The short answer: you don't need to buy a console to get camera-controlled active games — Hoppo plays them free in your web browser during early access, using the webcam your laptop or tablet already has. If follow-along videos are enough for your kid, Danny Go! and GoNoodle are free too, and LeapFrog's LeapMove is a much cheaper hardware option that skews a little younger (ages 4-7).
What the Nex Playground is — and how it works
The Nex Playground is a small camera-equipped console that plugs into your TV. Kids control the games with their bodies — no controllers — and up to four people can play at once. It ships with games included (Fruit Ninja among them), and an optional Play Pass unlocks the full catalog of dance, sports, and fitness titles.
The sales back the marketing: per IGN's reporting (citing Circana sales data), the Nex Playground outsold the PS5 in the US the week before Thanksgiving 2025. Its privacy setup is a real plus: Nex says motion tracking runs on the device and video is not processed in the cloud. Worth knowing, though — the body-tracking tech it's built on isn't unique to the box; the same kind of camera control runs in a browser on hardware you already own.
The cost, at the time of writing: the console is listed at $299 on nexplayground.com, and the optional Play Pass is $49 for 3 months or $89 for 12 months — sold either as a subscription (auto-renews, and auto-renew can be turned off) or as a one-time non-renewing pass.
Who should just buy the Nex: if what you specifically want is a dedicated box for the TV — four-player living-room play and licensed titles — and $299 isn't a concern, that's what the Nex is built for. The options below don't ship a box; they turn a device you already own into the same kind of active play, which is all most families actually need.
The alternatives
1. Hoppo — free active games in your browser
Hoppo is screen time that earns its place — kids move their whole bodies to play, so active time and fun time are the same thing.
Hoppo is interactive the same way Nex is: the webcam responds to your kid's actual movement — popping bubbles, dodging hazards, tracing letters in the air — rather than playing a video they follow along with. The differences: it runs in the browser on a device you already own (no console), it's free during early access, and several games teach letters and math while kids move. It's built for ages 5-8, and video never leaves the device — all tracking happens locally in your browser.
2. LeapFrog LeapMove — cheaper hardware, skews younger
The LeapFrog LeapMove is a motion-based learning system for ages 4-7 with a suggested retail price of $69.99 at the time of writing. It plugs into your TV, comes with 25 preloaded games covering math, reading, and problem solving across three learning levels, and needs no subscription to play. If your kid is on the younger end and you want a dedicated, learning-first TV device without console pricing, this is the budget hardware route.
3. Free follow-along video — Danny Go! and GoNoodle
Danny Go! is free to watch on YouTube, and GoNoodle's movement videos and apps are free too. Kids genuinely love both, and the price is unbeatable. The honest gap: a video can't see your kid. Nothing responds to whether they actually jumped, ducked, or just sat down halfway through — which is exactly what the camera-based options above add.
Comparison at a glance
Prices below are at the time of writing — check each product's site for current pricing.
| Nex Playground | Hoppo | LeapFrog LeapMove | Follow-along video | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $299 console + optional Play Pass ($49 / 3 mo, $89 / 12 mo) | Free during early access | $69.99 MSRP | Free (YouTube, GoNoodle) |
| Hardware needed | Nex console + TV | A device you already own with a webcam | LeapMove system + TV | Any screen |
| Interactive or follow-along | Interactive — camera tracks up to 4 players | Interactive — webcam responds to your kid | Interactive — motion camera | Follow-along — can't see your kid |
| Learning content | Entertainment-first catalog (dance, sports, fitness) | Games that teach letters and math while kids move | Math, reading, problem solving (3 levels) | Varies — GoNoodle includes educational videos |
| Ages | Ages 5+ (per Nex); preschool titles playable with a grown-up | 5-8 | 4-7 | All ages |
| Privacy | On-device tracking; no video to the cloud (per Nex) | Video never leaves the device — tracking runs in your browser | Offline plug-and-play | No camera at all |
Who should pick what
- Pick Nex Playground if you specifically want a dedicated TV console — four-player living-room play and licensed titles — and $299 isn't a concern.
- Pick Hoppo if you want to try interactive motion games today, free, on hardware you already own — especially if your kid is 5-8 and you'd like the games to sneak in letters and math practice.
- Pick LeapFrog LeapMove if your kid is on the younger side (4-7) and you want an affordable, learning-first TV device with no subscription.
- Pick free follow-along video if the budget is zero and your kid happily dances along without needing the screen to respond to them.
Why active screen time matters
Health experts recommend kids ages 5-8 get at least 60 minutes of active play every day — right now only about 1 in 5 kids gets it. Hoppo won't replace a trip to the park, but every game requires real body movement, so the time your child spends in front of Hoppo is time their body is actually working.