Sure, the fees for Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus aren't astronomical, but for PC gamers it leaves a foul taste that we should have to pay for the privilege of gaming online - isn't it enough that we've paid for the game, paid for the platform we're playing it on, and are paying fees to be online? For Microsoft and Sony it's clearly not, as a subscription fee for online gaming has become the status quo this generation. Steam Machines make no such demands of you, and from the off you'll be able to play online, cross-platform, against other PC players free of charge. Steam's interface for online gaming is simple too, and features all the bells and whistles found on the PS4 and Xbox One.