Nintendo’s active gaming platform, the Wii, ushered in a new idea in video game play: consoles could encourage children to get off the couch and control games with big muscle movement. Microsoft’s Kinect took things further, by using a camera to observe and respond to a player’s movements they could literally put children into the action on the screen.
The novelty (and health benefits) of these game systems was not, apparently, enough to keep the format going in mainstream gaming, though it has found purchase in VR gaming on platforms like the Meta Quest 3.
Last year the Nex Playground brought active family & child gaming back with its innovative New Playground. The subscription-centric platform provides excellent hardware with an always changing library of games that keeps the product constantly refreshed with a diverse selection of games from learning to arcade, from parent to child. The main drawback: Price. The $249 cost is only the starting point. To get real value you’ll need a $90 annual subscription.
Can the LeapFrog Leam Move ($69.97) device replace the Nex Playground by offering similar functionality in a device that costs less than the subscription cost? In short, the answer is “no”, but what it does offer may be enough for your needs.
LeapMove is not LeapFrog’s first foray into video games that respond to a child’s movement. Eleven years ago LeapTV used similar technology. It currently stands on Amazon with 20 percent of its scores being 1 star. Our testers found the novelty wore off fast, and I felt the mix of arcade with academics more out-of-place here than in similar tablet-based platforms. Worse, many complained about technical glitches that made the system frustrating.
A lot has changed technologically speaking in the intervening decade, so I was hopeful that LeapMove might have corrected the earlier platform’s faults.
Setup was a mixed bag. Hooking it up is comparable to the New Playground. Plug it into your TV with a USB and an HDMI cable, press the button, and you’re in business. To its credit, you don’t have to set up an on-line account and give your email address with LeapFrog to start playing. (They get you for that a bit later on when you want to download the two “bonus” games, but at least you get the initial action going without that process.)
Getting the system to recognize our players was tricky. Every time you turn on the unit it goes through instructions on how to get it to recognize you. It takes trial and error though, depending on your playroom’s configuration. One thing that we did not like was that the settings don’t seem to get saved, and each time you turn it on you have to go through that process again.
The games are all variants of the type that have been on this type of platform from the start: You hit, kick, jump, and twist to control the action. In our moderately-well lit room the image on screen was somewhat grainy. Getting the unit to recognize the player’s movements was hit or miss, particularly when the action happens close to the center of the screen where the hands might get confused with the rest of the body.
The games use LeapFrog’s tried-and-true “edutainment” model of an arcade sequence, followed by a “learning” activity. Compared to the Nex Playground games (some of which follow a similar pattern) the LeapMove was less active and slower-paced. Some of this is to be expected, since the LeapMove is designed for a young (4-7) set with three levels of difficulty, while the Nex Playground aims for a wider audience.
Though the LeapFrog has traditionally excelled in providing age-appropriate drill and review games, some of of the first problems our kindergarten tester faced were too advanced for her curriculum, for example picking two numbers that add up to 14. Perhaps in some communities later in the year this would be appropriate, it was certainly not right for her.
The system comes with 25 “activities and adventures” and the LeapFrog website claims that additional games will be added to the library in the future; pricing and availability are not mentioned.
There is a saying that “you get what you pay for”. Perhaps it is not surprising that the LeapMove offers tech that works less well, in games that are less compelling than the New Playground. After all, it costs much less. As such, if your budget is tight (and whose isn’t in 2025) but want to spice up indoor active play over the holidays then perhaps for just the right aged child this the LeapMove might be enough to get through the Holiday vacation, without the hope that it will be a regular, go-to toy in months to come.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for the most variety, age and game-type diversity, and best tech in a robust platform that will deliver new content throughout the year, and really help you and your kids boost your metabolism with mostly family friendly games, and if you can accommodate the subscription plus much higher initial investment in your budget, then the Nex Playground is the clear winner by nearly every criteria save cost.
