Sony officially made the first step towards the next-generation of consoles a few weeks ago when it unveiled a few key specifications of the upcoming PlayStation 5 (we're pretty much sure it will be called that even though Sony didn't actually reference it with this name yet). We know it will feature an eight-core 7nm CPU based on AMD's Zen2 architecture, a custom GPU based on AMD's Navi architecture with hardware support for raytracing, a dedicated unit for 3D audio and a custom SSD that's supposed to make loading screens relics of the past.

We expect Microsoft to make its own big announcement during the E3 Media Briefing (Sunday, June 9th, 1 PM Pacific Time), perhaps going into even greater detail of what its next-generation Xbox will be able to do. Regardless, even though these devices won't launch this year, the race is on.

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It is therefore interesting to read the opinion of Jack Tretton, who's been an executive at Sony for almost thirty years, the last eight of which he spent as the president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). In an interview posted yesterday by GamesBeat, he said Sony as the market leader is obviously well positioned but he also expects them to face exponentially greater competition than the last time.

I think they’re very well-positioned. The leader of the prior generation is always in a good position going into the new generation. From what I’ve read about the specs of PlayStation 5, it sounds impressive. Their business model obviously worked well for them the last time around, and it doesn’t look like they’re going to deviate from that. They’ll be well-positioned. But I do think they’ll face exponentially more competition than they did the last time around. Microsoft should give them a better run for their money, and Stadia is a new wrinkle in the market that didn’t exist in 2013. Nintendo is more relevant this time around. It’s going to be a much more competitive market. There are new players. But they’ve learned some valuable lessons in this generation. It should be great for everyone in the business, whether you’re a developer or a gamer. It’s going to keep everyone on their toes.

Do you agree with Tretton's assessment that it will be much tougher for Sony this time around? Tell us in the comments.