3M has announced a solar charging headset, so when do we get gaming peripherals with near infinite battery life?

pcgamer.com:

You know what wireless headsets need? That's right, near infinite battery life, and we're one step closer to that goal with 3M's solar powered comms headset which has just been announced at CES this week.

While there's a tendency for those of us in the PC gaming space to see CES as a place to check out the latest advancements in gaming hardware, it's important to remember CES is a show for consumer electronics in general. And over the course of the week there'll be all sorts of tech demonstrations that may give us clues as to where our hardware goes next.

As a case in point, 3M has announced that it'll be unveiling a solar charging «protective communications headset» with a patented new solar cell technology at the show, and I can't help but wonder if it's a sign of where our gaming peripherals might go next.

3M has partnered with Swedish tech company Exeger to optimise what the company calls its «Powerfoyle» solar cells by using 3M's solar film technology to create a communication headset that turns any kind of light into solar energy. This energy is then used to continuously charge the integrated lithium-ion battery, although there's been no mention as to whether the headset is expected to require top up charges or whether the tech is efficient enough to allow it to operate without ever needing to charge from the socket.

Regardless, solar technology seems to be advancing at a rather rapid rate, and there are already some implementations of the tech in PC peripherals available to purchase today. Logitech has had solar powered keyboards on the market since way back in 2010, and with continuing advances being made to the portability and power efficiency of solar panels and device efficiency, it's not a huge stretch to