The Nex Playground is a compact, cube-shaped console that’s currently on sale for $50 off. | Image: The Verge
The Nex Playground is apparently one of the hottest consoles this holiday season thanks to its kid-friendly games and fun, motion-controlled gameplay. And now through December 14th, the cube-shaped console is on sale for its Black Friday low of around $199 ($50 off) at Amazon. There are some other great deals still available you might have missed this week, too, including a sizable discount on the new Google Pixel Buds 2A and Genki’s Moonbase Charging Station, which looks straight out of Star Wars.
The Nex Playground easily connects to your TV and provides a clever interactive solution that encourages you and your family to move around. A built-in camera and AI software track your movements with precision, so you are the controller. The cube-shaped console comes with five games (Fruit Ninja, Starri, Party Fowl, Go Keeper, and Whack-a-Mole Deluxe), but there are a ton of others you can download; however, a three-month subscription ($49) or an annual Play Pass ($89) is required to enjoy the full catalog and seasonal drops.
Genki’s Moonbase features a sleek retro-futuristic design, and it’s currently down to an all-time low of $89.99 ($50 off) at Amazon. The power strip features three AC plugs (1,250W max power) and four USB-C ports that can deliver up to 240W of total power; a single USB-C port, meanwhile, can go up to 140W with the right cable, though one isn’t included with your purchase. The strip also features a non-removable, 1.5-meter braided cable, making it easy to reach the nearest outlet.
Each AC plug is spaced far enough apart to accommodate larger power adapters, but the main selling point here is a touch-sensitive button that lets you cycle through colors and toggle the charging station’s lights on and off. All in all, the Moonbase is a powerful power strip that looks cool and lets you charge up to seven devices simultaneously.
Google recently launched a holiday sale that runs through December 24th, with many items matching the pricing we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. One of the standout deals is the Pixel Buds 2A, which have returned to their all-time low of $99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store.
The Pixel Buds 2A are Google’s latest, most affordable pair of wireless earbuds, but they don’t skimp on features. They offer active noise cancellation and a natural-sounding transparency mode, along with excellent sound for the price. They also provide hands-free Gemini support, allowing you to quickly get directions, brainstorm ideas, and summarize messages. The earbuds offer up to 10 hours of listening time with ANC disabled and carry an IP54 rating, too, which isn’t great but should provide at least some protection against rain and sweat.
A few more deals to check out
- Apple’s M4-powered MacBook Air 13 is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy starting at $749 ($250 off), which is just a few dollars shy of its Black Friday low. However, if you purchase it at Best Buy, you’ll also get a free $25 gift card. The slim laptop offers an impressive combination of performance and battery life, with double the base RAM of its predecessor (16GB versus 8GB) and two Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C ports. It’s still relatively limited with 256GB of base storage, but it remains one of the best laptops available, especially with the current discount. Read our review.
- Hoto’s new PixelDrive electric screwdriver is on sale for the first time at Amazon, where you can snag it for $59.99 ($20 off). The cordless PixelDrive is great for small- to medium-sized projects, whether you’re assembling electronics or putting together furniture. It features up to 6Nm of torque, along with a single multi-function button that allows you to change the screwdriver’s direction, switch to an 80RPM precision mode for delicate tasks, or boost up to 200RPM with one finger. It also has a built-in pixelated display, so you can quickly check the battery life and see which of the six torque levels you’re using.
- The Lego Super Mario Goombas’ Playground set is as adorable as it sounds, and it’s currently down to $8.99 ($6 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The set comes in at a relatively light 171 pieces, which you can use to build three Goomba figurines, a tree trunk, and a seesaw. Each Goomba has its own evil (but cute) expression, and they can stack on top of each other to make a small Goomba tower. There’s even a lever on the back of the tree trunk that can make a Goomba pop out, so you can play a round of peekaboo before placing the set on a desk or bookshelf.