Ladies and gentlemen, stop the presses! Someone may have found a use for PlayStation Home! I know it sounds crazy, we just assumed it was a pointless, depressing billboard, but one group of UK business eggheads are looking at the "service" as an alternative business environment. How progressive!

CEOs from leading international companies are set to help explore the PS3's virtual arena of bleakness, looking at the possibilities it has as a space where businessmen can collaborate and and discuss a variety of projects. The overall aim is to see how Home can reduce office space and travel costs, giving employees what basically amounts to a pretend office.

Workplace transition consultants Advanced Workplace Associates are spearheading the research, a company whose clients include Merrill Lynch, Ernst & Young and even Microsoft. I can just see Shane Kim discussing Xbox 360 Q2 plans via the PlayStation Network.

"The PS3 console being used to access a virtual world is interesting as there are strong pointers that gaming environments will increasingly be used for other purposes such as education," states Dr Nipan Maniar, creator of an anti-Culture Shock mobile phone game. "There is a global trend towards mobile workforces. In India, for example, 43% of small and medium businesses now have "mobile workforces". Wireless communications is driving this transformation but the collaborative power of a mobile workforce will be fully realized in virtual world environments."

Sounds like a great idea now, but wait until they actually get into Home. The crushing despair followed by silent, soulless simulated blowjobs is going to be a real treat.