Nex Playground Review – Active Video Game System
This mom to mom review of the Nex Playground gaming system will help you figure out if it’s the correct device for your family! If you want more fun gift ideas, check out these favorite gifts for an 8 year old boy. This post contains affiliate links.
It’s been a while since I created a family-focused review post, and while I love doing it, I always hate committing to it. I have to really love it to decide to dedicate a day out of my life to writing a whole post for it.
When I tested the Nex Playground for my (as of now upcoming) Hanukkah gift guide, I knew I had to also give it its own review because honestly, it’s everything I’ve been looking for in a gaming device for my kids. So while I did receive a gifted Nex Playground, I was not required to write this review and chose to do it based on my positive experiences.
Not only that, but it’s a small company that is shaking things up and doing things differently – and more affordably – and I’m always game for that!
What is the Nex Playground?
Nex Playground is a gaming device that uses a camera to detect your body. It’s a small cube that gets mounted in front of the TV and connected via HDMI.
Game play is done using your body motions – whether it’s flinging, swinging, swiping, bopping, dancing… and the camera detects you and tracks your motions.
I hooked mine up to an old TV and it took minutes to set up and start playing some awesome games…
Main qualities that make me love the Nex Playground
There are a few things that make Nex Playground the perfect pick for a family like mine – in fact, it’s everything I’ve been missing in a gaming console. For reference, we own a Switch, VR headset, and each kid has their own kid’s tablet to play on.
Active Play
We all know (and loathe) the look of our kids huddled in their devices. Even the least active game on Nex Playground has kids up and moving.
Some examples of actual active play games include:
- Starri – a music/dancing game – this is the one you might want to deactivate, more on that below
- Bowling Strike, Basketball Knockout, Tennis Smash, and other sports games
- Family Fitness Challenge
- Nexgym Fitness
- & More – plus more coming!
But even without, you’re always moving. For example, Fruit Ninja has you slashing wildly around. Whack a mole has you bopping around super fast…
Built-in Multi-player
While some game consoles allow you to play with up to four players, for Nex Playground you need no additional accessories. Because the body is the way you play the game, all you need for four players to play the games that allow it is… four players!
That makes it a fantastic sibling gift!
Not all games accommodate that many, but enough do to make it worthwhile.
Bye Bye Strangers
One of my biggest issues with my kids gaming is the ability to communicate with strangers online. While I am on top of it, and implement parental controls, it gets so frustrating when my kids beg me to play certain games with their friends.
While for some people this might be a drawback, for me one of the biggest wins with Nex Playground is that the game play itself is not social. There are no strangers pretending to be kids in your kids’ game play. I LOVE that I don’t need to be on top of which games need controls and check ins, AND I don’t need to field all those complaints about how unfairly strict I am while I’m trying to protect my babies.
No Violence or Adult Stuff
All of the games as of now are incredibly tame – even games where you’re “destroying” things are very mild and cartoonish – like popping balloons. They are truly kid-friendly (with the slight exception of Starri, more on that below).
These games are also much less overstimulating than your typical video game.
And also there are no ads!
The cost Factor of Nex Playground
One of the biggest perks of Nex Playground is the lower startup and running costs. While the device itself is comparable to other consoles, it’s still so much cheaper to keep using it (and even your first purchase will lily run cheaper…)
Affordable base price
The cost of the device itself is on the low end of gaming consoles. As of writing this, the cost on all retailers is about $200 (but costs can vary – check retailer for exact pricing).
Since it’s something that siblings can really play with together, you only need to get one for the family.
No need for accessories
And since they don’t need multiple accessories to play together… you really only need to buy the console!
One accessory you may want to purchase (and I think the only one that’s actually available now) is the carry case, which makes sense to have if you won’t be keeping it out at all times, or if you plan to travel with it, of course.
Includes five GOOD games!
It comes with games. I repeat, it comes with five actual, real-life, good games included in the purchase price.
One thing that so confuses me with game systems is that it’s very hard to get started without purchasing additional games. Each game usually runs $20 (at the very cheap end) and $60 or so for the more popular ones. If you’ve been in gaming device world already, you get my frustration.
Nex Playground comes with the following games included:
- Fruit Ninja – yup, that popular fruit slicing arcade game that’ll get your arms swinging like crazy!
- Whack A Mole – which is just like it sounds
- Party Foul – contains some mini games within, all in a crazy wild party theme. Squawk like a chicken, spray soft drinks, clap flies…
- Starri – a dancing game
- Go Keeper – the goalie end of Soccer
That means that you have plenty to play without spending another penny.
