Sony patent filing puts a card reader in the PlayStation controller

Sony has filed a patent application describing a system that would let PlayStation players pay for games and in-game content by tapping a credit card, gift card, or smartphone against their controller. The filing, titled Video Game Controller-Driven Information Transfer, was published by the US Patent and Trademark Office on September 17, 2026.

The application, numbered US20260273403A1, was first filed on March 17, 2025, and remains pending. It lists Alex Song and Daniel Hiatt among four inventors. Gaming publication Dexerto was the first to spot the filing.

Under the process Sony describes, the console raises a payment request on screen and alerts the controller. The player then brings a phone or card close to the controller, which can detect it over NFC or Bluetooth, through physical contact, or at a distance of up to 12 inches. Some versions of the design have the controller read a QR code from the phone’s screen using a built-in image sensor. The controller confirms the connection with a light, a sound, or a vibration, collects the payment details, and relays them to the console, which verifies them with a server before completing the transaction.

Payment details can come from a digital wallet or a console maker’s app on the phone or from information stored on a cloud server. The filing names credit and bank accounts, gift cards, digital wallets, and crypto wallets among the supported methods. Another illustration shows a card tapped directly on the controller, with the screen confirming a gift card and displaying its remaining balance. Sony presents this route as an option for players who do not have a phone within reach.

One scenario in the filing targets retail stores and gaming expos. A shopper trying a demo unit would see the prompt “Do you wish to purchase this game?" tap a phone on the controller to pay and receive the title in their game library, with a confirmation sent to the phone.

The filing extends the tap mechanism beyond game purchases. Sony lists in-app purchases, merchandise orders, food delivery payments, and credits for tournaments, expos, and arcades as possible uses. It also describes sharing a player ID card containing details such as rank and win-loss record, joining multiplayer sessions by tapping phones to controllers, and sending screenshots, gameplay clips, and chat transcripts from the console to a phone.

Sony argues in the application that current login and payment flows rely on several devices, such as a phone scanning an on-screen QR code or a keyboard for typing credentials. According to the filing, coordinating those steps can cause communication failures and processing slowdowns, and routing the transfer through the controller reduces both.

Sony has not announced plans to bring controller-based payments to its consoles. In most cases a patent filing protects an idea and does not guarantee that a product or feature will reach the market.