Black Friday sales numbers are finally rolling in, and it's official: the Xbox Series X/S accounted for fewer sales than a console you've never even heard of. Black Friday is, traditionally, one of the biggest tech sales days of the year, whether it's due to unusually good deals or just the beginning of the holiday gifting rush.
On BlueSky, Circana's Senior Director and Video Game Industry Thought Leader Mat Piscatella reveals that, in the US, Xbox accounted for a smaller percentage of Black Friday gaming hardware sales than the NEX Playground, a lesser-known console that's apparently set to prove a popular gift this holiday season. But what is the NEX Playground, and how did it sell so many more units than one of the big three consoles?
First, let's take a look at the exact numbers: according to Piscatella, PS5 accounted for the largest percentage of total console sales in the US this Black Friday, with 62%. In a not-at-all-close second was the Switch 2, which came in at 24%. The NEX Playground was third with 14%; Xbox consoles weren't listed, but apparently sold even less.
If you haven't heard of the NEX Playground, it's...
