Sony wants to squeeze users with more micropayments in games thanks to a contactless system for credit cards integrated into the controller

Sony has registered a really curious patent. In it, we talk about a figure of integration of payment technology contactless directly on PlayStation controllers. The document, presented in March 2025 and officially published last week, raises something very striking. And the controller itself acts as a payment gateway between a bank card or mobile phone and the console.

And what is the objective of all this? Obviously, paving the way to complete the transaction. The system seeks to process microtransactions and digital purchases without forcing the player to type credentials on the screen, something that is undoubtedly especially annoying and delays the time between the decision to buy and the final purchase.

As for the technical operation, it is certainly worth reviewing. To begin with, the request is activated when the console issues a cashout request during the game. At that moment, the controller turns on its NFC or Bluetooth chips to detect when a credit card, digital wallet or gift card is approaching. The remote then vibrates or beeps to confirm the correct reading. The information then travels encrypted to the console.

A technology that would not only serve to pay

Beyond direct payments, Sony wants this technology to be used for something else. Maybe you simply want to use the fact of turning the remote control into a kind of dataphone. The documentation contemplates taking advantage of this system to exchange profile data between users and immediately join local multiplayer games.

Likewise, the system would also allow screenshots and video clips to be sent directly to the user’s phone by simply bringing it closer. The patent also describes its use in commercial demonstrations, making it easier to purchase a complete title after testing it at public exhibitions.

Obviously, it must be remembered that this document It does not mean that its implementation will arrive soonneither to the PlayStation 5 nor to future consoles. Of course, the illustrations show an exterior design identical to the current DualSense, but they add to other previous conceptual patents such as integrated touch screens or AI assistance systems. In reality, many of these experimental developments are never mass produced for the consumer market.

A controller that would only be missing a coin slot

The patent is ingenious, we cannot deny it. It may even be a useful implementation. However, when analyzing it, it has made us think about the trend of big tech to squeeze as much as possible out of the user.

Obviously, entering card numbers or passwords with a console controller is a moment of pause that often stops the purchasing impulse. Therefore, for Sony, transform the controller into a kind of updated arcade machine where it is enough to bring the money closer to continue consuming makes sense. To us, rather, it seems like one of the most twisted design ideas proposed in recent times.