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Sony Files Patent for PlayStation Controller That Can Accept Contactless Payments to Buy Games

Sony Files Patent for PlayStation Controller That Can Accept Contactless Payments to Buy Games

The controller could communicate with credit cards or phones via NFC or Bluetooth, the patent said.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 28 September 2026 15:15 IST

Sony Files Patent for PlayStation Controller That Can Accept Contactless Payments to Buy Games

Photo Credit: Sony

The patent was filed last year and published in September 2026

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Highlights

The controller could emit signal or vibrate when reading payment details
The feature could be used to buy games, credits, in-app purchases
Sony was granted a patent for a buttonless controller this year

Sony has filed a patent for a PlayStation game controller that would allow users to directly make contactless payments through credit cards or payment methods stored on phones. The controller design would be able to read payment information from cards or phones in its vicinity.

The US patent (as spotted by Dexerto) was filed last year by Sony Interactive Entertainment and published this month. Titled “Video game controller-driven information transfer,” it describes a PlayStation controller that can detect a nearby electronic device (a credit card or a phone) within a predetermined distance, read payment method information of the user, and transmit it to the paired PlayStation console.

Patented Controller Features

The patent said that cards or phones could communicate with the controller via either a Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol or Bluetooth. It also describes that upon communicating with a card or a phone, the controller could emit an audio signal from its speaker, or a visual signal from its light emitting unit, or vibrate to let users know that the payment information has been read.

Sony Has Patented a PlayStation Controller Design Without Any Buttons

According to the patent, the feature could be used facilitate and manage video game purchases, video game credits, and in-app purchases. It also mentions that the controller could read physical gift cards.

While Sony has filed a patent for a controller that can interface with payment methods, but the device may not see the light of day. However, a next-generation PlayStation controller could come with the feature. Sony updates PlayStation controllers with new features each console generation.

Earlier this year, The PlayStation parent was granted a patent for a button-less game controller that registers touch and gesture inputs. The future controller would come with optical sensors instead of a fixed configuration of thumb sticks and buttons to detect input based on touch, tap, swipe, press, and pinch.

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Further reading: Sony, PlayStation, Sony Controller

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More