Sony hasn't copied MS's console ideas?
Lets see where do I start?
During the PS2 era Sony uses the Emotion Engine, a cluster of processors that was a huge pain to develop on as the basis for its graphics and processing. No hard drive, all custom Sony hardware, tacked on on-line network that has to be provided by each 3rd party on a per game basis.
2001: OG Xbox brings with it an X86 CPU, Nvidia GPU using programmable Shaders and built in hard drive. Xbox makes it easy to develop games on. Create your gamer tag on a Unified gaming Network and game across all games with the same Xbox Live GT. 3rd parties don't have to worry about the on-line network because MS provides the network for every Xbox game. Only downside is you have to pay for XBL.
2005: Xbox launches Xbox 360. Has 2 price points $300 & $400. MS went to AMD for their GPU and launches the 1st GPU with Unified shaders . 360 brings with it the dashboard, Achievements that stay attached to your Gamer Tag and replays (the fore runner to screen shots). MS ahead of the smart tv craze throws apps into their dashboard making the 360 a media Power House. 360 also brings with it an indie dev program allowing indies to launch their games on Xbox 360 relatively easily. Mid way through the Gen MS and AMD develop the 1st console SOC by integrating 360's CPU & GPU. MS finds out there are other benefits to putting the CPU & GPU onto a SOC that improve performance over discrete parts.
2006: Sony launches PS3 copying MS's 2 price point strategy at $500 & $600. PS3 uses Nvidia (after Sony realizes their 2 Cell strategy was going to get destroyed) who previously provided Xbox with their GPU for the PS3 GPU. Sony finally decides that adding a Hard drive was a great idea by MS back in 2001. Sony also thinks a Unified Network like XBL is the way to go so PSN is developed and given a way for free. PSN is behind so Sony hires one of MS's XBL architects to help develop PSN.
Sony steals Xbox Achievements and calls them Trophies and adds apps to PS3 but PSN is still missing key features from XBL like cross chat and the indie programs.
2013: MS naturally goes with AMD again as they have developed a good relationship after the 360 SOC design. This time MS pays AMD over $3 billion to develop a SOC with the CPU, GPU and memory controller all on a single chip.
Sony decides they can't beat MS's hardware unless they steal MS's strategy. Sony goes to AMD and asks them to make the PS4 SOC knowing that they are also providing MS with their SOC. Sony also decides they should charge for PSN and finally realizes that indies are also important.
2014: Xbox launches a backwards compatibility program that goes back two gens. Not only does Xbox BC play old games but it also enhances them. Xbox gets some good press from gamers who don't like having to buy the same games twice.
With the PS2 Sony once thought BC was important but since then has dropped support for it.
2015: The 1st rumors of MS developing a 4K HW update for the XB1 leak out. Sony in a panic move decides they will beat out MS's 4K updated HW with their own 4K updated HW.
2016: Sony launches their quickly slapped together PS4 Pro. The Pro smells of a quickly engineered console. The Pro is a 4K update but very rarely reaches 4K in AAA games and doesn't even come with a 4K Blu Ray player which is a 1st for a Sony console which have always launched with updated media drives.
2017: MS launches XB1X. It reaches 4K most of the times but in some instances there are slightly lower resolutions. XB1X also comes with a 4K Blu Ray Player and 4 extra Gigs of Ram. XB1X is the 1st console to use a vapor chamber and MS has a patented method to tweak the SOC's thermals on a per unit basis. The X is well engineered design that runs quietly.
