Nex Playground Outsells Xbox as Must-Have Holiday Toy
▼ Summary
– The Nex Playground console saw a dramatic sales surge, becoming the second and third best-selling console in the US for two recent November weeks after previously being unranked.
– This sales spike is attributed to a steep Black Friday discount and a temporary viral trend, coinciding with a period of poor sales and high prices for Microsoft’s Xbox.
– The company projects selling 600,000 units this year, a massive increase from 150,000 last year and 5,000 two years ago, with revenue projected to jump from $3 million to over $150 million.
– Nex’s success is a significant turnaround for a company that started with a sports training app, nearly went bankrupt, and was largely unknown until recently.
– Despite this impressive growth, the console’s sales are still far behind major competitors like the Nintendo Switch, and it remains uncertain if the momentum will continue after the holiday season.
A surprising contender has emerged in the competitive holiday console market, with the Nex Playground outselling established giants like Xbox during a key sales period. While the data represents a limited snapshot influenced by Black Friday promotions, the trajectory is remarkable. Research from Circana shows the Playground secured the position of second best-selling console in the U.S. for the week ending November 22nd and held third place the following week. This performance marks a dramatic shift from October, when the device wasn’t even a blip on industry analysts’ radar.
A significant price reduction undoubtedly fueled this surge. For Black Friday, the colorful cube’s price dropped from $249 to $199, creating a compelling value proposition, especially as Microsoft opted not to discount its Xbox consoles. Beyond price, the device taps into a growing parental desire for active screen time solutions that get kids moving, offering an alternative to traditional sedentary gaming. This combination of affordability and perceived health benefits proved to be a powerful sales driver during the holiday rush.
The sales figures tell a story of explosive growth. In just the twelve days leading up to November 22nd, the company sold over 300,000 units. This puts the Nex Playground on a path to reach approximately 600,000 units sold for the entire year. For a company that was virtually unknown a few months prior, this represents a stunning turnaround. Nex’s journey began nearly a decade ago with a motion-tracking iPhone app designed for basketball training, a venture that nearly led to bankruptcy. The pivot to hardware has rewritten the company’s fortunes entirely.
The financial transformation is just as dramatic. Two years ago, annual sales hovered around a mere 5,000 units. Last year, that figure jumped to roughly 150,000. With projections now pointing to 600,000 units and over $150 million in revenue for this year, the company is finally on the cusp of profitability, a stark contrast to its previous $3 million in annual sales and consistent losses. The demand even caught Nex off guard, leading to temporary shortages on retail shelves and inflated resale prices on platforms like eBay.
Looking ahead, the central question is whether Nex can sustain this momentum beyond the holiday season’s promotional frenzy. While selling 600,000 consoles is an extraordinary achievement for a small startup, it remains a fraction of the sales volume achieved by industry leaders, such as the tens of millions of Switch consoles sold. The post-holiday period will be the true test of the Playground’s staying power in a fiercely competitive market.
(Source: The Verge)
