The PS5 Was Outsold by the NEX Playground

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For one week in November, the PlayStation 5 was surprisingly outsold by the NEX Playground, a simple, motion-controlled console. While the PlayStation 5 has generally been a top-selling console since its launch in 2020, frequently competing with the Nintendo Switch, it temporarily fell behind this unexpected competitor.

The PS5 has had a remarkable year, marking its fifth anniversary and nearing the total sales of the PlayStation 3. As of June, over 80 million PS5 consoles had been sold worldwide, putting it halfway to the incredible sales numbers of the PlayStation 2. Even with these successes, the PS5 has faced strong competition, sometimes from surprising sources.

The NEX Playground Outsold the PS5 for One Week in November

Gaming analyst Mat Piscatella reported on Bluesky that the NEX Playground briefly outsold the PlayStation 5 in the U.S., becoming the second best-selling console for the week of November 22, 2025. He later shared with IGN that, year-to-date, the NEX ranks fifth in U.S. sales, trailing behind the Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and the original Switch. Even though it only held the number two spot for one week, this is a major accomplishment for the NEX, particularly considering it’s a new console competing against established brands like Nintendo and Microsoft. The PS5 has consistently outsold all Xbox consoles, making the NEX’s brief victory especially noteworthy.

The NEX Playground lets you control games with your movements, much like the Xbox Kinect, which used a camera to track how you play. PlayStation has explored similar ideas with devices like the EyeToy and PlayStation Move. While these motion-control systems sold millions of units, they haven’t remained popular for long. Even the Kinect was eventually discontinued, though it continued to receive new games until recently. What sets the NEX Playground apart is its simplicity: it works right out of the box, without requiring any extra hardware or game purchases.

Image via PlayStation

The NEX Playground, released in 2023, is gaining popularity and starting to compete with major consoles like those from Xbox, Sony, and Nintendo. At around $250, it’s much cheaper than the PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, or Xbox Series X/S, which has likely boosted its sales. While it saw a significant jump in sales recently, it didn’t quite reach the number one spot – that still belongs to Nintendo and its new console. Given that the Switch 2 is Nintendo’s fastest-selling system ever, this isn’t unexpected, but even briefly surpassing the PS5 in sales is a notable achievement for the NEX Playground.

Image via Nintendo

It’s notable that the best-selling console leading up to Thanksgiving supports motion controls, even though that isn’t the main reason people are buying the Switch 2. It’s hard to say if this means motion controls will become popular again, or if the NEX Playground’s affordable price and appeal to kids are driving its current success, especially with everything being so expensive. Analyst Piscatella was surprised to see a simple, plug-and-play system rank so highly – it’s something he’s never seen before. While he predicts it will likely fall to around fifth place by the end of the year, its success proves there’s space in the console market for companies beyond Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox.

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2025-12-05 05:04