PS5 tops Black Friday console sales while Xbox was outsold by the NEX Playground

The NEX Playground is a Wii- or Kinect-style console aimed at younger gamers, and it outsold Xbox consoles during recent Black Friday sales.

PS5 tops Black Friday console sales while Xbox was outsold by the NEX Playground
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TL;DR: During Black Friday 2025 in the U.S., the NEX Playground, a compact, affordable Android-based console with motion-sensing features, outsold the Xbox Series X|S. The PlayStation 5 led sales with 47%, followed by Nintendo Switch 2 at 24%, highlighting shifting consumer preferences and competitive pricing strategies.

If you're wondering what the NEX Playground console is, well, it's a compact, cube-shaped, affordable console with an 8-core ARM chip running Android OS and a motion-sensing camera built into the box. Circana, which tracks video game console and software sales for the United States, confirms that during Black Friday 2025, ending on November 29, the NEX Playground sold more units than the Xbox Series X|S lineup.

The small kid-friendly NEX Playground outsold the Xbox Series X|S during Black Friday week in the United States, image credit: Nex Team Inc
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The small kid-friendly NEX Playground outsold the Xbox Series X|S during Black Friday week in the United States, image credit: Nex Team Inc

According to the data (via social media), the PlayStation 5 accounted for 47% of Black Friday week console sales, with the Nintendo Switch 2 coming in second with 24%, followed by the NEX Playground with 14%. Adding a bit of irony to the numbers, the NEX Playground is a Wii- or Kinect-style console aimed at younger gamers, with titles based on popular IP like Bluey, Barbie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more.

Of course, there is some additional information that adds context to the report. Firstly, Sony's up to $100-off campaign for the PlayStation 5 lineup, combined with the lack of comparable discounts for Xbox consoles, made shoppers more inclined to go the PS5 route. Also, being the Nintendo Switch 2's first holiday season meant it was always going to be a hot-ticket item. Also, the NEX Playground was on sale from $249.99 down to $189.99.

Still, it's not a good look for Microsoft's Xbox consoles, especially given the company's marketing shift toward services like Xbox Game Pass, PC gaming, and handhelds like the ROG Xbox Ally. It's a similar story in the UK, with The Game Business reporting that PlayStation 5 has a 62% share of the console market during Black Friday week. This was followed by the Nintendo Switch 2, with 23% market share, and the Xbox Series X|S lineup, with 10% market share.