The Explainer — Tech
Nex Playground: What It Is, and the Play Pass It Needs
A motion game console with a camera and no controllers, from Nex. What comes in the box, the 5 games that work without a subscription, what Play Pass adds, and how much floor it needs.
This guide is research-led: we have not handled these units ourselves. If you buy through our links we may earn a commission — it never changes a pick.Research-led, nothing handled. We may earn from links; it never changes a pick. How we choose
This page reads Nex’s own description of the console and its subscription, and sets 3 ways to buy it against each other, as How we choose describes. Nothing here was handled or tested.
Best for Most families
Watch for Renewal after a year
Best for Trying the 5 free games
Watch for Play Pass bought separately
Best for A console that travels
Watch for The case may go unused
Nex Playground is a camera console with no controllers
Nex Playground is a small box that sits by the TV, connects by HDMI and Wi-Fi, and watches the players through a built-in camera. There is nothing to hold or wear: a child plays by moving, and the camera reads the move. Nex says up to 4 people can play at once, and recommends it for ages 5 and up, with 3- and 4-year-olds playing alongside an adult.
The box holds the console, a remote, HDMI and power cables, and a magnetic cover that closes over the camera. No controllers or wearables are included or needed.
5 games come free; Play Pass unlocks the rest
The console includes 5 games that play without a subscription: Fruit Ninja, Starri, Party Fowl, Whack-a-Mole Deluxe and Go Keeper. Play Pass unlocks 60+ games. On 12 November 2026 Nex listed it at $89 for 12 months, about $7 a month, or $49 for 3 months. The console comes with no Play Pass time of its own, which is why the bundles matter.
| Way to buy | Games on day 1 | Play Pass included |
|---|---|---|
| Console only | 5 | None |
| Console + Play Pass bundle | 65+ | 12 months, per the listing |
| Complete Family bundle | 65+ | 12 months, plus a travel case |
Nex Playground + 12-Month Play Pass Bundle
The Nex Playground console with 12 months of Play Pass, which unlocks 60+ games beyond the 5 included.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Includes | Console, 12-month Play Pass |
|---|---|
| Players | Up to 4, per Nex |
| Ages | 5 and up, per Nex |
The console and a year of Play Pass, the way most families should buy it.
Buy it if
- A family that will play past January
Don't buy it if
- A household testing whether it gets used at all
Nex Playground Active Play System (console only)
The console alone, with the remote, cables, a magnetic privacy cover and 5 games, per Nex.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| In the box | Console, remote, HDMI and power cables, privacy cover |
|---|---|
| Games | 5 included |
| Connects | HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 |
The console with its 5 free games, and no subscription.
Buy it if
- A family that already has a Play Pass, or wants to try the 5 games first
Don't buy it if
- Anyone who expects the full library out of the box
Nex asks for a 6 by 6 foot play space
The camera needs room to see the whole body. Nex states a minimum play space of 6 feet by 6 feet in front of the TV, and a mounting height for the console of 15 to 60 inches off the floor. That is 36 square feet of clear floor, which rules out many small bedrooms and the gap between a sofa and a coffee table. Measure the room before buying, and plan to move the table.
The camera processes motion on the console, Nex says
Nex Playground’s camera points at the children in the room, and Nex answers what happens to the picture on its own site, nexplayground.com.
The magnetic cover closes the lens when the console is off. For screens a child carries, kids’ tablet parental controls covers the settings on each major tablet.
The travel case bundle suits a console that leaves the house
The Complete Family bundle adds a travel case to the console and the 12-month Play Pass, per its listing title. The console needs only an HDMI port, Wi-Fi and the floor space, so it can go to a grandparent’s house for the holidays. A family that keeps it on one TV gets nothing from the case.
Nex Playground Complete Family Gaming Bundle
The console with a travel case and a 12-month Play Pass, per the listing title.
Current price shown on Amazon. We may earn a commission.
| Includes | Console, travel case, 12-month Play Pass |
|---|---|
| Play space | 6 x 6 ft, per Nex |
The console, a travel case and a year of Play Pass.
Buy it if
- A console that goes to grandparents' houses
Don't buy it if
- A family that keeps it on one TV
What it is not: a games console for older children
Nex Playground plays its own library of motion games, not the games on a Switch 2 or a PlayStation. A 10-year-old who wants Mario Kart World will not be satisfied by it. It sits nearer to an active toy than a games console, and toys for 8-year-olds and kids’ tablets cover the other directions a gift can go.
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