Engineering:Nex Playground

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Short description: Video game console

Template:Infobox console

The Nex Playground is an active play video game console developed by American company Nex that was released in December 2023. It was developed to encourage indoor active play through motion capture.

Hardware

Front view of Nex Playground console

The Nex Playground is a video game console with a built-in ultra wide-angle camera, being described by Nex CEO David Lee as a successor to the Microsoft Kinect.[1][2] It is designed for family audiences as opposed to more traditional gaming demographics that modern consoles are aimed at; analyst Martin Scott of Analysys Mason compared the target audience to that of the Nintendo Wii.[1][3]

The console is a cube approximately 3" (76 mm) on all sides. It has an 8-core ARM chip and 64GB of built-in storage. A remote control connects to the console via Bluetooth and is used for navigating menus. The console connects to a display with an HDMI cable. A disc to cover the camera is included and magnetically snaps onto the console body.[2][4]

Games

Gameplay happens with use of an AI-powered motion tracking engine.[1] Games are downloaded over Wi-Fi; after download, they can be played offline. The Nex Playground has adjustable difficulty options and accessibility features dedicated for people with limited mobility.[5]

Built-in games

These games come with the console at no cost.

Play Pass

These games are available through the Play Pass subscription, which costs $89 annually. New games are developed and released onto Play Pass.[6][7]

  • 2048 Arms
  • Active Arcade
  • Aeon Guard
  • Air Racer
  • Arrow Party
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender Earth Rumble
  • Barbie Dance Party
  • Basketball Knockout
  • Bluey: Bust-a-Move
  • Bowling Strike
  • BoxFlow Fitness
  • Brainy Inc.
  • Brick Buster
  • Candy Land Sugary Sprint
  • Care Bears: Rainbow Ride
  • Connect 4 Bounce
  • Copy Cat Deluxe
  • Doodle Heads
  • Dora: Star Explorer
  • Dragon Jumpers
  • Family Fitness Challenge
  • Freefall Racers
  • Gabby's Dollhouse: A-meow-zing Moves
  • Galax
  • Homerun Heroes: StarStrikers
  • How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of the Skies
  • Hungry Hungry Hippos Move N' Munch
  • Juglr
  • Kung Fu Panda: Train Like a Master
  • Luminous
  • Mingle
  • Miniacs: Steering Madness
  • Miraculous Ladybug: Paris Dash
  • Mirrorama
  • NexGym
  • NexPets: Puppies
  • NHL Puck Rush
  • Nickelodeon The Tiny Chef Show: Cooking with Fwends
  • Peppa Pig: Jump & Giggle
  • Pip's Tale
  • Rubik's Showdown
  • Sesame Street's Cookie Monster’s Cookie Factory
  • Sesame Street's Elmo & Abby's Magical Letter Hunt
  • Sesame Street's Elmo Says
  • Sesame Street's Move & Groove with Grover
  • Starzzle
  • Sword Slash Adventure
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Mayhem
  • Tennis Smash: Racketville
  • Tumbobots
  • Unicorn Academy: Friendship Adventures
  • What on Earth?
  • Zumba Fitness Party

Upcoming

  • Dude Perfect
  • Sonic Forces[8]

Reception

Simon Hill of Wired gave the console a rating of 6/10, praising the device's design and motion tracking capabilities, but criticizing the limited library of games and pricing scheme.[2] It was described as a "Box That Looks Like the OUYA and Kinect Had a Kid" by gaming industry analyst Mat Piscatella.[9] It was positively reviewed by Haley Perry of Wirecutter, who remarked the accessibility of the experience and game selection, but criticised occasional issues with the motion control.[5]

Sales

The Nex Playground became a sought after gift during the Black Friday shopping season in 2024 and 2025. Retail partners including Target, Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy sold out of consoles and customers waited for small restocks to be able to purchase the game.[10]

At certain points, it has had greater weekly sales than traditional consoles such as Xbox Series or certain PlayStation 5 SKUs.[3][11] During the week ending November 22, 2025, the Nex Playground was the second best-selling hardware SKU in the United States based on units sold.[9] According to Nex, the Playground has surpassed sales of one million units in the United States and Canada.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Roettgers, Janko (March 7, 2024). "How Nex Playground designed a gaming console for kids that won't make them couch potatoes". https://www.fastcompany.com/91047106/how-nex-playground-designed-a-gaming-console-for-kids-that-wont-make-them-couch-potatoes. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hill, Simon (January 21, 2024). "This Game Console Gets the Whole Family Off the Couch" (in en-US). WIRED. https://www.wired.com/review/nex-playground/. Retrieved December 13, 2024. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fahey, Rob (December 5, 2025). "Nex Playground is a smart play for an industry blind spot | Opinion" (in en). https://www.gamesindustry.biz/nex-playground-is-a-smart-play-for-an-industry-blind-spot-opinion. 
  4. ↑ Dean, Ian (June 10, 2025). "This Apple-like games console is the closest yet to a 'Netflix for games' – why Nex Playground impresses" (in en). https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/gaming/nex-playground-review-an-apple-like-active-games-console-for-the-family. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "My New Favorite Way to Play Video Games Is Something You’ve Never Heard Of" (in en-US). The New York Times. November 13, 2025. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/nex-playground-review/. 
  6. ↑ "The Nex Playground Is the Video Game Console That Brings My Entire Family Together" (in en). https://www.parents.com/nex-playground-review-8744176. 
  7. ↑ Notopoulos, Katie. "Nex Playground fits with a trend of products for parents who want to limit screen time" (in en-US). https://www.businessinsider.com/nex-playground-video-game-screen-time-mark-cuban-review-2024-12. 
  8. ↑ Jacob, Arushi; Fedak, Tanya (June 23, 2026). "New 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Game From Sega Coming to Nex Playground in 2026 (Gaming News Roundup)" (in en-US). https://variety.com/2026/gaming/news/gaming-news-roundup-week-of-june-22-1236788371/. Retrieved June 23, 2026. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Valentine, Rebekah (December 4, 2025). "A 'Box That Looks Like the OUYA and Kinect Had a Kid' Outsold the PS5 in the US the Week Before Thanksgiving" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/a-box-that-looks-like-the-ouya-and-kinect-had-a-kid-outsold-the-ps5-in-the-us-the-week-before-thanksgiving. 
  10. ↑ "Nex Playground sold out on Black Friday – now it's cheaper than ever for Prime Day" (in en). July 8, 2025. https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/gaming/nex-playground-hits-lowest-price-yet-after-black-friday-sellout. 
  11. ↑ Robinson, Andy (December 7, 2025). "Xbox was outsold by a little-known Kinect-style console during Black Friday". https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/xbox-was-outsold-by-a-little-known-kinect-style-console-during-black-friday/. 
  12. ↑ "Nex Playground: The UK's newest games console aiming to get kids moving" (in en-GB). 2026-06-20. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx50rrz7zro. 
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