Made from semiconductor materials, the betavoltaic battery uses radioisotopes as its energy source. The beta particles that come from the decaying radioactive material are transformed into electric power that can power devices, such as a laptop, for up to three decades. Before you all run for the tinfoil, the batteries don't use fission or fusion, nor are there any chemical processes to produce energy, which means no radioactive or hazardous waste.

Similar to a solar cell, the process uses the beta electron emissions that occur when a neutron decays into a proton and causes a forward bias in the semiconductor. Yes, I'm clueless about that too, but the bottom line is that an electrical current is created —when electrons are scattered from their normal orbits in the semiconductor and into the circuit—so you can feed your laptop and other friends.

Small and thin, the batteries use a porous silicon material to collect the hydrogen isotope tritium that is generated in the process. And as it's a non-thermal reaction, your laptop will stay cooler than if its juice came from traditional lithium-ion batteries.

The plan is, if all goes well, to have these batteries, an eco warrior's wet dream due to their non-toxicity, on sale in two or three years. We hope it works out because we can't wait to have every electronic gadget we have running forever without any bloody chargers and cable spaghetti balls around. [Next Energy News]

As you can see, the PS3's cable is only five feet long, not nearly far enough for anyone to use while playing. It's only a "charge" cable—unless you want to sit up close and incur the wrath of mothers everywhere—as opposed to Xbox 360's "play and charge" cable. Just something to keep in mind.

Update: You could also theoretically plug the PS3 controller into a laptop, a powered USB hub or an Xbox 360 sitting next to you on the couch, but that's a kludge. – Jason Chen