It's the year 2026 and the hottest game in my living room is Fruit Ninja. No, I'm not in the midst of an ill-advised retro mobile gaming kick. Instead, my family and I have been jumping around and slicing flying fruit in our living room using the Nex Playground. It's a tiny gaming system built entirely around Kinect-like games. With its camera and onboard computer vision processing, the $249 Nex Playground can track up to four players as effectively as Microsoft's clunky old Xbox motion tracker. Simply put, the dream of the Kinect, as well as Nintendo's Wii, lives on in the Nex Playground.
I'll admit, I was skeptical about Nex making a dent in the console arena. It's tough for new companies with no hardware experience to steal any limelight away from entrenched competitors like Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft. But the Nex Playground's simplicity, accurate motion tracking and library of kid-friendly titles (including the likes of Peppa Pig and Bluey) has made it a hit among families. The company says it sold 650,000 units last year, which might not sound like much, but it was enough to beat the beleagured Xbox last November.
Nex 88 100 Expert Score Nex Playground The Nex Playground brings motion-tracked games to the entire family. Consider it the best of the Xbox Kinect in a tiny box. Pros Fun core titles
Solid motion-tracking
Well-designed hardware and UI
Large library of games
Works offline Cons Requires an ongoing subscription to access most games
Needs large open space for play $249 at Amazon Explore More Buying Options $250 at Target$250 at P.C. Richard & Son
Honestly, I'm just happy it gets my kids off the couch. I do my best to limit screen time with them, but as someone who has fond memories planted in front of my TV playing endless hours of SNES games, I also leave some room for my kids to explore tech and media on their own. I love the way Minecraft's near-limitless creative potential has unleashed my daughter's imagination, but I also want her to move more, especially in these winter months when we can't easily go outside.
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