Once upon a time, there was a report from Greenpeace that said game consoles released harmful chemicals, namely Pthalates, that could lead to sexual dysfunctions over time. This lead Dr. Kevin Brigden of the Greenpeace Science Unit to say, “Whether game consoles are classified as toys or not, they can still contain hazardous chemicals and materials that could harm humans. The technology is available for the manufacturers to design out toxics and produce greener game consoles now.”

The PS3 has taken it one step further as it gleefully eats up as much electricity as it possibly can. An Australian consumer group named Choice conducted a study in which they found the PS3 uses up to five times more electricity than a medium sized refrigerator. The typical size of the fridge they refer to stands at about 60 inches in height. My math was never great, but I’m guessing that’s about five feet total.

Monetarily, it would cost someone $50 a year to run a medium sized fridge as opposed to $250 to power the PS3 without opening any applications. The report also pointed out the PS3 uses ten times more electricity than the Wii. Christopher Zinn of Choice said, ” While we hope no one actually leaves their games console on for a whole year 24/7, the figures are indicative of just how much electricity these small devices can chew their way through.

After reading this, I’m reminded of all the message board threads I’ve read about how long someone has ever left their PS3 on. My guess is they all cried after getting that power bill.