{"id":1941331,"date":"2026-05-18T10:37:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1941331"},"modified":"2026-05-18T10:37:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:37:38","slug":"time-to-re-kinect-sell-out-family-console-nex-playground-is-about-to-release-in-the-uk-and-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1941331","title":{"rendered":"Time to re-Kinect? Sell-out family console Nex Playground is about to release in the UK and Ireland"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Time to re-Kinect? Sell-out family console Nex Playground is about to release in the UK and Ireland<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Designed to combat &#8220;pain points&#8221; of modern gaming.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/nex_playground.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"A cuboid games console with a separate controller. It's small - roughly palm-sized - and the bottom half is light grey while the top half is pale yellow and turquoise.  A camera lens can be seen on the front of it. It's the Nex Playground machine.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"nex_playground.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Nex<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Robert Purchese avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"user-9946-originalxoriginal-14-03-23.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1017\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/robert-purchese\">Robert Purchese<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Associate Editor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-18T10:37:38+00:00\">May 18, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/nex-playground-uk-release-date?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          5 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Nex Playground, the family-focused and camera-based console that&#8217;s had considerable success in the US, is about to be released in the UK and Ireland. Pre-orders begin today at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Nex-Playground-Active-Play-System\/dp\/B0GT2HWPJC\/\">Amazon<\/a>, Argos and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smythstoys.com\/uk\/en-gb\/gaming-and-tech\/nex-playground\/nex-playground-console-the-active-play-system-for-kids-and-families\/p\/262774\">Smyths Toys<\/a>, and the Nex Playground will launch at an unspecified point in late June.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly a million Nex Playgrounds have sold across the US, and though that isn&#8217;t a staggering number, the upward trajectory for the console is steep &#8211; it sold four times as many in 2025 than in 2024, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamebusiness.com\/p\/we-want-a-nex-playground-in-every\">an insightful interview with Nex CEO David Lee on The Game Business<\/a> last year. And the numbers still seem to be rising sharply.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Nex Playground. Imagine That!\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8HpUCqfGJ9E?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/8HpUCqfGJ9E\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Nex Playground. Imagine That!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>I hope no one lives downstairs!<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8HpUCqfGJ9E\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Why is it popular? Nex Playground is being marketed as a safe and wholesome console. &#8220;Parents in the UK and Ireland care deeply about how their kids spend time on screens and what they&#8217;re exposed to &#8211; Nex Playground provides a direct solution to these pain points,&#8221; Nex president Tom Kang said in a press release.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s designed as an antidote to consoles that revolve around sedentary experiences, mature games and online connectivity &#8211; all potential &#8220;pain points&#8221; for parents, to reuse Kang&#8217;s words above. Nex Playground, therefore, has no online connectivity or mature games, and all the games are based around motion-sensed camera input. It&#8217;s a pitch that sounds very similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kinect-reviewed-review\">the Xbox Kinect camera peripheral from 2010<\/a>, although the Nex Playground doesn&#8217;t also provide more mature gaming experiences as well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This launch comes amid a growing national conversation around children&#8217;s screentime habits and online safety, with many parents seeking alternatives to passive or open-ended digital entertainment,&#8221; the Nex Playground press release said. That&#8217;s the area &#8211; the concern &#8211; it&#8217;s trying to capitalise on.<\/p>\n<p>The Nex Playground console itself is a palm-sized cube with a camera lens on it, produced in bright, Early Learning Centre-like colours &#8211; pastel greens, yellows, and a slightly off-white grey. There&#8217;s no controller because it doesn&#8217;t require one, so it comes with a small remote instead. Prices start at \u00a3269 (\u20ac319) for the Nex Playground with five starter games. Full access to the console&#8217;s game library requires a subscription (of course), which is \u00a390 (\u20ac99) annually or \u00a345 (\u20ac49) quarterly.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m intrigued to see how well it will do here. Is it encroaching on Nintendo&#8217;s family-friendly territory, and if it is, will it make a dent on Nintendo&#8217;s market share? I suppose a better question is will you consider buying one?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Nex Playground, the family-focused and camera-based console that&#8217;s had considerable success in the US, is about to be released in the UK and Ireland. Pre-orders begin today at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Nex-Playground-Active-Play-System\/dp\/B0GT2HWPJC\/\">Amazon<\/a>, Argos and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smythstoys.com\/uk\/en-gb\/gaming-and-tech\/nex-playground\/nex-playground-console-the-active-play-system-for-kids-and-families\/p\/262774\">Smyths Toys<\/a>, and the Nex Playground will launch at an unspecified point in late June.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly a million Nex Playgrounds have sold across the US, and though that isn&#8217;t a staggering number, the upward trajectory for the console is steep &#8211; it sold four times as many in 2025 than in 2024, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegamebusiness.com\/p\/we-want-a-nex-playground-in-every\">an insightful interview with Nex CEO David Lee on The Game Business<\/a> last year. And the numbers still seem to be rising sharply.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Nex Playground. Imagine That!\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8HpUCqfGJ9E?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/8HpUCqfGJ9E\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Nex Playground. Imagine That!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>I hope no one lives downstairs!<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8HpUCqfGJ9E\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Why is it popular? Nex Playground is being marketed as a safe and wholesome console. &#8220;Parents in the UK and Ireland care deeply about how their kids spend time on screens and what they&#8217;re exposed to &#8211; Nex Playground provides a direct solution to these pain points,&#8221; Nex president Tom Kang said in a press release.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s designed as an antidote to consoles that revolve around sedentary experiences, mature games and online connectivity &#8211; all potential &#8220;pain points&#8221; for parents, to reuse Kang&#8217;s words above. Nex Playground, therefore, has no online connectivity or mature games, and all the games are based around motion-sensed camera input. It&#8217;s a pitch that sounds very similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/kinect-reviewed-review\">the Xbox Kinect camera peripheral from 2010<\/a>, although the Nex Playground doesn&#8217;t also provide more mature gaming experiences as well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This launch comes amid a growing national conversation around children&#8217;s screentime habits and online safety, with many parents seeking alternatives to passive or open-ended digital entertainment,&#8221; the Nex Playground press release said. That&#8217;s the area &#8211; the concern &#8211; it&#8217;s trying to capitalise on.<\/p>\n<p>The Nex Playground console itself is a palm-sized cube with a camera lens on it, produced in bright, Early Learning Centre-like colours &#8211; pastel greens, yellows, and a slightly off-white grey. There&#8217;s no controller because it doesn&#8217;t require one, so it comes with a small remote instead. Prices start at \u00a3269 (\u20ac319) for the Nex Playground with five starter games. Full access to the console&#8217;s game library requires a subscription (of course), which is \u00a390 (\u20ac99) annually or \u00a345 (\u20ac49) quarterly.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m intrigued to see how well it will do here. Is it encroaching on Nintendo&#8217;s family-friendly territory, and if it is, will it make a dent on Nintendo&#8217;s market share? I suppose a better question is will you consider buying one?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"poll_wrapper\" data-fixed=\"true\" data-hashid data-init=\"false\" data-poll-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Time to re-Kinect? Sell-out family console Nex Playground is about to release in the UK and Ireland Designed to combat &#8220;pain points&#8221; of modern gaming. Image credit: Nex News by Robert Purchese Associate Editor Published on May 18, 2026 5 comments Nex Playground, the family-focused and camera-based console that&#8217;s had considerable success in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1941331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1941331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1941331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1941331\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1941331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1941331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1941331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}