Xbox faced a surprising setback during the Black Friday sales period in the US, coming in fourth place behind a little-known Kinect-style console called the Nex Playground. According to newly shared Circana data, the family-focused device took 14% of the American market during the week ending November 29, pushing Xbox hardware beneath that threshold.
As seen in the UK, PlayStation 5 led the US market during Black Friday week, capturing 47% of all hardware sales—likely driven by widespread discounts on both the standard and digital PS5 models.
Nintendo Switch 2 continued its strong performance as well, securing the second-place spot with 24% of the market. This left Xbox Series X|S with less than 14% of total hardware sales, marking one of Microsoft’s weakest Black Friday performances in recent years.
The unexpected third-place finisher, Nex Playground, is an Android-powered motion-gaming console that launched in 2023. Featuring a camera system reminiscent of Microsoft’s discontinued Kinect accessory, it focuses on accessible family titles like Fruit Ninja and retails for around $250, though it is frequently discounted below $200.
The console has quietly built momentum in the US, gaining traction among parents and younger gamers. In fact, Circana data shows that Nex Playground even outsold the PlayStation 5 in the week prior to Black Friday, ending November 22—a remarkable feat given the current generation’s competitive landscape.
Industry analysts have taken notice. GamesIndustry.biz journalist Rob Fahey recently described Nex Playground as “a smart play for an industry blind spot,” praising the device for adopting Nintendo’s long-standing philosophy of using modest hardware to create affordable, toy-like entertainment experiences.
Fahey argued that while major platform holders like Sony, Microsoft, and even Nintendo shift focus to premium hardware and complex ecosystems, Nex has stepped into a neglected market segment and found success by targeting families, casual players, and motion-controlled gaming enthusiasts.
While the US numbers are notable, similar trends echoed overseas. In the UK, newly released NielsenIQ sales data shows that PlayStation 5 dominated Black Friday 2025 even more decisively, taking 62% of the market for the week.
Aggressive price cuts helped fuel this surge: the standard PS5 was 21% cheaper than two weeks earlier, the Digital Edition dropped by 34%, and the PS5 Pro hit an all-time low price while enjoying its best week of sales outside of launch. Meanwhile, Xbox accounted for just 10% of UK console sales, and Nintendo Switch 2 took 23%.
Across both the US and UK, holiday hardware sales indicate two clear trends: Sony continues to strengthen its already dominant market position, and unconventional devices like the Nex Playground can still disrupt the industry under the right circumstances. For Xbox, the data reflects ongoing challenges in both consumer demand and competitive pricing—issues that Microsoft will likely need to address heading into 2026 and beyond.
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