Sure, using tap to pay services like Google Wallet and Apple Wallet is convenient when you’re paying for a coffee or taking a trip to Walmart, but have you ever wished that you could use this technology from your living room to pay for entertainment? A new patent filing suggests such technology may be on the way.
According to a report from IGN, Sony has filed a patent called “video game controller-driven information transfer,” that details a potential video game controller with NFC capabilities that would let users tap a phone or credit card to a controller to send information to a video game console.
The immediate use of this technology would, of course, be to pay for games or a PlayStation Plus subscription, but as Sony begins to turn its PlayStation video console into a larger media device this would be an easy way to also pay for digital TV and movies as well as streaming services down the line as well.
More uses than just tap to pay
Sharing account information in a tap
While this technology would certainly make paying for things a snap, the patent filing goes beyond just tap to pay features and details how this potentially newly-integrated technology could make it easier for users to transfer account data to a console. So if, for instance, you want to head to a friend’s house to play the newest Call of Duty, you could sign in to your account with just a tap to a controller, and then immediately have all the DLC and loadout preferences associated with your account automatically available for you to use on your friend’s console the same way they would be on your home console.
This feature certainly would make gaming on the go a lot more convenient and, though Sony would have to figure out how to secure such a system, the possibilities for a NFC-enabled controller on a next-generation video game console are pretty exciting to consider.
It may also be worth remembering that in addition to PlayStation consoles, Sony also has its Bravia line of smart TVs that could implement this technology as well using the TV’s remote, which could also add NFC technology. Thus would create another easy way to pay for media right from your phone without having to run and get your wallet.
When would this technology roll out?
Possibly as soon as 2028
Patent filings are of course speculative, and we don’t know for sure if or when this technology will ever be implemented in a Sony or PlayStation device. However, with rumored about the all-digital PlayStation 6 pegging Sony’s upcoming next-generation console for 2028, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this technology roll out alongside the newest version of DualSense controllers alongside whatever the PlayStation 6 ends up being.
