Forward compatible hardware detection

Being a softie, I'm currently fighting some hardware techies on a hardware detection mechanism.

I feel like it should be possible to build a detection/discovery mechanism that is 'future proof', in a way that the detection software, built today, will be able to recognize a limited set of properties of all hardware versions developed in the future.

The argument against: the current (dsp) chip may become obsolete in the near future; hence, we cannot guarantee that future boards will be compatible with the current discovery protocol.

How is this done for e.g. USB, PnP, and are there other examples?