Image credit: Nex
I've been testing the Nex Playground at home for a couple of weeks, and it's excellent. This small box plugs into your TV over HDMI and uses a built-in camera and motion tracking to turn your kids' movements into the controls, so there are no controllers to hold. For Prime Big Deal Days, the bundle with a 12-month Play Pass is $310 on Amazon, 20% off the $388 list price.
Why the Nex Playground is so much fun
Up to four players can stand in front of the camera at once, and the games are built around natural movement, so your kids will be jumping, swinging, dancing, and dodging. The console comes with five free games (Fruit Ninja, Starri, Whac-a-Mole, Go Keeper, and Party Fowl). The Play Pass unlocks the rest of the catalog, which Nex says runs to more than 60 titles across dance, fitness, sports, and party games. Licensed characters include Barbie, Peppa Pig, Elmo, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Nex also says the system has no ads or in-app purchases.
I've played a lot of Fruit Ninja on it, and the camera tracking worked surprisingly well. I remember the early days of that game on phones, when a swipe wouldn't always register on some touchscreens, so I expected a game built around fast slicing to struggle when the controller is your arm, but it played very well on the Nex. I haven't had a single tracking miss in two weeks, which is impressive for a camera-only system. Party Fowl was the other one that I played quite a bit, and it worked very well in two-player mode. Two or more kids playing co-op will get a solid amount of exercise out of it.
Image credit: Nex
The console is compact enough for a TV stand or a mantel, and setup takes a single HDMI cable. Nex included its travel case with the unit it sent me, and the console and case together are small enough to take it to a friend's house for a playdate. A small remote in the box handles the menus, but once a game starts, the camera's motion tracking does all the work.
Does it count as healthier screen time?
Your child will still be looking at a screen, but the time is spent moving around the room. I'd recommend it to parents who want healthier screen time for their kids and don't plan to cut screens out entirely.
Is the bundle worth it over the console alone?
Amazon has the console on its own for $239, down from $299, and the 12-month Play Pass as a digital code for $89, so buying them separately costs $328. The $310 bundle saves you $18. I'd grab the bundle, since only five games are free and the Play Pass unlocks the rest. The code in the bundle can be activated whenever you like, and Amazon notes the pass portion is non-refundable.
