This gaming console you’ve probably never heard of was one of Black Friday’s best sellers

One of the best-selling games consoles this Black Friday was one many will never have heard of: the NEX Playground.

While Black Friday used to be just a single day of can’t-miss sales at brick-and-mortar stores, the yearly event now spans an entire week and typically stretches across online storefronts too.

With the sales thus more accessible, we typically see the biggest brands dropping their prices to get in on the excitement. Video game hardware is no different, and in fact, this year saw a 7% rise in console sales over last year, according to data from Circana.

Sony took out first place with the PS5 accounting for 47% of Black Friday console sales in the US, while the Nintendo Switch 2 came in second with 24% of sales. What came in third? The NEX Playground.

NEX Playground sales greater than Xbox over Black Friday

Historically, the big three have been at the top of the list: Sony with PlayStation, Nintendo with the Switch, and Microsoft with Xbox. This year, however, that wasn’t the case as NEX Playground took third place.

In the US, the NEX Playground console accounted for 14% of total sales during the period. While no concrete data was provided for Xbox in the US, Xbox Series X | S reportedly accounted for 10% of sales in the UK during Black Friday, to give us some insight.

So what exactly is the NEX Playground? Having released at the tail end of 2023 for $199 USD, the more affordable bit of hardware features a motion-sensor camera, just like Xbox’s old Kinect. This allows users to enjoy games like Fruit Ninja without a controller in hand.

Despite being a relatively newer device, it still came ahead of collective Xbox Series X | S sales throughout Black Friday. Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind the NEX Playground may have seen steeper discounts than the Xbox devices over the sales period.