This is something that people definitely need to remember going forward when asking if Sony or Nintendo are ever going to "catch up" to Microsoft. On the OS front, I don't think they will ever entirely catch up to MS -- a company that has spent almost the last 40 years building operating systems. The only company that's even gotten close (and arguably surpassed Microsoft) is Valve -- a company of software engineers and game designers founded by a former MS executive.
Nintendo and Sony definitely need to reach a certain minimum standard when it comes to networking and operating systems, but I don't think they're ever going to soundly defeat MS in that regard. Even if they do reach feature-parity with Xbox Live's current form, MS will probably advance beyond that next gen in a way Sony and Nintendo won't see coming. They need to reach a certain standard, but in order to ultimately succeed, Sony and Nintendo should also focus on their own strengths.
Nintendo probably put more resources into the GamePad than the OS because that's what they're good at -- control interfaces. Sony put so much effort into turning the PS3 into a powerful multimedia box because that's what they're good at -- appliances. Same with the Vita when you think about it.
