COLOGNE: As concerns mount worldwide that children spend too much time on screens, David Lee, head of Nex Playground, tells AFP that his games console can be a hit in safety-conscious markets.

"Not all screen time is the same," the Californian CEO and co-founder told AFP at Gamescom, Europe's largest gaming show. "We want to create screen time that the family actually wants."

Lee's company makes the Nex Playground, a blue-and-yellow plastic cube armed with an AI-powered camera and no controllers.

Players interact with the console by moving around and waving their arms and legs, slicing virtual fruit with a swipe of the hand or copying dance steps.

Known as "motion gaming", the technology enjoyed success in the early 2010s on Microsoft's Xbox with Kinect, a similar device that sold several tens of millions of units before falling out of use.

"We want to be the active screen time, healthy screen time," the former Apple employee said.

Bluey and Peppa Pig

Launched in the United States in 2023, Nex Playground sold 5,000 units in its first year and 150,000 after that.

In November 2025, it briefly overtook Microsoft's Xbox in US sales, surprising the market to become one of the most sought-after toys in the run up to Christmas.

Less powerful and cheaper -- initially sold for $250 before tax, its price has since risen to $299 because of higher RAM prices -- the console has since passed the one-million-sales mark.

For its launch in Britain and Ireland in June, the company signed several partnerships, including with the BBC, to develop games based on cartoons such as Bluey and Peppa Pig.

Aimed at families with younger children, the console's games and interface has to be translated into local languages, delaying its release in non-anglophone markets.

The console is slated for release in Germany at the end of the year and "potentially" in France the next.

Screen time limits

Localizing development and meeting regional regulation takes time, Lee told AFP.

"We want to work with local studios. We want to set up a local team," he said.

"We want to make sure that we pass all the relevant compliance rules. There's a lot to do."

European countries are encouraging people to spend less time on screens for their health.

Germany is running a public information campaign encouraging families to switch off and spend time with one another in real life.

In France, an expert committee is due to publish a report by the end of the year on the potential risks of video games for children. A 2024 report recommended strict limits for children under six.

Nex is aware of sensitivities around screen time, and a spokeswoman for the firm pointed out that the console did not offer online chat, in-game purchases or display adverts.

"We just introduced parental control features to let parents basically control which game the family can play," Lee, the CEO, said.

"And we'll be adding the screen time limit as well."