The Nex Playground gaming console is $60 off this week

One of the best-selling gaming consoles over the winter holidays was the Nex Playground, a small camera-equipped cube that runs motion-controlled games made primarily for kids. It got a $50 price increase this month — going from $249 to $299 — but shoppers are getting a brief discount during Amazon’s gaming week sale that lasts through May 4th. It’s currently selling for $239 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. While not as good as previous $199 sale prices, this is apparently as good as it’s going to get right now.

Nex Playground

The Nex Playground is a motion-controlled console that connects to your TV and uses a built-in camera and AI to track your movements as you play. Designed for ages five and up, it comes with games like Fruit Ninja and Whack-a-Mole Deluxe. You can download more games, including titles featuring popular characters like Elmo, with a paid Play Pass subscription.

Where to Buy:

• $299 $239 at Amazon
• $299 $239 at Best Buy
• $299 $239 at Walmart

The Nex Playground includes five games out of the box, but you can greatly expand its catalog with a Play Pass subscription. Some Play Pass games feature familiar kid-friendly characters like Bluey, Peppa Pig, Elmo, and more. My colleague Sean Hollister reviewed the Playground with the help of his two kiddos. For the most part, he thought the camera tracking was impressive, but it was sometimes disappointing. When the Playground messes up tracking fast-moving kids, smiles can turn into frowns. However, he thinks that the issues generally didn’t stop them from having fun together.

One of his biggest complaints about the Nex Playground was its high cost, not even considering the pricey Play Pass subscription (starting at $49 for three months, or $89 for a year) that ensures kids will have new games to play every so often. This deal doesn’t make the Playground affordable, but it makes things just a little less expensive.