The PlayStation 5 might be the king of living room gaming, but if you’ve got young kids, it’s about as useful as giving a toddler a Rubik’s Cube. Also, most of the PS5 games are made for teens and adults, and expecting younger ones to use a DualSense controller is like asking them to pilot the Millennium Falcon. That’s why the Nintendo Wii was such a hit back in 2006. It actually got the whole family playing and moving around in their homes. The Nex Playground feels like a spiritual successor to that idea, only you don’t need controllers. Your body is the controller. Think of it like a cool hybrid of the Nintendo Wii and Xbox’s Kinect.
The Nex Playground plugs straight into your TV with an HDMI cable and uses AI and a wide-angle camera to track your movements. Up to four players can jump, kick, squat, and wave their arms to interact with the games on screen.
Also, right out of the box, you get five titles: Fruit Ninja, Go Keeper (you’re the goalie), Starri (move to the beat), Party Foul (ridiculous party games), and Whack-a-Mole Deluxe (that one doesn’t need explaining, right?). If you want more, there’s the Nex Play Pass ($49 for three months or $89 for a year), which unlocks over 40 additional games, including big names like How to Train Your Dragon, Barbie, Peppa Pig, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kung Fu Panda and a bunch of Sesame Street titles. New games are added every month, so there’s always something fresh to look forward to.
But the really great thing about the Nex Playground is that most games are targeted towards kids eight and under. And, sure, there’s plenty for older siblings (and parents) too, but most of it was developed with younger ones in mind. It really does feel like bringing the old school arcade into your living room, minus the sticky floors, bad lighting and mischievous kids playing pool in the corner.
Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, is a fan. “Nex is reimagining how families engage with technology, turning screen time into an opportunity for movement, connection, and play,” he said. Nex is also kidSAFE Plus COPPA certified, which means parents control their kids’ data and privacy. And yes, it works offline too.
The big win here is active screen time. I tested it with my two boys, Christian (7) and Psalm (2), and their reactions say it all. Christian’s verdict? “I love the basketball game. I’m really good at it. And it gives me a lot of exercise.” Psalm’s favorite? “I like Peppa Pig. I like jumping in muddy puddles. I play it every day.” See, with these games, they’re sweating and laughing, not zoning out.
And it’s not just for the kids. Some games will leave you out of breath in the best way. I’ve already worked up a full-body sweat playing Starri and Fruit Ninja. But there’s also more serious games that help you with yoga and give real workout advice.
The newest standout in the Nex Playground library is Cookie Monster’s Cookie Factory, created in collaboration with Sesame Workshop. Players use their bodies to control factory widgets by jumping, squatting, and tilting to sort cookies into boxes. “Cookie Monster’s Cookie Factory is a sweet finale that shows how educational play can be just as fun and active as it is meaningful,” said Tina Moglia, Sesame Workshop Supervising Producer. And yes, Cookie Monster himself provides hilarious commentary as you play through 30 levels of cookie chaos.
If you’ve been hunting for a console that doesn’t turn your kids into couch potatoes, the Nex Playground is it. The PS5 can wait. With this console, your living room is about to become a family arcade.
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