A console most gamers had never even heard of just outsold the PlayStation 5.

The Nex Playground was the second best-selling console in the United States for the week ending November 22, right before Thanksgiving. Only the Nintendo Switch 2 sold more.

So what is this thing?

It’s not completely obscure. It won an Apple Design Award in 2022. But among people who identify as gamers and generally follow the industry, the Nex Playground wasn’t on anyone’s radar.

At its core, it’s basically the Xbox Kinect reincarnated. A self-contained, camera-based motion system in a bright, friendly box that plugs into your TV. No controllers. No buttons. You just wave your limbs around and it tracks everything.

There are no cartridges either. Everything is digital and delivered through a subscription.

Which means—much to the annoyance of hardcore gamers—Microsoft was right. Camera-based motion controls are viable. There’s still an audience for this. Maybe even a massive one. And it’s been ignored for so long that a start-up simply walked in and captured it.

https://www.ign.com/articles/a-box-that-looks-like-the-ouya-and-kinect-had-a-kid-outsold-the-ps5-in-the-us-the-week-before-thanksgiving