The Nex Playground, a colorful cube designed to get children moving, has emerged as an unexpected competitor, reportedly outselling Xbox consoles during the 2025 holiday season. Despite initial skepticism from some gaming media outlets, the system's appeal lies in its user-friendly design and motion-based gameplay, reminiscent of the Nintendo Wii's success.
Simple Setup and Design
The console's aesthetic, featuring a gentle color palette and a compact form factor, is clearly targeted at parents seeking active alternatives for their children. Setup is straightforward, with clearly numbered packaging and minimal components: the console, an HDMI cable, a USB-C power cable with an integrated camera shutter, and a small remote. The system runs on an Android-based Play OS, with 16GB of RAM, and offers basic configuration options such as time zone adjustments and sleep timers. Visual settings are fixed, with no advanced display options like HDR available.
Motion Controls and Gameplay
Actual gameplay relies entirely on motion controls, tracked by an ultra-wide camera that monitors 18 points on the user's body. While the tracking is generally accurate even in cramped spaces, the system lacks depth detection, which can occasionally lead to unintended interactions with the environment. The included remote is used for navigation and menu selection, but the core experience is physical.
The Nex Playground's library comprises over 50 games, including original titles from Nex Team, third-party efforts, and ports of popular mobile games like Fruit Ninja. Without a Play Pass subscription, users are limited to five pre-installed games. To access the broader library, which includes licensed children's programming, a $89 annual Play Pass subscription or a $49 three-month option is required.
Game Highlights
Among the playable titles, Homerun Heroes: Starstrikers offers an online arcade baseball experience where players aim to hit home runs by timing their swings. Fruit Ninja, a long-standing mobile staple, is also available, featuring various modes including Classic, Arcade, and Zen. Bowling Strike! provides a familiar bowling simulation similar to Wii Sports, with a simplified control scheme.
For potentially older audiences, the library includes fitness and dance games. Starri, a free inclusion, offers rhythm-based gameplay with "Catch" and "Slash" modes, featuring a mix of original and licensed music. Barbie Dance Party challenges players to mirror on-screen dance moves, proving to be a surprisingly accurate motion-recognition experience. Fitness titles like Box Flow Fitness and Family Fitness Challenge aim to increase heart rates through punching, dodging, and jumping exercises, though their effectiveness and engagement vary.
Monetization and Value
The Nex Playground's primary drawback is its monetization strategy. The lack of individual game purchases means that accessing most of the content necessitates the Play Pass subscription. While the system is priced at $300, which is less than upcoming consoles like the Nintendo Switch 2, its reliance on a subscription for a substantial portion of its library raises concerns about long-term value. This contrasts with the Nintendo Switch, which offers a vast library of games that can be purchased outright, without mandatory subscriptions for core gameplay.
Initial enthusiasm for the Nex Playground can wane quickly, as evidenced by a child's diminishing interest after a few days of play. For parents considering the console, it is advised to try it out at a friend's home first to gauge genuine interest before purchasing. While the Nex Playground succeeds in encouraging physical activity, its restrictive content model and the rapid fading of novelty present significant challenges to its overall appeal and value proposition.