet, "next-gen game", "next-gen console", "next-gen graphics" and things like that are still common (and nonsense) terms.

Do you recall whether this was the case in the past, 3 or 4 years into the console generations? Otherwise we have to figure out why this is the case.