The Morning After: The Nex Playground channels the spirit of Xbox’s Kinect
You might not have heard of the Nex Playground, but it’s a tiny gaming system built entirely around Kinect-like games. With its camera and computer vision processing, the $249 Nex Playground can track up to four players as effectively as Microsoft’s old Xbox motion tracker, according to Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar.
The hardware is cute and well-designed, there are plenty of games, and it works offline. The only issue is the ongoing subscription needed to access most games. Check out our full review to learn more.
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Everything we think the company will unveil
Native Instruments enters insolvency proceedings, leaving its future uncertain
Mark Zuckerberg says Reality Labs will (eventually) stop losing so much money
Tesla is killing off its Model S and X cars to make robots
Even if demand for Optimus is still unknown.
Tesla is going to wrap up production of its Model S and X EVs next quarter, CEO Elon Musk has announced. It’s less of a major shift for the company than it sounds: The newer Model 3 and Y now make up the bulk of the company’s sales. Tesla delivered over 1.5 million Model 3 and Y vehicles but sold under 450,000 Model S and X units. Musk added that Tesla’s long-term goal is to manufacture 1 million Optimus robots in the current Model S and X production space.
Snap makes its AR glasses into a separate business
It’ll still be under the umbrella of Snap.
Snap’s augmented reality glasses business will now be its own company called Specs Inc. It’ll still be fully owned by Snap, though. The company has been trying to figure out ways to raise outside money for its AR glasses to better compete with Meta, which has a lot more money to spend on development. Earlier this week, Mark Zuckerberg said his Reality Labs will (eventually) stop losing so much money as it doubles down on AI glasses and shifts away from virtual reality. According to the Meta boss, the company’s smart glasses sales “more than tripled” in 2025.
How can Snap’s Specs match the might of Meta? Well, its next pair will apparently be lighter, smaller and more capable than its older smartglass model, which was pretty dev-focused. One request: make them not look awful.
The best TV deals ahead of Super Bowl 2026
Maybe it’s time for an upgrade.
Hosting a Super Bowl party? Maybe you’ve been thinking about replacing an aging set, or you’re itching for a full refresh of your home theater setup — either way, if you’re looking for a good deal on a new TV, we’ve got you covered. TV prices steadily decrease after a new model comes out. The 2026 TV models were announced at CES and are expected to arrive this year, making now a good time to look for discounts on 2025 sets. Aside from the holiday shopping season, this is one of the best times of the year to save on a TV — it’s like the manufacturers know there’s a Super Bowl.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-the-nex-playground-channels-the-spirit-of-xboxs-kinect-121500965.html?src=rss
You might not have heard of the Nex Playground, but it’s a tiny gaming system built entirely around Kinect-like games. With its camera and computer vision processing, the $249 Nex Playground can track up to four players as effectively as Microsoft’s old Xbox motion tracker, according to Engadget’s Devindra Hardawar.…
