GoKawiilAlison DeNisco Rayome/ZDNET
As a parent, I'm always looking for ways to keep my young kids entertained and expelling energy. The Nex Playground is a tiny gaming device that does both exceedingly well, using your body motion to play the games and effectively turning your living room into an arcade -- with no controllers required.
I've watched the Nex Playground entertain groups of kids ranging from one to eight, and the adults in the room, too. It's currently on sale again at its lowest price of the year at $239 at Amazon, 20% off the usual price of $299, for Prime Day. You can also get 20% off a bundle of the Nex Playground, a travel case, and a 12-month Play Pass subscription for $330, down from $412.
Also: The best early Amazon Prime Day deals: I found editor-approved tech already on sale
I'm the opposite of a gamer -- I'm the person who tried Animal Crossing on my husband's Switch in the early pandemic days, immediately got stung by virtual bees, and never picked it up again. So you can trust me when I say the Nex Playground is extremely easy to set up and operate, even for me.
The device itself connects to your TV via an HDMI cable and uses a built-in camera to detect body motion. (For the privacy-minded: No video is saved or stored, according to the company, and there is a magnetic camera cover to put on when it's not in use. All gameplay happens offline.)
Also: Best Buy has better gaming deals right now than Amazon's early Prime Day sale
Nex Playground comes with five games (Fruit Ninja, Starri, Whac-a-Mole, Go Keeper, and Party Fowl). To unlock dozens more, you do need to subscribe to Play Pass, which costs $49 for three months or $89 for 12 months. This will get you access to the full catalog of games and new games each month, including popular characters like Barbie, Bluey, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, How to Train Your Dragon, Peppa Pig, Elmo, Gabby's Dollhouse, Kung Fu Panda, and more. (In my experience, paying for Play Pass is totally worth it.) Games can range from one to four players.
What I love about this compared to other forms of screen time is how active it is -- kids are up and moving around the entire time. If you're looking for something that comes as close to fun for the whole family as possible, I'd jump on this Nex Playground deal while it's at its lowest price of the year, before it expires.
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