The Interface That Makes Nex Playground Just Work

From prototype to 100,000 families. Together with Nex, Mercury built a full interface ecosystem for a home motion console in just seven months.

The Challenge

The Nex Team Came to Us with an Ambitious Goal

Build the console interface and launch in time for Christmas — under seven months. The requirement was strict: the console must just work — no system dialogs, no manual downloads, and a dead-simple setup that guides the user by the hand.

TV showing the Nex Playground Wi-Fi setup screen

The Device ContinuesThrough PlayOS

The console looks like a simple cube with a remote, no unnecessary details or visual noise. We carried the same philosophy into the interface, refining it with Nex through many iterations toward clarity, simplicity, and immediacy.

Sleeping cat dreaming next to the Nex Playground console and a hand holding the remote

Sleeping cat next to the Nex Playground console

Hand holding the Nex Playground remote controller

PlayOS final setup screen saying the console is ready to play

PlayOS setup screen showing the best spot under the TV

PlayOS screen for picking a player token

Turn It On, Start Playing

We designed the interface for a family audience: parents, kids, and anyone who doesn't want to deal with technology. Working closely with Nex's product team, led on design by VP of Design, we shaped a few core UI/UX principles together.

Onboarding and Installation

Home Screen

Custom Settings

A simple, step-by-step setup with gesture training. No manuals, no technical terms. Visual cues guide the way, and learning gestures feels like watching a short cartoon. You just watch and repeat.

Automatic game downloads. Users never download anything manually. Everything happens quietly in the background, with no system windows.

A fully custom settings section, built entirely from scratch — with zero Android-looking UI elements. Every toggle, list, and screen was redesigned to feel native to the console.

Onboarding and Installation

A simple, step-by-step setup with gesture training. No manuals, no technical terms. Visual cues guide the way, and learning gestures feels like watching a short cartoon. You just watch and repeat.

Home Screen

Automatic game downloads. Users never download anything manually. Everything happens quietly in the background, with no system windows.

Custom Settings

A fully custom settings section, built entirely from scratch — with zero Android-looking UI elements. Every toggle, list, and screen was redesigned to feel native to the console.

Engineering Under the Hood

The console had to stay affordable for families, which meant deep system optimization. Everything looked perfect on the emulator, but real hardware needed serious tuning. We reworked key rendering mechanisms to keep the interface smooth and responsive.

Custom Animations

Cartoon-style animations for kids, including tough engineering work with video alpha channels.

AOSP Firmware

A modified AOSP build, where our custom interface fully replaces the standard Android system apps.

Custom Settings Engine

A settings system built from scratch, replacing every native Android screen — nothing feels like stock UI.

Speed & Stability

Smooth UI at stable FPS on affordable hardware, with reworked rendering and data loading.

Native Integration

Aligned integration protocols and pre-granted permissions, so users never see Android system windows.

Silent Download

Games and updates auto-download and install in the background — no manual steps.

Custom Animations

Cartoon-style animations for kids, including tough engineering work with video alpha channels.

AOSP Firmware

A modified AOSP build, where our custom interface fully replaces the standard Android system apps.

Custom Settings Engine

A settings system built from scratch, replacing every native Android screen — nothing feels like stock UI.

Speed & Stability

Smooth UI at stable FPS on affordable hardware, with reworked rendering and data loading.

Native Integration

Aligned integration protocols and pre-granted permissions, so users never see Android system windows.

Silent Download

Games and updates auto-download and install in the background — no manual steps.

Awards & Recognition

Recognition built on collective effort — the result of countless contributions that brought this experience into people's homes, and something the whole team is proud of.

Customer Love

Gay W.

My grandkids love this system! The teenagers love it as much as the younger one. Even this grandma has played it! Their mom loves the exercise one! So easy to set up and use! Great job! Also love how your support answers folks questions almost immediately!

Read Gay's review

Tawana J.

Nex Playground has been a great benefit to our household. I love how it keeps my children moving and not just sitting to play a video game. I know this is revolutionary for any family. The moments and memories created by playing together builds a strong bond. Thanks for a good gaming system!

Read Tawana's review

Richard B.

This is so much fun. I love that it doesn’t need controllers or anything. We always have a blast playing together as a family and it gets all the wiggles out of my kids. When they’re done playing the games they are hungry and tired lol The exercise game is a big plus for me. But seriously just playing any game on the NEX playground is a workout. Excited for more games to come out on this thing.

Read Richard's review

Gay W.

Read Gay's review

Tawana J.

Read Tawana's review

Richard B.

Read Richard's review

User feedback consistently highlights the same strengths: simplicity, convenience, and a strong focus on families — the very qualities we set out to build from day one.

Eugene L., Project Manager at Mercury Development

Tight timelines force the best kind of collaboration — fast decisions, constant feedback from Nex, and a shared obsession with the details. That's how seven months turns into a product that still holds up.

A clear vision from Nex and expert delivery by Mercury resolved all challenges, from the AOSP integration to optimal UI performance. Together we created a great experience for families all over the world.

Eugene L., Project Manager, Mercury Development

Victor M., Project Manager, Mercury Development

Lana M., Project Manager, Mercury Development

Eugene L., Project Manager, Mercury Development

Tight timelines force the best kind
of collaboration — fast decisions, constant feedback from Nex, and a shared obsession with the details. That's how seven months turns into a product that still holds up.

Eugene L., Project Manager, Mercury Development

Victor M., Project Manager at Mercury Development

Victor M., Project Manager, Mercury Development

Lana M., Project Manager at Mercury Development

The hard work and dedication of everyone involved in this project allowed meeting our goals and the challenging timeline so that Nex Playground got the success
and recognition it deserves.

Lana M., Project Manager, Mercury Development

Growth & Results

The launch happened on time for Christmas 2023. The project then scaled fast: a later phase added a web client, Play Pass payments, and an account system, completing the PlayOS ecosystem.