I must be the only person here that thinks rage isn't going to kill my system. Unless you have a miniscule amount of video memory, then you should be fine on modern hardware.
Honestly, who really cares what Carmack has to say about anything anymore. Yes, he writes some decent engines from time to time, but so does every good developer now-a-days. Cryengine, Source Engine, Frostbyte engine, etc... they're all fantastic engines (all versions). But, engines don't make the game. Unfortunately, John Carmack hasn't really made an unforgettable gaming experience in a REALLY long time and Rage is probably the first new idea he (or someone on his team) has come up with in an even longer span of time.
He's just a dev. He's good at writing engines, but his opinions don't mean any more than the opinions of the texture artist sitting in the cubicle next to him.
STOP MAKING THIS NEWS!!!!