Every so often, some new, gimmicky piece of tech that’s guaranteed to be the toy of the year comes out, makes a splash, then quickly becomes another dusty device you have to find a way to dispose of. I try to keep this top of mind when investing in a new gadget for my own kiddo, but fortunately, this fear was unfounded with the Nex Playground. After a year and a half of owning the charming, cube-shaped console, I can attest to both its quality and long-term appeal, and fortunately for interested buyers, the console is currently on sale as part of Amazon Prime Day, which runs through June 26.
Similar to the Xbox Kinect or PlayStation EyeToy (if anyone remembers either of those at this point), the Nex Playground leverages a camera to provide users with hours of gameplay and entertainment. However, whereas the previous motion-tracking peripherals I mentioned were often used by, let’s admit it, somewhat lackluster games, the Nex Playground catalog is jam-packed with high-quality games and plenty of branded titles that appeal to your young ones.
Bluey, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, How To Train Your Dragon, TMNT, Barbie, and more all make appearances in their own games, while titles Brainy Inc., NHL Puck Rush, Zumba Fitness Party, and Fruit Ninja have more universal appeal. If you’ve always wanted to play Beat Saber but have lacked a VR headset, Starri provides a similar experience. And, if you’re longing to revisit your Nintendog days, you should definitely check out NexPets: Puppies. And this is only a brief overview of the system’s vast (and ever-expanding) catalog.
The Nex Playground does require a subscription, which you can purchase for either $49 (three months) or $89 (one year). Considering new games are currently going for $80 a pop, I see it as a pretty fair asking price–especially since Nex frequently adds new games to the Playgrounds library at no additional cost. While the deal above just includes the console, Amazon also has a great deal on the console with a 12-month subscription included.
It’s also worth mentioning that, contrary to other consoles, I am not constantly worrying about my four-year-old’s privacy and safety with the Nex Playground. Whereas I plan to keep my kiddo away from Roblox for as long as humanly possible, I have no issues with letting him boot up and play any of the games on the Playground. All this plus gameplay that encourages him to move and burn off some of his boundless energy? It’s a win-win-win for me.
Amazon Prime Day 2026 (June 23-26)
Video games, Blu-rays, Lego, and tech for the lowest prices of 2026.
