The announcement of the Nintendo Wii U back at E3 2011 threw the cat among the pigeons and raised many questions among gamers. Was this the beginning of the next-generation games console race? How would Sony and Microsoft respond to Nintendo's new console?

Now Bethesda is weighing-in on the discussion - declaring that gamers may be waiting a long time for the PS4 and Xbox 720 - even so long as 2014.

The comments come courtesy of Todd Howard, the director of the studio's upcoming blockbuster Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Speaking with PSM3 magazine, Howeard stated that Sony and Microsoft are likely holding-off on moving to next generation hardware - because there's little demand from gamers to make the switch and that current hardware is capable of delivering a satisfying experience:

"I think it's going to be a while still, I really do. I think consumers are happy with the current ones, there's a lot you can do with them [....] So I don't think it's coming next year or the year after."

Recent speculation suggested that Microsoft had been preparing to unveil a new console at next year's E3 conference. As GameRant reported in July, Microsoft has the support of AMD - when it comes to the graphical grunt in their next-gen Xbox. They believe that the next generation Xbox 720 will be able to output tremendous graphics, comparable to those seen in CGI movies such as Avatar.

Skyrim Director Todd Howard Talks Expensive Game Prices

Elsewhere Howard went on to discuss how plans were put in place for Skyrim to become a next-gen game. He and the studio felt that the game needed to break from Bethesda's previous games and provide a new experience for the gamer, even if that was on Xbox 720 or PlayStation 4. Though, as Howard mentioned, the PS3 and Xbox 360 were ultimately capable of delivering a satisfying result:

"We want [Skyrim] to be fresh. We don't want it to feel, visually or technically, 'Oh this is Fallout 3' or 'this is Oblivion' And if we couldn't do that we would have waited."

Are you Ranters ready for the next-generation of games consoles? What would you like to see in the next generation? Let us know in the comments.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is due out on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 on November 11, 2011.

Source: PSM [via CVG]