Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 1 hr ago
Sony patent proposes phone-based payments and sign-ins through a PlayStation controller
Sony's provisional patent describes a PlayStation controller that could connect with a nearby phone to transfer information to a console.
The patent, filed in 2025, says the phone could send payment details or account information after the controller detects it and receives confirmation.
The connection could use NFC, Bluetooth or both.
The feature could make buying games and signing in easier by avoiding the need to enter card or login details with a controller.
Sony has said it will move fully to digital formats and stop producing physical game discs in 2028, making digital purchases more central to its business.
The patent also suggests the feature could help players sign in on another console, though passkeys already offer another way to log in.
Sony has not said whether it will build this feature, so it is not clear if or when players could use it.
A Sony patent proposes using a PlayStation controller to transfer payment or account details from a nearby phone to a console.
The provisional patent, filed in 2025, describes detecting a nearby device and sending information after the device confirms a signal.
The feature could support purchases, gift card entry and multiplayer sign-ins, according to diagrams described in the patent.
The patent does not mean Sony will make or release the proposed controller.
Engadget reports that Sony plans to shift fully to digital formats and stop producing physical discs in 2028.
- Who
- Sony filed the patent.
- What
- The patent proposes a PlayStation controller that can transfer payment or account information from a nearby phone to a console.
- When
- Sony filed the provisional patent in 2025.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- The proposal could make purchases and sign-ins easier for PlayStation users.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Sony filed a provisional patent titled Video game controller-driven information transfer.
Sony is set to shift fully to digital formats and discontinue physical disc production, according to Engadget.
- Patent filing
- 2025
- Patent title
- Video game controller-driven information transfer
- Possible connections
- NFC, Bluetooth or both
- Possible uses
- Payments, gift card details and account sign-ins
- Physical disc production
- Sony plans to discontinue it in 2028
What people are saying
Video game controller-driven information transfer