One of the best parts of Bainbridge Island is its recreation opportunites — ample fields for games, hiking, biking, swimming and more. But not everyone can be so lucky, which is where Nex Playground comes in.

Nex Playground is a new motion-capture gaming console developed by the Nex Team led by founder David Lee and president Tom Kang, a BI resident and 20-year gaming industry mogul, that aims to provide an easy way for families to get active indoors. Like other consoles before it, Nex detects a player’s motion, but instead of tracking a handheld controller or wearing a virtual-reality headset, it uses a built-in Artificial Intelligence camera.

“Nex Playground makes your TV into a touchless iPad — your body is the controller, and with motion, you’re controlling the game,” Kang said. “It’s an evolution of what motion games used to be.”

During the pandemic, Kang’s typically active BI family was stuck indoors and lasered in on separate screens. The impetus for Nex was the desire to reconnect with his family in a way that felt healthy and fun, Kang said. He recalled that the first video game his mother ever agreed to play was Wii Bowling, and realized that he needed a game that was simple enough to suit all members of his family, but was engaging enough to compete with their individual devices.

“To me, this allows you to get moving in the space that you’re in,” he said.

It’s not the motion detection element that sets Nex apart, however; gaming consoles like the Nintendo Wii use motion sensors, and some games for the Wii even emphasized a fitness component. Nex’s strengths are that the console is portable, universal and simple — meaning it can be used anywhere, including hospitals and schools — and that it’s made for all ages, including players as young as 4.

The console is a 5-inch teal and yellow cube with a camera and lens cover, an HDMI port and an on-off switch. It can be added to nearly any TV system, and the software updates automatically when connected to the internet.

Nex Playground comes pre-loaded with five games: “Party Fowl,” “Whack-a-Mole Deluxe,” soccer game “Go Keepers,” the hit fruit-slicing reflexes game “Fruit Ninja” and “Starri,” a modern spin on Dance Dance Revolution with modern top-40 hits. An additional 20 or so games are available, with two new games planned every month, Kang said.

“Over half our games are multiplayer, so that the games can bring a family together in a social setting,” Kang said.

In the long term, Kang hopes that Nex Playground will develop into a ubiquitous system that can serve as a gaming platform, but also a commerce hub, a tool for physical therapy, and an introduction to educational foundations.

Tim James, an early recipient of the game who teaches in a special needs classroom with students who have limited mobility, anticipates that the Nex Playground will be a useful way for his students to get some exercise in a safe way.

“I brought it home tonight for set up, and I was impressed by the accuracy of the tracking — I thought it would be rough,” he said. “Looking forward to getting this into the hands of some of my senior mainstream students tomorrow, and then exploring how our special needs students interact with the games. I predict a lot of smiling faces.”

The company also has partnered with Sesame Street, Peppa Pig, Disney, Mattel’s Barbie, Hasbro and others to create games that incorporate children’s media and educational elements. One game, called “Elmo Says,” teaches kids to listen carefully and control impulses through a Simon-Says-style gameplay. Another involves a letter search. A puzzle game teaches multiplication. A partnership with the NBA is also in the works, Kang said.

Largely, however, “we just want to get people moving and playing and having fun,” he said.

The Nex Playground and accompanying remote control.