The gaming industry is in a tight spot, struggling to balance affordability and profit margins. Consoles are priced too high for many consumers, while games often come at too low of a cost, leaving the industry on an economic knife-edge.
However, this crisis can also create opportunities for companies that think differently about their audience and products. The success of Nex Playground, a smart play console that’s beating the PS5 in hardware sales despite being priced lower, shows that there’s still room for innovation in the market.
Nex Playground is essentially a cube with a camera on the front, using gesture-controlled software that doesn’t require a controller. It ships with five built-in games and offers a subscription plan with affordable monthly fees. The console itself is around $250, often available for under $200.
The key to Nex Playground’s success lies in its focus on families with small kids, an audience the major platform holders have effectively abandoned. By targeting this market, Nex Playground has created a fun, safe, and inexpensive gaming device that’s perfect for parents who want to introduce their children to gaming without breaking the bank.
This strategy is not unique to Nex Playground, as there are still many low-end hardware options available in the market that can maintain smooth framerates in good-quality games. The challenge lies in developing software that takes advantage of these lower-end hardware capabilities.
While Nex Playground may not be a major player in terms of sales, its strong word-of-mouth among parents and families suggests that it has plenty of runway ahead of it. With the right approach, other companies can also tap into the abandoned audience segments created by the industry’s pricing strategies.
Source: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/nex-playground-is-a-smart-play-for-an-industry-blind-spot-opinion