Ernst & Young, Microsoft to use Home to hold virtual meetings

by Andrew Yoon { Dec 31st 2008 at 8:28PM }

PlayStation Home will be host to a few virtual meetings operated by Ernst & Young to reduce carbon emissions. The hope is that a suitable online world will help eliminating the daily need to commute and meet in real-world offices. The project is being led by Dr. Nipan Maniar and Manish Malik from Portsmouth University and includes other participants, like Microsoft and Merill Lynch.

"Audio and video-conferencing solutions have emerged but the use of virtual worlds may offer the next evolution in overcoming the tyranny of distance - a more realistic and learning-enhanced environment," Andrew Mawson, managing director of Advanced Workplace Associates said.

As bloggers, we certainly know the benefits of telecommuting. Who knows? Maybe in the future all of us will be able to work from home and log in to the office using our PlayStations.

[Thanks, DirtyOFries!]

Tags: ernst-and-young, home, microsoft, telecommuting

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Sylar @ Dec 31st 2008 8:34PM

Isn't that convenient? Or just lazy...

black_ryuk @ Dec 31st 2008 9:27PM

Sounds lazy to me...lol.....but hey...whatever gets more ps3s used i guess

Fx.Dr @ Dec 31st 2008 10:59PM

"Isn't that convenient? Or just lazy..."

Not to mention cost-effective. Even low-end teleconferencing suites are incredibly expensive. Depending on the number of end-points they're trying to tie in together for the meeting, they may be completely infeasible.

Home sounds like a damn good, on-the-fly solution.

MakaiOokami @ Jan 1st 2009 12:56AM

It's just too bad that Sony sells these things at a loss, so unless games are being bought for it, or clothes within Home to customize, it's just going to be a net loss for Sony on these things.

Luckily Sony didn't reduce the price on the consoles because people can't afford to give Sony that much more brand new game sales on a system they already cant' afford in an economy that's so shitty. I don't see how taking more and more hits on price because no one has the money to pay it back would work in the troubling economy anyway.

Popfrogs @ Dec 31st 2008 8:45PM

A good cheap use of a potentially expensive technology. Corporations drop more than $400 on 2 days of phone service, for them this setup would be a drop in the bucket.

I'm just surprised more companies aren't using PS3's for teleconferencing with the webcam. It's a no-brainer to set up and use and you can chat with multiple people at once.

*gets an idea for a PSN store application for business types*

TinyTim121 @ Dec 31st 2008 9:56PM

Make sure its available for TV networks!!

PlayStation Home does the Virtual Apprentice!! Or Dragons Apartment!

Then there's Big Brother...anything to get that show off television...

Lionp696 @ Dec 31st 2008 8:50PM

Paybacks a bitch ain't she
http://playstation.joystiq.com/2008/12/31/new-book-explains-how-sony-inadvertently-helped-make-xbox-360/

mtgo @ Jan 1st 2009 9:49AM

What are you talking about dude? How is this payback? People have been doing this in second life for ages. Quit being such a blind fanboy and don't worry if some other guy on another system is having more fun than you.

rohan @ Dec 31st 2008 8:51PM

any1 else think that M$ is going to hack into HOME and create their own ver of it and call it HOUSE?

MakaiOokami @ Dec 31st 2008 11:42PM

Are they going to release a handheld and call it the Microstation? What about go for the XStation 4000 for the next console?

lee @ Dec 31st 2008 8:54PM

be funny if someone got in the meeting and invited loads of peeps and all started raving with loud music and bubble machines :D

spinthelights @ Jan 1st 2009 2:49AM

Or swarmed their own female office coworkers typing "How old R U?" while the Accounting Manager tried to explain the fiscal outlook over the sound of a Twilight trailer.

slycooper_rocker [patapon defence force] @ Jan 1st 2009 6:34AM

man quincying that would be so fun!

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Dec 31st 2008 9:03PM

wow........interesting indeed......

I can imagine that M$ has their own version in the works as well....

JoeTheBlow @ Jan 1st 2009 9:05AM

MS already sell LiveMeeting as the be-all and end-all solution to corporates, for LOTS more money than a few PS3's.
They really don't want anything cutting into that bottom line, anywhere.

We are forced to use Livemeeting all the time for conferencing and presentations (like Powerpoint, with lag), and believe me that Home would be a FAR more preferable work environment!!

Gambit07 @ Dec 31st 2008 9:15PM

Microsoft said some real bad things about Home a while back.

Mingjinko @ Dec 31st 2008 9:48PM

Oh the irony.

Geogray @ Jan 1st 2009 11:05AM

What makes any of you think that Microsoft will actually USE Home? Just because Ernst and Young says so? BS. And even if they do use it to participate in something that E&Y do, does not mean a damn thing. Companies are regularly forced to do things, that does not mean anything. Home seems rather pointless anyway and when it fails, E&Y will go somewhere else.

Game_playa @ Dec 31st 2008 10:06PM

Now if Sony would just let people run homebrew.....
THAT would change the world forever

Imbro @ Jan 1st 2009 5:51AM

Sony do allow homebrew. In the form of otherOS, linux and spu apis. Oh you were thinking about executing stuff on the gpu and it's memory? Sony is held captive by their business model. They sell their consoles at a loss, but make up for it in game licenses. If anybody could execute arbitrary code on it for free, nobody would ever pay such licenses.

ice~ @ Dec 31st 2008 10:21PM

Where's the obligatory trolling and "HOME SUX AND IS TEH BORINGEST GAME EVAR" comments? This is weird, i'll give it time though.

