Last year, a console not made by PlayStation or Nintendo outsold the Xbox Series X|S during Black Friday weekend in the US. That console was the Nex Playground. The mainstream media boost Playground received by achieving this unexpected feat means the console is now available in the UK. This means I can finally try it out for myself, and the little box has far exceeded my expectations.
The expectations were not low either. Of course, I didn't expect Playground to suddenly become my favorite console as the Switch 2 gathered dust. But after hearing so many good things about this little box, I got hopeful about what it could add to the already busy video game landscape. As it turns out, there is absolutely room in the market for a playground. Not because everything else is too expensive, but because we succeed in making things different rather than trying to be better.
What can you do at Nex Playground?
Whether you've seen the headlines when Playground embarrassed Xbox or you've heard of it for the first time, you might be asking yourself what exactly this new console is and what it can play. Well, you can't play Elden Ring or Cyberpunk 2077 or pretty much any other game you can play on other consoles.
No, Playground has its own independent game library. You don't even need to buy a new game for this. The console itself comes with five games you can play right away (Starter Pack), while the rest (over 50 titles being added all the time) are available through Play Pass. Play Pass is a subscription that can be purchased for 3 or 12 months at a time, and once you subscribe you have access to all the features Playground has to offer.
There are many different types of games available. There are titles specifically designed and available exclusively for Playground, like Arrow Party and Doodle Heads, games that adapt movement-controlled gameplay found elsewhere, like Fruit Ninja, and countless unique third-party titles from some of the world's biggest IPs, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rooftop Mayhem, Bluey: Bust-A-Move, and Avatar: The Last Airbender Earth Rumble.
The only thing that's a little disappointing when choosing the game you want to play is the Netflix-style menu. Like Netflix, games are divided into several categories. For example, there's a fitness section, and the sports section has games like Tennis Smash: Racketville and Homerun Heroes: Starstrikers (my personal favorite). However, like Netflix, these categories will be shuffled each time you log in, and new categories will be added to the mix. There aren't so many games that you'll never find something you like again, and while you can check out all the games on the Playground website, it can be a bit frustrating.
A playground's unique library must match its unique control system. Learn more about what exactly this means in the next section.
What's in the box?
The playground itself is just a box. Very small box. Setup is so simple that you can be playing in minutes. The only thing that comes in the box is a remote control that you use to select games and other options that can be difficult to navigate using your body. That's right, I said your body. There is no controller because you are the controller. Kinect, eat as much as you want. There's a camera on the front of the console, and all the games are motion-based, giving you an incentive to get up and move the moment you connect the playground. It also comes with an attached magnetic lens cap, so you can rest assured that your console won't be monitored while it's not in use.
How you use your body to control the game is simple, but surprisingly different from game to game. For example, Basketball Knockout can capture and distinguish the motion of picking up a basketball and throwing it into a virtual net. There are also games like Luminous where your entire body becomes a controller. Moving left and right moves the ball, which must stay away from the beam for as long as possible.
There is a global leaderboard for that topic. See you there.
The camera is incredibly receptive and does a very good job of selecting and distinguishing between multiple people. This is key for a console considering how many games are built around playing with other people. There were a few hiccups when it came to the camera focusing on the right person at the right time, but as long as there was enough space and players stayed in their respective positions, there shouldn't be many issues.
How much does it cost?
The price of playgrounds is a double-edged sword. Pricing starts at $299, which on the surface may seem expensive for a console like this. It is a game with its own game ecosystem that is not made by one of the three major companies.
You can invest an extra $100 if you want to buy it bundled with a 12-month Play Pass, which I highly recommend.
But stop and look at how much all the other new consoles cost. The playground beat them all, some costing hundreds of dollars. We're quickly reaching a point where current generation consoles are beyond the reach of a huge percentage of people.
Playground isn't a cheap alternative to other consoles that seem to increase their prices every other week. They didn't band together to make a quick buck as Nex saw an increasingly worrying situation. This is a well-conceived console that aims to fill a widening gap in the market by being different from everything else rather than better.
Modern Gaming Has a Place for Nex Playground
I believe there is room for the Nex Playground with the PS5, Switch 2, and Series X|S, and that space will only grow as other consoles continue to increase in price. The biggest hurdle for Nex to overcome is getting its foot in more doors than it already did.
Currently, people are likely to be skeptical about playgrounds at best, and at worst they may not be aware of them at all. I knew of its existence before I had my own playground, but I didn't realize how much it had to offer and how well it functioned until I literally stood there and played.
Playgrounds aren't just a trick, or something you buy your kids for Christmas, use for two weeks while everyone else is off work and school, and then forget about them forever. If you have kids and are watching console prices rise as the holidays approach, Playground is definitely an option.
- brand
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Nex
- original release date
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December 1, 2023
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$299
- operating system
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Play OS (Android)
- processor
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Amlogic A311D2-NOD(SoC) / Mail-G52 MC4(GPU)
- It's very easy to set up.
- A variety of games are all included in Play Pass.
- It's much cheaper than any other new console on the market.
- Almost all games are locked in Play Pass.
- Netflix-style menus can be a bit frustrating.
