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Nex Playground: two-minute review
More of a purpose-built living room toy box, the Nex Playground is quick to set up, easy to understand, and designed to get bodies moving immediately. Yes, you’ll notice the technical ceiling in visuals and occasional frame stutters, and the Play Pass model won’t work for everyone. But as a family-friendly, camera-controlled alternative that’s safe, approachable, and surprisingly versatile, from party chaos to light fitness, it delivers on its core promise: making play feel effortless for all ages.
The console has carved out a rare lane in gaming, so much so that it reportedly outsold both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series gaming consoles during one week in November 2025. That outcome isn’t hard to understand: as development budgets climb, hardware R&D gets pricier, and tariffs add pressure, mainstream gaming has become an increasingly expensive form of entertainment. At the same time, the motion-control boom of the mid-to-late 2000s, the massive growth of mobile gaming, and the rise of free-to-play games have expanded the audience, making it easier than ever for anyone to pick up a controller.
Spending over a year with the Nex Playground, I’ve realized that this small cube-shaped gaming console is the little engine that could. On a surface level, this device feels like an extension of what Nintendo did with the Wii. Outside of an included remote to select games alongside managing settings and your account, the 40+ games available are all controlled through an ultra-wide camera that sits on the console’s front panel.
All of that comes at a cost of an MSRP of $249 (around £188 / AU$380 – worldwide availability TBC), despite a handful of retailers selling the Nex Playground at a sale price of $199. This definitely places it as a cheaper alternative to more mainstream consoles. When it comes to games, users of the console are provided five games to start with: a full-scale version of Fruit Ninja, Whack-a-Mole, Goal Keeper, mini-game-centric Party Fowl, and rhythm title Starri. They all do a great job in setting the tone for what the Nex Playground is actually capable of.
Anyone looking to go deeper into the console’s library of games will need the Play Pass subscription service, which opens users up to over 40 games that, unfortunately, can’t be purchased individually. Some folks may also have an issue with the service only being available in three-month $49 and one-year $89 intervals.
Regardless, the variety of games does offer something for everyone, with age ranges split between preschool level to around 10 years old. It also helps that the Playground is kidSafe+ COPPA certified and lacks any online play capabilities. So games are family-friendly, lacking mature or inappropriate content here.
Alongside fun games like Tennis Smash and Arrow Party, there are more action-oriented options like Sword Slash Adventure, which has some clever RPG elements, alongside Aeon Guard. There are also various licensed IP games, including Bluey, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Miraculous, Barbie, and Peppa Pig, among others. There is also a fitness section featuring games such as Nex Fitness and Zumba Fitness. These games control fairly well and are definitely fun in short bursts or at parties.
Most of the games outside a handful lack depth, length or visual fidelity compared to what’s coming out of mainstream consoles, and many have some performance issues. In fact, many look like games that would be either on the Wii in 2006 or early 2010s mobile games. That’s because the Nex Playground isn’t that powerful when it comes to performance specs.
What’s packed into this small cube is run by an Amlogic A311D2-NOD CPU, Mail-G52 MC4 GPU, and 16GB LPDDR4X RAM. That’s enough to play these games at 4K resolution and up to 120 frames per second. With the specs, that trade means very low poly models, unsophisticated lighting and lack of post-processing effects. So don’t expect anything like Ray Tracing and the likes. When it comes to storage, there’s 64GB of SSD storage, which is fine, as many of the games don’t get any larger than a few gigabytes anyway.
Nex Playground review: price and availability
- List price: $249
- Available now in the US, worldwide availability to be confirmed
- Available through the Nex Playground store alongside other retailers, including Amazon and Walmart
Currently available in the US, the Nex Playground can be purchased right now through the manufacturer’s online store or through other retailers, including Amazon and Walmart. It’s available at a retail price of $249, though some retailers occasionally have it listed at an introductory sale price of $199.
Though it’s not directly available in the UK and Australia, individuals in those territories can still purchase the device from the US storefront through services like Big Apple Daddy or Amazon. The price alone places the Nex Playground below mainstream consoles, including the Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.
In a modern world where development costs are pushing price points of games to nauseating degrees, the Nex Playground comes packed with a five-game starter pack.
Buyers looking for a bigger selection will need the Play Pass subscription. That’ll run users $49 for three months or $89 for a year. And the catalog of around 40 games has been steadily growing as well. Out of all of the games I played, more than half of the 40+ games provide adequate levels of entertainment. Regardless, for what users pay for the console and the subscription service, it’s definitely worth it.