PSN: Aggie_CEO @ Dec 31st 2008 10:26PM

yea the trolls are out drinking right now...........

PSN: John-Paul-Jones @ Dec 31st 2008 10:44PM

In that case, happy new year to all PS3 fanboys, Wii fanboys, 360 fanboys and everyone in general!!

ice~ @ Dec 31st 2008 11:11PM

This is preposterous, i should be out drinking too. But everyone and their moms are on vacation in some other country/state....dam even the trolls are out, that's depressing

Game_playa @ Jan 1st 2009 12:13AM

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Game_playa @ Jan 1st 2009 1:07AM

First post of 09 on PS3 Fanboy!!!

skin.bintin @ Jan 1st 2009 12:34AM

What a stupid idea. Like using Video or Phone servies for their meetings doesn't work fine as it is.

TruthTeller @ Jan 1st 2009 12:56AM

But its 2005 tech. Seriously who would use such out dated tech, rubbish technology.. aint that right Microsoft?

Was that not what MS was saying about home ? yeah yeah talk shit about your competition to try and cover up you sell crap in a box and then at the first opportunity rip off your competition and pretend like its your brilliant idea..

TruthTeller @ Jan 1st 2009 12:26PM

@Ham.

Not to..you know, make you look like a complete cunt or anything, but..

Why didnt they use the xbox NXE to hold their meetings, surely MS provides similar functionality to idiots that pay for the gold service right ??

Basically Home has once again shown a new way to communicate and play, you dont need to just use it for play.

Now im just waiting for xbox XNXE extra new experience aka home rip off instead of just a mii rip off, but for xbox platinum users at an asking price of $ 100 / £ 75 a year and they still screw you with extra advertising on top..

AF @ Jan 1st 2009 1:21AM

Yeah, ha ha MS, saying it blows and then using it for work. Man they are hypocrites.

Jumpinbeans @ Jan 1st 2009 1:34AM

Oh i can see it now....50yr old Managing director of company gets IT to create a sensible looking avatar.....he enters HOME for the meeting. The person he is meeting comes in with the helgast uniform on and starts dancing to the psp adverts. He then by accident invites him a game of motorstorm

I can see alot of work being done lol

friedofbud666 @ Jan 1st 2009 1:44AM

Wow... It's funny that when you think about it. Now all the high payed corproates will need to buy new clothes for their avatars. They have an option to do video, still it is not HD stream as of yet... but maybe they won't use video and sit in the virtual boardroom clubhouse. Hi-larious if you ask me.

sinai @ Jan 1st 2009 2:08AM

microsoft buys a billion ps3s, sony loses a 150 billion dollars - BRILLIANT!

Jesse @ Jan 1st 2009 10:10AM

only like $43 billion now. And if Microsoft waits long enough (March or so), Sony would just break even.

Regardless, I like the way you think young grasshopper!

Jumpinbeans @ Jan 1st 2009 2:40AM

Oh one good thing i thought of....muhahahaha....dont all business deals get carried out in lap dancing clubs? If so....happy days, we could get a new sponsored area lol.

Popfrogs @ Jan 1st 2009 12:18PM

According to our CIO, big deals usually happen on the golf course. In one story he mentioned the CTO of a big corporation whose name is only numbers and a dash, making a multimillion-dollar deal to buy Sun hardware just because he liked the reps.

Shadow_Modder @ Jan 1st 2009 3:03AM

Corporate Guy A: So, does everyone agree with the proposal discussed today?
-Guy B does the running man on Corporate Guy A's butt-
Corporate Guy A: Is that a yes or a no? O.o;

Happy New Year everyone!! =D

MRBlue @ Jan 1st 2009 3:48AM

WOW! Fantastic idea! Now they just need to make sure that you can upload your PowerPoint to a screen in your Summer Home and you're all set!

The fact that Home is a free app versus services like WebEx using it for business meetings is so simple I'm surprised this hasn't come up before.

The fact that MS may actually be using it (I'm sure it's the C-level guys and not the games division) is telling enough that this is a viable option.

Still, that doesn't discount the fact that Sony still needs to keep updating the service with more content both in-house and, more importantly, from other companies.

After reading this I have a new-found hope and excitement for what Home could mean to gaming. I just hope Sony doesn't screw it up.

Phil @ Jan 1st 2009 4:26AM

I'm pretty sure Second Life has done this before at least once...

Also, Microsoft aren't directly using Home, they are part of the project which as a whole is going to use Home - probably as a means of delivering live content, while Xbox users get it on Live a few days later?

The Dark Trooper @ Jan 1st 2009 9:39AM

Your forgetting, Its the Xbox Branch of Microsoft, That said Home was crap. The PC branch is using it... Because there're Second Life accounts were banned....

iamkid @ Jan 1st 2009 1:23PM

"microsoft"

didnt see that coming

ducttapeBigSexy @ Jan 1st 2009 1:25PM

Everyone is going to turn on their PS3s and HDTVs to talk about ways to reduce carbon emissions? I think I'm going to have hundreds of people go out for a drive so we can all figure out ways to reduce traffic congestion :P

tlarkin79 @ Jan 1st 2009 1:29PM

Am I missing something? Where in the article does it say Microsoft will be using Home?

What the article says is that Microsoft is part of a project to "explore how large companies can use virtual worlds to reduce costs on office space and travel, as well as their carbon footprints." Ernst & Young will be using Home to as part of that project, but I'm sure other companies will be trying different approaces as well. No where does the article say that Microsoft will be working on the Playstation home aspect of this project.