In what might be the most unexpected twist of the 2025 gaming season, a tiny cube that many gamers had never heard of suddenly outpaced one of the titans of the industry. The Nex Playground, a motion‑controlled, family‑oriented gaming system, has astonishingly outsold the Xbox Series X|S during the critical Black Friday shopping period — and at one point even topped PlayStation 5 weekly sales in the U.S. market.
According to data from industry tracker Circana, for the week ending November 29, the Nex Playground claimed roughly 14 % of all console hardware unit sales in the U.S., putting it ahead of Microsoft’s entire Xbox Series lineup — a shocking state of affairs considering that Xbox has long been one of the “big three” console platforms alongside Sony and Nintendo.
So what the hell is this thing?
At first glance, the Nex Playground doesn’t look like next‑gen silicon. It’s a small, cube‑shaped box running Android with an AI‑powered motion camera, letting players control games through body movement instead of traditional controllers. Think Wii meets Kinect, but wrapped in a compact, plug‑and‑play package and marketed squarely at kids and families.
Games like Fruit Ninja, Whack‑a‑Mole, and licensed titles featuring Bluey and Peppa Pig are included. Additional content comes via a subscription service. At roughly $249 retail (often discounted to around $199 during sales), it sits in the sweet spot for a holiday impulse buy, much cheaper than even discounted Xbox or PlayStation hardware.
Why This Cube Became a Holiday Hit
There are a few reasons the Nex Playground caught fire in a way no one expected:
1. It fills a niche no one knew was still there
Motion gaming as a standalone category was long considered dead after Kinect’s retirement and the Wii’s sunsetting. But as parents look for ways to get kids off the couch and entertained (and I know I struggle with that), that old idea suddenly feels fresh again, especially at a price that doesn’t make wallets wince.
2. Pricing and discounts matter more than ever
Unlike Xbox — which barely dropped prices this Black Friday — the Nex Playground saw aggressive discounts across major retailers. For holiday buyers trying to maximize bang for buck, a $199 motion gaming system beats a barely reduced $500+ Xbox any day.
3. Simplicity sells
Not every family wants to wrestle with PlayStation menus, Game Pass subscriptions, or triple‑A game downloads. Unbox it, plug into a TV, and let the kids move — that’s the simplicity play. In the age of streaming and hyper‑complex games, simplicity is a feature.
What This Really Says About the Industry
Let’s be blunt: Xbox getting beaten by a kid‑focused toy console is embarrassing. Microsoft has poured billions into Xbox Game Pass, cloud gaming, and third‑party studios, yet it couldn’t muster a compelling hardware deal that would at least keep it ahead of a $200 impulse purchase gadget over Black Friday week.
That isn’t necessarily a death blow to Xbox, but it is a glaring signal that consumers are increasingly price‑sensitive and that the old hardcore console war narrative isn’t the only game in town anymore. Meanwhile, Sony and Nintendo continue to dominate (with the PS5 still #1 and Switch 2 a close second in holiday sales), leaving Microsoft to wonder how a cube it likely didn’t even consider a competitor managed to upstage it.
A Passing Fad or the Start of Something Bigger?
It’s possible this surge is a holiday anomaly, driven by aggressive pricing and the novelty factor. Sustaining momentum beyond the season, especially without strong software support and compelling exclusive content, will be a major challenge for Nex.
But trend watchers should pay attention: gaming is fragmenting. There’s room for niche, experience‑driven systems that don’t rely on high‑end hardware or massive AAA libraries. The Nex Playground might just be the canary in the console coal mine, hinting that the future of interactive entertainment could be more varied (and much weirder) than we thought.
Pavle is the founder of PlayForge and its lead writer and reviewer, covering PC, PS5, and mobile games, a with a focus on RPGs, MMOs, FPS games, and more. He’s been gaming since the PS2 days and now writes in-depth reviews and guides to help players find their next obsession and get gaming insights from real players, not just critics. His reviews are honest and transparent, but he always tries to stay positive, because in his opinion, almost any game can be fun if you look at it the right way.
In his free time, he likes to (obviously) play more games, spend time with his family, theorycraft about various media with his wife, and watch anime. So yes, he’s a complete nerd, even if he’ll never admit it.