Katarzyna Petru
It sounds like a joke, but these are official data from Circana (formerly NPD). In the week ending November 22, 2025, Nex Playground – a small, cube-like console based on motion control – sold more units in the USA than any model of PS5 or Xbox Series X|S.
The data was published on BlueSky by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella. The ranking includes the best-selling individual SKUs, meaning specific hardware variants, not the total results of entire console families. And in that context, Nex Playground jumped to second place.
Best Selling Console SKUs in the USA (week ending November 22, 2025):
Nintendo Switch 2 – Mario Kart World Bundle
Nex Playground Interactive Gaming System
PS5 Slim Digital Edition 1 TB
It is worth emphasizing: this does not mean that Nex Playground is selling better overall than PS5. It simply outsold every single variant of PS5 and Xbox, of which there are many on the market (different bundles, disk sizes, limited editions). This is not the first such case though. During Amazon Prime Day in July, Nex Playground also outsold the most popular PlayStation models in monthly sales on that platform.
What exactly is Nex Playground?
For many players, the name still sounds exotic, but the console is mainly aimed at families and casual users. From a technical point of view, it is the spiritual successor to the Xbox Kinect:
operated by a full-body motion tracking camera,
no traditional controllers,
games based on physical interaction and activity,
five pre-installed titles,
access to a library of additional games through the Play Pass subscription.
Play Pass pricing:
49 USD for 3 months,
89 USD for a year.
It is the simplicity of use and low entry threshold that has made the device surprisingly successful during promotional periods.
The competition also discounted the equipment, but…
In the analyzed week:
Bundle Switch 2 with Mario Kart World cost 50 USD less in some stores (but not during the analyzed period).
PS5 Slim received its first discounts since November 20, so the promotions included the end of the week.
Despite this, Nex Playground managed to position itself between Switch and PlayStation and took a surprisingly strong position.
Why is this important?
The console market rarely sees new brands that can surpass the sales of the biggest players, even in the short term. The case of Nex Playground shows that:
the segment of "active motion games" still has potential,
consumers are eager to reach for something different than traditional consoles,
individual SKUs can outpace the most recognizable models if they hit at the right moment.
Will Nex Playground become a permanent player in the market? That remains to be seen, but the year 2025 has an exceptionally good start for this brand.
