---
title: "Sony patents turning DualSense into a wireless payment terminal for PS5"
description: "Sony has registered a patent for turning the DualSense gamepad into a wireless payment relay: the controller will use NFC or Bluetooth to transmit payment data from a smartphone to the console, eliminating the storage of bank data in PSN."
date: 2026-09-22T10:16:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sony-patent-dualsense-wireless-payment-terminal-ps5
tags: [sony, playstation-5, dualsense, nfc-payment, patent, psn-security]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Sony patents turning DualSense into a wireless payment terminal for PS5

![Wireless DualSense controller for PS5 that Sony plans to turn into a payment terminal per new patent](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/22/sony-patent-dualsense-besprovodnoy-platezhnoy-terminal-ps5/sony-patent-dualsense-besprovodnoy-platezhnoy-terminal-ps5-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Sony has patented a technology that turns DualSense into a wireless payment relay between a smartphone/card and the console
- The transaction is carried out via NFC, Bluetooth, or physical contact, with notification through haptic feedback
- The goal is to increase the security of purchases in the PS Store without storing bank data on the console
- The patent does not guarantee the implementation of the feature in upcoming PlayStation 5 software updates

Sony Interactive Entertainment has registered a patent describing a technology that turns the DualSense game controller for PlayStation 5 and future generations of consoles into a wireless payment relay. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing the patent document published on the Patentlyze aggregator. According to the technical documentation, the gamepad acts as an intermediary link between the console and the user's external device — a smartphone with payment details or a bank card with an NFC chip. In this way, Sony proposes a fundamentally new architecture for digital transactions within the PlayStation ecosystem, moving the storage of sensitive financial data outside the console itself.

### Three-step contactless purchase scheme

The patent documentation describes in detail the sequence of actions when making a purchase of digital content. The first stage is device detection: the controller uses NFC, Bluetooth, or physical contact to determine the presence of a smartphone with payment details in close proximity. The second stage is a signal to the user: the gamepad notifies the player of readiness for the transaction via haptic feedback, an audio alert, or a light indicator. The third stage is data transfer: after the operation is confirmed on the smartphone, the payment information is transmitted wirelessly to the gamepad, and from there to the console to complete the purchase. The system also supports directly tapping bank cards with NFC chips or gift certificates onto the controller's body, bringing the process as close as possible to the familiar "tap" of a card at a store terminal.

### Security in the context of PSN hacking attacks

The main goal of the development, as follows from the patent application, is to increase the level of security and simplify the process of digital purchases in the PlayStation Store. The context for this decision is obvious: over the past few years, the PlayStation Store network has regularly been subjected to hacking attacks and account breaches, which is why a significant portion of players consciously avoid linking bank cards to their profiles. The new technology allows transactions to be carried out "in one touch" without entering or storing sensitive payment data in the console system. The payment information remains on the user's side — in a smartphone or on a physical card — while the console receives only a confirmed signal of the operation's completion. In addition, simplifying the payment process, according to the developers' assessment, should reduce the number of cancelled and incomplete purchases in the digital store, which directly affects Sony's revenue from software and in-game content sales.

### Ecosystem monetization strategy

Experts note that the implementation of such solutions underscores Sony's intention to consistently develop a digital ecosystem model for selling content for current and subsequent generations of consoles. The patent for a payment relay logically fits into a broader series of the company's applications related to the modernization of DualSense: previously, Sony registered patents for attaching a smartphone to the controller for a convenient gaming experience, for haptic feedback improvements, as well as for displaying game hints on the gamepad's built-in screen. The combination of these developments points to the company's course toward turning the controller into a multifunctional hub that combines gaming, communication, and financial functions in a single device.

### A patent does not guarantee implementation

At the same time, analysts emphasize that the presence of a registered patent is not a guarantee that this feature will necessarily appear in upcoming PlayStation 5 software updates. Historically, Sony and other major technology companies register a significant number of patents, of which only a small fraction reach the stage of industrial implementation. The exact timing and conditions for the possible integration of the payment module into DualSense are currently not disclosed, and Sony has not made any official comments regarding plans to launch this technology.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Gamepad instead of a bank terminal: Sony changes game purchases on PS5](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/geympad-zamist-bankivskogo-terminala-sony-1790066107.html) - Основной источник. Подтверждает существование патента на платёжный ретранслятор через DualSense, описывает трёхступенчатую схему и контекст безопасности PSN. Ссылка на Patentlyze.
- [Sony registers patent for attaching a smartphone to the DualSense controller for convenient ...](https://www.ixbt.com/live/periphery/kompaniya-sony-zaregistrirovala-patent-krepleniya-smartfona-k-kontrolleru-dualsense-dlya-udobnogo-igrovogo-processa.html) - Описывает иной патент Sony на крепление смартфона к DualSense. Использован для контекста серийных патентных заявок компании на модернизацию контроллера.
- [Discovered Sony patent hints at DualSense haptic feedback improvements](https://www.igromania.ru/news/125072/Obnaruzhennyy_patent_Sony_namekaet_na_uluchsheniya_taktilnoy_otdachi_DualSense.html) - Описывает патент на улучшения Haptic Feedback. Тактильная отдача упоминается в основном патенте как канал уведомления о готовности к транзакции — пересечение тематик подтверждает согласованность.
- [Sony patents DualSense with game hints displayed on a built-in screen](https://www.gazeta.ru/tech/news/2023/12/04/21849589.shtml) - Описывает патент на встроенный экран DualSense. Использован исключительно для контекста экосистемной стратегии Sony по многофункционализации контроллера.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did Sony patent regarding DualSense?
**A:** Sony has registered a patent for a technology that turns the DualSense gamepad into a wireless payment relay. The controller acts as an intermediary link between the console and a smartphone or a bank card with NFC, allowing digital content purchases to be made without storing payment data on the PlayStation itself.

### Q: How will buying a game through the gamepad work?
**A:** The process consists of three stages: the gamepad detects a smartphone or card via NFC, Bluetooth, or physical contact; it notifies the player of readiness for the transaction through haptic feedback, sound, or a light indicator; after confirmation on the smartphone, the payment data is transmitted wirelessly to the gamepad and then to the console to complete the purchase.

### Q: When will this feature appear on PlayStation 5?
**A:** The exact timing is not disclosed. The presence of a patent does not guarantee the mandatory implementation of the feature in upcoming software updates. Sony has not made any official statements about plans to launch this technology.

### Q: Why is Sony moving payment data out of the console?
**A:** The reason is security. Due to frequent hacking attacks on the PlayStation Store, many players avoid linking bank cards to their profile. The new scheme allows transactions to be carried out "in one touch" without storing sensitive data in the console system, and also reduces the number of cancelled purchases.