Avid gamers are most likely using the digital marketplace and multiplayer matchmaking app Steam to play their games library on the big screen, even if it's just the battle royale game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. But Steam and its TV-friendly streaming console Steam Link (favoured by users who aren't playing on their home computer or a Steam Machine) aren't just useful when it comes to streaming games to other devices in your home. They're perfect for remote desktop streaming, letting you view the desktop of your gaming machine on whatever compatible device you're on at home.

iOS/Android/Web: Parallels Access, the awesome mobile remote desktop tool, is now even more awesome. The new version finally lets you remote control your computer from within any browser (including a Chromebook).

Android: Google has finally released an Android counterpart to its Chrome-based remote desktop application. Install the Chrome Remote Desktop extension for Chrome and now you can log in to your computer remotely from Android.

Microsoft continues to tweak the iOS and Android remote desktop apps it launched last month. New updates fix a handful of performance and display problems, and Microsoft also says a Windows Phone version is imminent.

Windows/Mac/Linux: Teamviewer, one of our favourite online meeting and remote troubleshooting tools, just unveiled a new beta that's packed with new features. Users can now boot or wake up computers using wake-on-LAN, connect with smartphones and tablets, and use two-factor authentication for added security.

Android/iOS: Alongside Windows 8.1, Microsoft released its Remote Desktop application today for both Android and iOS. This makes it easy to control your Windows desktop from your Android or iOS device.

Ubuntu: Splashtop has always been a great way to control your computers from a phone or tablet, watch videos and stream music. Now, Splashtop has a Linux version, which means you can access your Ubuntu desktop from iOS and Android devices.

Chrome: Google's Chrome Remote Desktop has long been a simple way to access your computer from another location. The product is finally out of beta and has added a few extra features.

Your home computer is the perfect machine. It's customised to your exact needs, runs all your must-have apps and holds every important file you'd ever need to access. The catch: it's not exactly practical to lug a computer with you everywhere you go. That's where remote access comes in. Here are three simple ways to control your home computer from anywhere -- your laptop, phone, or even a friend's computer -- as though you were sitting directly in front of it.

It was mentioned some time ago that Chrome OS would support remote access via a browser. Days ago, Google made good on its promise, though it extends beyond the company's stab at an operating system -- all you need is a PC with the Chrome browser and a single extension installed.

Android has a few great VNC apps, and a few not so great. If we had to pick the best, we'd choose PocketCloud for how insanely easy to use it is.

There are many VNC apps for the iPhone, ranging widely in price, features and approach. Our favourite is Screens because it makes your desktop actually easy to use on a touch screen, offers a secure connection through SSH tunnelling, and provides a setup-free option should you not want to mess around with your router.

The iPad is a great remote desktop tool, but there are tons of VNC apps and many are very pricey. Luckily for you, we've sifted through a bunch to help you find the best for your needs.

Android: Popular remote desktop service TeamViewer has rolled out a version of their viewing software that allows anyone with an Android and a relatively decent screen to remotely view, control and help out on desktop systems.

Windows: The Windows version of popular cross-platform remote desktop tool TeamViewer has updated and includes a host of new features to make remote presentations and trouble shooting easier.

Windows/Mac: Mikogo sports the basic features you'd expect from a decent desktop sharing tool: whiteboard functionality, mouse pointers for participants, and remote control. Where Mikogo shines is one-click reversal; you can nearly instantly switch from the current desktop to a viewer's desktop.

All systems: Fedora 14, the latest release of the Red-Hat-backed Linux desktop, includes a library for handling JPEG photos that speeds up photo processing, thumbnail creation, and photo importing. There's also support for better control of remote desktops and virtual machines.

Mac OS X: ScreenSharingMenulet gives you easy access to local, remote and Back to My Mac VNC servers directly from your OS X menubar. It's customisable, lightweight and completely necessary if you make heavy use of VNC.

Android: ShareKeyboard links your computer keyboard and your Android phone via Wi-Fi for easy cross-device typing and text sharing using nothing more than the Android app and the host computer's web browser.