New video game console aims to get kids moving

While some games felt "like tech demos" according to Corey, others felt more substantial.

"The subscription lets me not worry about any of that and just dive into whatever my family wants to explore," he said.

As the console effectively puts a camera in people's living rooms, Lee said player privacy was the "number one priority" for his company.

"The camera is only for tracking motion; we don't save the video anywhere; it is processed in real time, locally on the device, rather than in the cloud," he said.

The Playground has a kidSAFE+ COPPA certification, something which indicates it complies with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), a US law regulating how companies collect and use personal data from children under 13.

The camera also comes with a lens cover, and parents can hide games or music they think their children are not old enough for yet.

The Playground presents itself as "an alternative to passive or open-ended digital entertainment" amid "a growing national conversation around children's screen time habits".

Anyone using the device will still be looking at a television screen, so the benefits for children may be more a "compromise to have them get up and moving" alongside it, Nick said.

The parents I spoke to said their children often played on the console for between half an hour to an hour in one session, with the games typically being used as a way to transition into another activity, or to allow some structured play.

Brian said while getting a Playground meant they "compromised on increased screen time", the games still encouraged active play "in a way typical cartoons or movies were unable to".

So did I work up a sweat in any of the games I played?

In the initial starter pack, three games involved only a small amount of moving my arms.

The final two, the rhythm game and a set of mini-games, did include more full body movements.

The fuller Play Pass has a specific "Health & Fitness" category which includes sessions such as daily Zumba workouts, complete with an on-screen instructor shouting out movements in time to the music.

It wasn't clear if I was managing to hit every motion correctly, but it did at least get me moving a bit more, and felt more convenient than heading to a gym class.

While the Nex Playground may not be a direct contender to major consoles given its target audience, its recent performance during Black Friday showed it can nevertheless hold its own in sales.

According to Nex, the cube has now surpassed a million lifetime units sold since its launch in December 2023 in US and Canada.

Chris Scullion, deputy editor of Video Games Chronicle, bought the cube seven months ago for his daughter.

He said the device would probably never "realistically challenge" something like the Nintendo Switch 2, which also has family and children as a target audience and had sold over 17 million units by the end of 2025.

But he added the system's "clear family focus" could make it a "more compelling offer" for parents looking for a modern Wii Sports or Wii Fit replacement.

Alongside its UK and Ireland launch, Nex has also announced a multi-year partnership with Wrexham AFC that will bring Nex branding to the club's kit sleeves, fan activations at the Racecourse Ground, and community programming.

If that strategy pays off, Nex Playground may find its biggest success not as a rival to consoles, but as part of a wider push into how families play, connect and spend time together.

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