Nex Playground review: Specs
|
Price |
$249 (around £188, AU$380) |
|
Weight |
14.2oz / 403g |
|
Dimensions |
5 x 5 x 5in / 127 x 127 x 127mm |
|
CPU |
Amlogic A311D2-NOD |
|
GPU |
Mail-G52 MC4 |
|
RAM |
16GB LPDDR4X |
|
Frame rate |
Up to 120fps |
|
Resolution |
Up to 4K |
|
Optical |
N/A |
|
Storage |
64GB SSD |
Nex Playground review: design and features
The Nex Playground is beautiful with its yellow and teal accents at the top and off-white on everything else. With dimensions of 5 x 5 x 5 inches (127 x 127 x 127mm) and an overall weight of 0.89lbs / 14.2oz (430g), it’s impressively portable, and there’s a handy carrying case available for purchase through the Nex Playground site for $24.97.
Outside of the ultra-wide camera on the left side, the right side features a small horizontal LED bar that lights up when the device is switched on. On the bottom side, panels are small holes for ventilation purposes. The back panel is where the HDMI and USB-C power port are located. The USB-C power cord also has a string connected to the magnetic camera cover. It connects and disconnects fairly easily from the ultra-wide camera. This will give parents a sense of relief in terms of privacy concerns.
The Nex Playground is an incredibly simple machine and one that’s very easy to set up, then. Just plug in the HDMI cord alongside the power adapter, and users are ready to go.
Also included is a Roku-sized remote to move the on-screen cursor, make selections, return to previous menus, or go to the Home screen. Users initially will use the remote for the simple start-up screen, which also requires a phone to create a Nex Playground account for various settings. After that, the setup is complete, and you’re good to go.
Nex Playground review: Performance
As mentioned previously, the specs lean more toward a lower spec Android TV boxes include popular options like the Beelink GT King II, the Khadas VIM4 SBC, and a range of generic streaming players from brands such as SZ Tomato through its Amlogic A311D2-NOD CPU, Mail-G52 MC4 GPU, and 16GB LPDDR4X RAM.
Don’t expect anything on the level of Cyberpunk 2077 or even Super Mario Odyssey. The visuals here will remind many of something one would play on a smartphone in the 2010s or a higher-res Nintendo Wii game. Expect simple texture, animation, and lighting work all around that does exactly what it’s supposed to do.
To put things into perspective, Fruit Ninja made its debut in 2010 for iOS devices. Seeing it on the Nex Playground is fine as it runs great, but it’s just Fruit Ninja in 4K. Some games can rely on cool visual design that makes up for the lack of visual fidelity, such as Sword Slash Adventure and Aeon Guard.
Though it’s worth noting that some games I played had performance issues, with some going below 30fps. For example, when too many explosions and effects are happening in games like Arrow Party and Kart Racer Miniacs: Steering Madness, there are noticeable dips in frame rate.
One thing for sure is that the performance of the ultra-wide camera and AI-motion engine is top-notch when it comes to actually controlling games. If there’s an outstanding example of how well camera-based controls have evolved over the decade, the Nex Playground’s catalog of software is definitely it. Pulling an imaginary arrow with a friend feels really good in Arrow Party, and moving side to side while trying to serve in Tennis Smash does feel like an evolution of Wii Sports’ Tennis.
Should I buy the Nex Playground?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Nex Playground review: Also consider
The Nex Playground is certainly for a specific niche, so here are a couple of other console options worth considering, too.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Nex Playground |
Nintendo Switch 2 |
Xbox Series S |
|
Price |
$249 (around £188 / AU$380) |
$429.99 / £395.99 / $AU699.95 |
$399.99 / £349.99 / AU$599 |
|
Weight |
14.2oz / 403g |
18.8oz / 535g |
68oz / 1,920g |
|
Dimensions |
5 x 5 x 5in / 127 x 127 x 127mm |
10.7 x 4.5 x 0.6in / 272 x 114 x 15mm |
10.8 x 5.9 x 2.6in / 275 x 151 x 65mm |
|
Connection type |
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, HDMI Output |
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, HDMI output (in TV mode) |
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-A, HDMI output |
|
Battery life |
N/A |
2-5 hours |
N/A |
|
Features |
Ultra wide Camera control, Nex AI-Motion Engine, Remote Control |
8-inch OLED multi-touch display (1080p resolution), 256GB internal storage, improved stereo speakers, next-gen dock with 4K output and integrated LAN port, reinforced adjustable kickstand |
512GB Storage, Xbox Game Pass |
How I tested the Nex Playground
- Tested over the span of a year
- Played a large share of the games including the starting five pack
- Experienced the games included with the Play Pass subscription
I’ve owned the Nex Playground for about a year, which gave me plenty of time to really learn the ins and outs of this unique console. Beyond the five games included out of the box, my Play Pass subscription opened up access to more than 40 additional games.
The games that came closest to a traditional console experience were Sword Slash Adventure (RPG), the Wii Sports-inspired Tennis Smash, Arrow Party, and Aeon Guard. Together, they made it easy to see how well the ultra-wide camera and AI-powered motion engine work in tandem.
First reviewed December 2025
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The post Nex Playground review: a cheaper console option for all the family first appeared on TechToday.
This post originally appeared on TechToday.