What makes a console "next-gen"...?

[Jay520]

Mazty said:

Jay520 said:

Mazty said:

What do you mean by functionality? And what if that functionality doesn't differ between rivals?

You know what, forget I said functionality. It has no impact.

Just consider this: All relevant consoles should be considered current gen.

So you think the current system should just be current gen and past gen instead of assigning numbers?

Intriguing. 

It can be useful to note distinctions between two different old gens like the SNES gen and the NES gen. Obviously neither console is relevant today, but they are definitely different generations, because they were relevant at different times. Whatever you use to label those generations (1st gen vs 2nd gen, NES gen vs SNES gen, etc.) doesn't really matter as long as the distinction is made.

If you want to categorize rival consoles in generations, then again, group them based on their relevancy. If the time period when two consoles were relevant overlaps a lot, then it's safe to say they were in the same generation.