Affordable Subscription for all-game access
In addition to those five games, there is one flat quarterly or yearly fee to have access to all their games. That includes licenses with Sesame Street, Hasbro, and some from DreamWorks coming soon. It also includes two fitness games – one is a grown-up focused training program (you can cancel that gym membership!!) and one is a family-focused fitness game.
It includes educational games, active games, arcade games, sports, and more.
If I think back to how much we’ve spent on games, this is a steal. And if you don’t want to subscribe, you can purchase non-subscription all-access cards that are limited in duration (by quarter, by year) and don’t auto-renew. So if you find you’re using it mostly during summer/winter, etc. you can simply purchase quarterly cards for those time periods.
Target also carries a 3-game sports pack (in store only) for I think around $30 to own – and I look forward to seeing more affordable self-owned games like that!
Find the complete list of current and upcoming games here. They are releasing multiple new games monthly and have so much in the works.
No in-app purchases
Another biggie with little kids is in-app purchases that they make by mistake. Yeah, there are parental controls for that, but it gets even worse when they get older and start begging for upgrades.
Nex just doesn’t have that. I love it.
More Cool Features
Some more features that help make Nex Playground a well-made positive play experience
- The technology is very good and accurate
- There is an attached magnetic camera cover. It won’t get lost – it’s attached.
- Fun, kid-friendly design that’s modern and looks good in the home.
- Compact size, portable – you can bring it to family get-togethers, hotels, and anywhere you have a TV screen to hook it up to.
- Offline play – while you need an internet connection for setup, you can play offline.
- Easy, intuitive setup – it really went so smoothly
- Deactivate apps as needed, so if you have concerns with a game, your kids won’t access it.
- Comes with a slim remote that’s needed for some setup and navigation.
Is the Play Pass Subscription required? Is it worth it?
Since Nex comes with five games, you can definitely get your money’s worth without purchasing additional games. And they are quite diverse in interest. However, you will likely want to explore other games.
So while it’s not required, and you can definitely enjoy Nex without the subscription, you probably WILL want it. However, like I said, you can purchase the non-subscription version as you feel you need it. It’s a digital download, so you can activate it immediately upon purchase.
Is it worth it, though? I think it is more than worth it. I am floored, in fact, by the incredible value that Nex brings with an $89 yearly subscription. It can cover things like gym memberships because of the training involved, and they are constantly bringing in new games.
So if you’re a grandparent who has the grandkids visit occasionally and wants something cool for them, it probably makes more sense to purchase quarterly passes before their visits.
But if you’re purchasing it for your own home, a Play Pass subscription is very worthwhile in the value that it brings – in gameplay value, exercise and extracurricular value, and even educational value.
Main critical feedback of Nex Playground
I’m not going to leave this off without telling you the “I wish they would change” elements of Nex Playground.
1. One of the five games that are included is Starri – a dancing game that goes to pop music. It’s popular pop songs, in adult themes, with mild language you might find in typical pop music. I wish they had made it totally kid-friendly, but of course, you can deactivate it.
For some people this app as an included game might be the thing that makes it for them – especially homes with teens!
2. One of my biggest concerns with these types of things is taking on another subscription. At the same time, we know we spend on these types of things anyway.
The thing is: because when we purchase new games it’s often a birthday gift or reward, having a subscription doesn’t fully compensate. That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing more non-subscription game purchase opportunities.
At the same time, this does keep the gaming budget under control, and again, for many people (to a degree us too) the affordable all-access subscription is a good thing.
Who is the Nex Playground good for
Nex Playground seems to be designed to appeal to younger kids (probably ages 3 and older). However, it can DEFINITELY be played by older kids. While not really for gaming “geeks”, since it doesn’t have most standard games (such as Minecraft, Roblox) that is actually an advantage for me, even when it comes to my tween.
It’s a fabulous family gaming console, and has appeal to kids of all abilities.
It also has adult appeal. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been exercising much more than I ever did thanks to Nex. So there really is not an age cap on this.
And finally, I think it’s a fabulous system, as I’ve mentioned, for grandparents to have for when the grandkids come. It’s easy to hook up, can be stored away easily (but you might not want to), and uses the regular TV screen to play, making it perfect for irregular use too.
Got any more questions about this Nex Playground review? Comment below!
