This is one weird OP...

Let's not kid ourselves as if Nintendo or Xbox doesn't have any dormant IPs.

Or the hypocritical thinking as if Wii U's must-have hundreds of games to play right now.

Sony has their own culture, its just Mostly in the form of Gran Turismo, Uncharted and the Last of Us. Right now Polyphony and Naughty Dog are making the majority of their community worthy games.

Sony doesn't stick with distinctive characters because they are a brand that is determined to create new characters and brands in each and every generation. Unlike Microsoft they are actually capable and unlike Nintendo they arent afraid to create a new banner carrier for the company. 

I know that. But Sly Cooper series never got enough push. 3 -> Thieves in Time took 8 years according to Wikipedia, they didn't push advertisement, nor did a media mix up. I do like him as a character, but he never got the constant push that he needed to shine on the main stream.

Kratos is memorable. Constantly serious and has solid character. I should have mentioned him. But he isn't exactly likeable character. His anger, brutality, self-centric personality gave him depth, and he is popular for it. But with my limited sense of humor and intelligence, I can't really spin him in interesting way that doesn't result in someone getting killed. (Without being out of character.)

Heard about Twisted Metal, but didn't noticed any characters. This is likely due to my personal taste. I will look into it. How much media push this game got? Did characters from this game was actively marketed and focused? I'd like to know about it.

When I said distinctive characteristic. I'm talking about his appearance feature. As I said, is he someone who pops into your eyes if there was no context of him being 'Nathan Drake.' Which is a great character. But he is a average human with average name, and logical attire choices. Obviously, 'Average' I'm mentioning here isn't actual people. I'm comparing with other games and media. This made Nathan Drake more relatable for people playing the game, but dull to the people who just played the game and forgot the details that made Nathan Drake, or someone who didn't played the game yet. This means Sony have to put some serious effort to make him iconic, but they are not spending money on that. 'Uncharted' is iconic name everyone remembers, not Nathan Drake.

Well, all three of them above are just speculation. A made up reason to explain why they didn't become a main stream figure. So if you have a good reason to disagree, you are probably right.

For final question,no, I do know Sony gives more freedom to their first party developers. But creating a main stream mascot requires very long time, or an constant and effective marketing strategy. Once business decision no longer touches development, secondary option is out of the window. However, since Sony is dabbling on media mixes, it is likely something will catch on. Only media mix that I currently know of is for the Ratchet and Clank. Ergo the reason why I suggested they will eventually gather enough fan to create such fandom.

I do respect their choices to think outside of the business. But that is exactly why they don't have sizeable franchise fandom like Microsoft does. Who focused their marketing to Halo. And Nintendo had 3 decade worth of head start.

Again, Nintendo aren't afraid to create a new 'banner carrier'. They just don't do it because they know it is almost impossible to just create a main stream mascot out of thin air. Period. Establishing a main stream mascot is very different from establishing a game brand. Especially one that stays relevant.

Why does people just claims others are worse for aiming a different goal?

That sounds like fear to me. If you believe its impossible to create a banner carrier one cannot fathom Sony's intentions for the rise of Nathan Drake in an era where they already had Kratos.

Nathan Drake rose as a mascot where?

Rise of Uncharted series is not same as rise of Nathan Drake  the character. Just as rise of Splatoon doesn't mean Inkling suddenly became a relevant character in the main stream. I don't have to fathom anything because there is nothing behind it.

Banner carrier game and 'Banner Carrier' character - Mascots are not the same. Nathan Drake never rose. Uncharted is the one that claimed to the top. They didn't had Kratos. No sane marketing strategist would put Kratos as a face of entire Playstation brand. Especially not in US.

Maybe I don't have enough knowledge on these issues. Can you tell me an example of a mascot that became a main stream as soon as it hit the market and stayed relevant without strong, continued support? Maybe Darth Vader?

Look back on last gen. You'll see what I mean when I say Nathan Drake was the premiere character for Sony, because Uncharted was. His character was relatable and funny and got into lots of trouble that you helped him get out of as a thief and historian. The two exclusive characters that came out for any brand in last gen were Nathan Drake for Sony and Marcus Fenix for Gears of War. Of course Microsoft didnt make that game but they bought it, so there you have it. 

I have to 100% agree with this. To give details about myself as a gamer; I skim this website for numbers and occasionally some click bait threads (this) maybe twice a month, I made an account to reply to this because I feel like the voice of a lot of gamers would go unheard here.

As detailed and short as I can be here, you're on a video game sales and discussion website guys. Be real with yourselves. You're not the average gamer, and a lot of your rants and discussions will go completely unnoticed to the community as a whole. That doesn't mean you can't still have proper discussion, but please respect your range and who you are reaching. 

Point blank, no one is going to buy this console because it does or does not have active youtubers / streamers. Infact, the entire concept of watching others play video games is a hobby in and of itself, it also is an interest of a specific type of gamer, it really does not apply to anything more then 2-10% of modern gamers.

Suggestion: Stop worrying about what will win and lose this generation in your own mind, and relax and enjoy the present platforms. They're fun and the entertainment is instant and gratifying. Enjoy the disc era while it's still here as well. 

I know gamers who love to watch people play all day, I myself can't do that. The point of gaming to me is engaging and playing in whatever is my own fantasy realm of virtual existense. To each their own, to the downfall of no one.