New controller features could be beneficial in Sony’s digital-only age
Convenience is king in this day and age. Buying digital games already saves people a trip to the store. Now, a provisional patent that Sony filed in 2025, titled “Video game controller-driven information transfer,” suggests it’s removing another step in the process. Like the tap-friendly tech you find on smartphones and in grocery stores, Sony has introduced a potential PlayStation controller that lets you access your nearby phone to send payment details or account info to the console.
Since Sony announced that it’ll be fully shifting to digital formats and discontinuing physical disc production come 2028, it seems fair to make the checkout process a little easier for PlayStation owners. Plus, as new patents from Sony and Microsoft come out, with the most divisive being Microsoft’s plan to interrupt games with ads, it’s another indicator that the next generation of PlayStation consoles is coming up. Whether this particular controller idea takes shape is what we’ll have to wait and see, but it surely seems convenient.
How does controller-driven transfer work?
According to the patent, the controller would detect nearby devices, like a phone; the latter would then receive a signal, send a confirmation to the controller and the controller would finally send it to the console. Proximity detection like this could communicate, a Bluetooth connection or both
NFC is the same technology that makes contactless payments possible across many devices, including iPhones, Apple Watches and other smartphones. Outside of that, NFC-capable controllers are not fully novel, as both the Wii U GamePad and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller use this proximity-based tech to scan amiibos.
These messages will come in response to what the patent calls “an event that has occurred at the video game console.” Whether that’s you purchasing a PlayStation game, entering gift card details or joining a multiplayer match, the diagrams throughout the patent suggest you can do it all with a tap of your device.
Is controller-driven transfer really that helpful?
Clicking around through payment menus and adding your card details using a PlayStation controller is a grievance for countless gamers, so this seamless, user-friendly process makes buying games, DLC or virtually anything from the PlayStation Store more beneficial for both parties. In many cases, you may not want to scroll through your phone or grab your wallet to find a card number and type it in, which can both annoy you and cost Sony a sale when you abandon your cart. Typing payment or login details using an electronic keyboard or secondary device can cause slowdowns or malfunctions.
That said, the feature could possibly offer far more exciting capabilities than tap-to-pay, with the diagrams in the patent suggesting you can also log into your PlayStation account with a tap. Whether you’re logged out of your own or trying to sign in on a friend’s console, it would make logging in to your profile easier and far more personalized than playing as a one-time guest. While the option to create a passkey already simplified this for some users, a tap is still much quicker than that.
