Sony is eyeing the DualSense as the device that completes your purchase.
A freshly published Sony patent outlines a system in which PlayStation controllers, the DualSense among them, could serve as a channel for digital purchases. Filed in March 2025 and published on September 17, the application describes wirelessly relaying payment credentials from a phone to the console, with the controller acting as the intermediary between the two.
Bring the phone close, get a rumble
According to the filing, NFC and Bluetooth are the proposed links between the devices. A connection made through direct physical contact is also listed, meaning that touching the phone to the controller could work as well.
When the controller picks up the phone, it can signal the match through haptic feedback, sound, lighting or any combination of those. (In other words, your pad might vibrate to confirm it has spotted your wallet.)
Cryptocurrency wallets are included
The scope of the patent takes in purchases of games, DLC, digital currency and in-game items. Its list of supported payment methods is wide-ranging too: credit cards, bank accounts, gift cards, digital wallets and cryptocurrency wallets are all named.
At this stage it remains a patent application, so Sony has laid out the concept rather than released a product. The vision is a controller that glows, vibrates or chimes as soon as your phone gets close, then handles the transaction in the background.