With Sony widely expected to launch its next PlayStation late next year, some may be worried about the long-term prospects for support of the PlayStation 3. Sony VP of hardware marketing John Koller wants to put those worries to rest, though, saying in a recent interview with Gamespot that Sony plans to support its current system through at least 2015.

"A lot of great content is coming. And over the next 2-3 years, the PS3 has got an incredible lineup," Koller said regarding the system's long-term prospects. When asked in a follow-up to clarify that PS3 support would last for the next three years, Koller responded, "We're going to continue supporting the PS3 for the next few years. Absolutely. And we're going to continue supporting it not only that long, but as long as there is a development spigot that's running hot."

Koller went on to compare the PS3 to the PlayStation 2, which continues to see the occasional third-party game release more than a decade after its late 2000 launch. 2K Games released a PS2 version of Major League Baseball 2K12 as recently as March, and Square Enix has plans to release an expansion pack for MMO Final Fantasy XI on Japanese PS2s next year.

Sony has been pitching a planned "ten-year life-cycle" for the PS3 since it launched back in 2006, and these new comments seem to confirm that commitment. Microsoft has made similar promises for the Xbox 360, saying as early as 2008 that its system would receive support through 2015 (though recently leaked documents suggest that support will overlap heavily with Microsoft's aggressive plans for a next-generation console).

Koller recently confirmed that a new "Super Slim" redesign for the PS3 would not come with a commensurate price drop, and that in fact the base price for the cheapest available system bundle would be increasing by $20.