Sony has filed a patent in March 2025 that outlines a controller-driven payment system capable of reading credit cards or smartphones through NFC or Bluetooth. The application, titled Video Game Controller‑Driven Information Transfer, describes the controller acting as an intermediary between a payment method and a console. Users could tap a credit card or phone against the controller, which would then transmit the payment details to the console for verification. The patent includes examples of purchasing games, in‑game currency or add‑ons, as well as scenarios where a demo at a retail location could trigger an immediate purchase. It also mentions transferring player IDs or enabling guest participation in multiplayer sessions via the same tap‑to‑connect method. Although Sony discontinued physical PlayStation Store gift cards in many regions during the PS5 generation in favor of digital codes, the patent suggests the system could support physical gift cards if the company chooses to reintroduce them. The filing was first reported by Dexerto and later covered by KitGuru, which asked whether consumers would adopt tap‑to‑pay functionality on a controller or prefer traditional entry of card details.