Sony has patented a PlayStation controller that could let you buy games by simply tapping your credit card or phone against it — no more typing payment details with a gamepad.
The patent application, titled “Video Game Controller-Driven Information Transfer,” was filed in March 2025 and published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on September 17, 2026. Gaming publication Dexerto was first to spot the filing.
Here’s how Sony describes it working: when a purchase is needed, the console shows a payment prompt and alerts the controller. The player then brings a phone, credit card, or gift card close to the controller, which picks up the payment details over NFC or Bluetooth — or even by reading a QR code off the phone’s screen with a built-in image sensor. A light, sound, or vibration confirms the connection, and the controller relays everything to the console, which verifies it with a server before completing the transaction.
The filing covers a wide range of payment methods: credit and bank accounts, gift cards, digital wallets, and even crypto wallets. One illustration shows a gift card tapped against the controller with its remaining balance displayed on screen — handy for players who don’t want payment details saved on their account.
Sony also has retail in mind. One scenario describes a shopper trying a demo at a store or gaming expo: a prompt asks “Do you wish to purchase this game?”, they tap their phone on the controller, and the title lands in their library with a confirmation sent to the phone. VGC notes this could even serve as Sony’s in-store replacement for physical game discs.
The patent goes beyond payments, too — describing transfers of player IDs, multiplayer session invites, screenshots, and video clips between devices.
The usual caveat applies: this is a patent, not a product announcement, and there’s no guarantee it ever ships. But tap-to-pay tech is cheap and ubiquitous now, so a payment-enabled DualSense successor isn’t the wildest idea Sony has patented this year — the company has also filed for controllers with buttons that change stiffness mid-game and touchscreens with movable buttons.
Sources: Notebookcheck, VGC