Xbox One and PS4 hardware "essentially the same," says John Carmack

The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 hardware are "essentially the same," according to id Software co-founder John Carmack.

"It's almost amazing how close they are in capabilities, how common they are," Carmack said during his QuakeCon keynote address. "And that the capabilities that they give are essentially the same."

He acknowledged that there are differences in memory architecture and other various technical specifications, but ultimately, "it's almost weird how close they are," he said.

"In the near-term, it's clearly going to be a good thing for developers, gamers…it's an excellent thing for AMD," Carmack added.

Also during his keynote address, Carmack said the backlash surrounding Microsoft's since-reversed Xbox One policies was somewhat unjustified.

"I think the witch hunt was a little bit unjustified there," Carmack said. "I personally am extremely fond of having all of my digital purchases in a curated garden. All of my iTunes, all of my Amazon stuff, all of my Steam things. And it's a positive thing."

The Xbox One ($500) and PS4 ($400) launch later this year.