Have you heard of Nex Playground? Maybe if you have kids, but not many people are familiar with the console yet. It is a kind of spiritual successor to Microsoft Kinect and Nintendo Wii.
Nintendo Wii was hugely popular in its time, but the craze eventually faded. Its successor, Wii U, flopped.
In a similar way, Kinect for Xbox showed great potential but was later dropped by Microsoft.
Motion-controlled games
Still, the desire for games controlled through movement seems very much alive. The Nex Playground console has, before and during Black Friday, outsold Xbox on the US sales charts, according to analysis firm Circana and a report by VGC.
At the same time, the sales figures tell the story of Xbox consoles caught in what looks like a death spiral of missing games, declining sales and rising prices. PS5 and Nintendo Switch top the charts.
Originally intended for Smart TVs
The technology behind Nex Playground – a camera that tracks your movements – was originally intended for Smart TVs from companies such as Sony, Sky and Telly, as reported on FlatpanelsHD in 2023. However, TV makers have shown little interest.
Instead, Nex Playground was launched as a tiny game console built on an ARM chip and Android, manufactured in China. It sells for 200-250 dollars.
The console connects to any TV via HDMI. With a built-in camera, it enables games, fitness and other activities in front of the screen in your living room, no controller required.
Games on Nex Playground are controlled exclusively through motion. Photo: NexNot yet available in most regions
Nex Playground is not yet officially sold in Europe and many other regions. It can be imported, but be aware that additional games beyond those included require a Play Pass subscription, which may be difficult to pay for.
In the US, the console is now widely available from major retailers such as Amazon.
Room for new ideas
Smart TVs, Google TVs and Apple TVs are still not capitalizing on new types of game experiences controlled via cameras and motion controllers, nor on traditional console gaming.
Netflix's push into video games has also not gone as hoped, but the company is sticking with it.
Meanwhile, game streaming has shown potential, but both technical and market challenges have prevented it from becoming the success companies like Microsoft (Xbox) and Google (Stadia) had hoped for.
Also read: Valve takes on Xbox and PlayStation with its own game console
The surprising success of Nex Playground proves that there is room for more than PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo on the market, if you just think outside... the console.
How Nex Playground works
FlatpanelsHD
