A Card Reader Could Be Coming to PlayStation Controllers. Maybe.

With the end of physical PlayStation games looming on the horizon in January 2028, digital purchases are here to stay, whether you like it or not. But if you’re prone to bad decisions and impulse buys, Sony has filed for a new patent that might not be in your best interests.

In a patent, spotted by Engadget, the inventors describe a controller that can receive payment details from a nearby phone or card and pass them on to the console.

The patent argues that “performing multiple operational steps using multiple devices” while adding payment methods “often causes performance of the video game console to suffer and/or one or more operations of the video game console to fail.”

The patent is dense and somewhat vague, but it could point to the addition of a hybrid card or NFC or RFID reader to the PlayStation controller itself, in the interests of smoothing out the user experience.

The potential advantages are clear. The PlayStation controller obviously wasn’t designed for adding card details, logins or lengthy addresses accurately and quickly, when searching Netflix can be hard enough. Adding an NFC reader could also open the door to convenient interactions between a smartphone and the controller, perhaps logging into your accounts from a friend’s device, Engadget notes.

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In an example in the patent, a gamer could visit a video game store or expo in which video games are on display in a demonstration mode, then use technology to buy the game there and then after being prompted.

But it’s unclear if the tech is coming anytime soon, if at all. Sony has never officially discussed adding NFC or card sensors to controllers, and the patent was filed in March 2025 and published in September 2026.

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Will McCurdy
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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

I’ve been a PC gamer since you had to install games from multiple CD-ROMs by hand. As a reporter, I’m passionate about the intersection of tech and human lives. I’ve covered everything from crypto scandals to the art world, as well as conspiracy theories, UK politics, and Russia and foreign affairs.

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