Why is Nex Playground the new favorite console game?

People love unexpected and fun experiences at CES. Every year, there’s always something new that catches your attention and makes you think, “Yeah, I’ll buy that.”

This year, it’s the turn of Nex Playground, this great compact family console game that makes playing action-packed, motion-capture-based games easier than ever.

Nex Playground is extremely fun

Nex Playground first launched in 2023 and has grown significantly since then. It even outsold all Xbox hardware in November 2025, with more than 650,000 units shipped throughout the year.

Spending some time experiencing Nex Playground will immediately show why. Nex has done a great job with the key features, starting with one of the most important: Ease of use.

Getting started using Nex Playground is extremely easy; you just plug it in via HDMI, boot it up, and start gaming. Nex Playground has a small motion-tracking camera on the front that can record images of up to four different players, and there’s no need to use any game controllers, Joy-Cons, Wii-style accessories or anything else.

In fact, the lack of hardware is another aspect that makes the Nex Playground so instantly appealing. You don’t have to spend time charging the controller or making sure the dock works, etc. It’s all plug and play, and you can start playing within minutes of unboxing. The motion-capture camera picks up your movements without props, and it does so with excellent accuracy (though accuracy can vary from game to game).

At the Nex Playground demo, there are some props to use, such as hockey sticks and foam baseball bats, but again, they are optional.

Right out of the box, there are five games to choose from: Whack a Mole, Party Fowl, Fruit Ninja, Starri and Go Keeper. Fruit Ninja is the only game from an outside developer; The Nex Playground development team has been involved in all the existing games. But, of course, 5 games isn’t a lot, so you’ll definitely want to sign up for a game subscription, which unlocks over 50 additional games, for $49 for 3 months and $89 for a full year.

They’re not very deep and meaningful games that you’ll have a strong emotional attachment to (although if you feel that way about Starri or Homerun Heroes, that’s okay too). The games have a strong focus on sports because they inherently focus on movement and interactivity, and Nex Playground’s player base is aimed at young people. But there’s plenty of fun for all ages.

With that in mind, Nex is also releasing a few games designed for an older audience in 2026, announcing a partnership with the NBA, and other projects to come later. So there really is something for everyone in this cute, little gaming box.

Nex Playground connects online

With built-in security and privacy features

One thing long-time Nex Playground users have been asking for is online connectivity, and Nex has listened. They added a new Playdate mode, allowing online gaming on Nex Playground; So far, everything is normal.

But what people really like about this approach is that Nex Playground connects directly to another console game instead of using a common server or matchmaking method. That means you can match directly to your gaming console and eliminate any unwanted connections, and because it requires parental consent, it puts the onus on security and privacy around your child’s online gaming.

It’s something we all support and want to see more of.

Many people have finally found their new favorite console game!

Many people play games less than they did a few years ago. Steam Replay 2025 shows that many people played just eight games in the entire year, and two of them were demos.

Part of the reason is that they often play games with their children on Switch, where everyone can participate and have family fun, so Nex Playground is an obvious choice to add to families’ game collections.

The motion capture feature works surprisingly well, especially since most games allow 4 players, and it responded quite well in most games tested. Overall, people are quite impressed with the Nex Playground and are looking forward to its release in 2026.