GREAT GADGETS ON THEIR FEET

NEX PLAYGROUND AIMS TO GET ALL THE FAMILY ON THEIR FEET

- CONNOLLY

REMEMBER when the Nintendo Wii managed to get the whole family off the sofa and moving?

Released nearly 20 years ago, Nintendo's motion-controlled console transformed living rooms into makeshift bowling alleys, tennis courts, and even fitness studios, proving playing video games didn't have to mean sitting still.

Now a console has arrived in the UK hoping to capture that same magic for a new generation.

Called the Nex Playground, it's a family games console that swaps controllers for cameras, and turns your own body into the controller. You can jump, wave, duck, stretch, and dance in front of your TV and the console tracks your movements in real time - no wearable sensors, controllers or virtual reality headset required.

The compact device plugs into your television via HDMI and uses a wide-angle camera with on-device AI to recognise players' movements. That means children - and adults - can simply stand a few feet from the screen and start playing within minutes.