- Nex aims to become a leader in trust and security with the launch of its Playground games console in the UK.
- The launch comes as gaming companies grapple with the Online Safety Act of 2023, which includes special measures for services likely to be used by children.
- President and International Director Tom Kang describes Trust and Security as “fundamental” for the company
Nex Chairman and International Director Tom Kang has stated that his company is prepared for the UK Online Safety Act 2023 legislation and prepared to become an industry leader in trust and security.
“We’re not a complaining organisation, we’re a leading organisation,” he told me ahead of the launch of the Nex Playground games console in the UK.
“We are in the process of hiring a Trust & Safety industry leader, who we have been consulting with for months. We want her to research and lead things that will create the blueprint for what Trust & Safety could mean. The gold standard.”
Nex Playground is designed primarily for kids ages three to 12 and comes from a team led by former Apple designer turned Nex CEO David Lee. It features an AI-powered camera that is used to read the player’s movement to control fun, interactive games, including a version of baseball and an adaptation of the popular fruit-swiping mobile game. fruit ninja.
Lee describes privacy as a “number one” concern and tells me that all videos are processed directly on the device using an integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) instead of being sent to the cloud. Although its custom operating system is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), it is completely locked and does not allow the installation of third-party apps.
Trust and Security from day one
The UK launch comes as gaming companies in the region grapple with the complex legislation of the Online Safety Act 2023, which applies a duty of care to operators of a wide range of “user-to-user” services with special measures for those “more likely to be accessed by children”.
Microsoft recently introduced an age verification system for users of its Xbox consoles in the UK, with a one-time verification required to access all of the platform’s social features, such as voice and text communication.
Sony is also starting to roll out its own age verification system for those who use PlayStation, with a mandatory age verification expected to access communication features later in 2026.
“It’s hard to modernize your business backwards if you open Pandora’s box and create all those loopholes,” argues Kang, who seems confident in Nex’s ability to meet these obligations. “We started, from day one, being fundamental in everything we do, without having any leaks in that bucket.”
Nex plans to roll out some online gaming features this year, though Lee assures me they’ve been built on a “symmetrical social consent” model that requires mutual intent. Essentially, both players will need to enter unique codes for each other in order to connect.
“No outsider can do that,” Lee says. “Even after that, there is no video, sound or text.”
UK pre-orders for Nex Playground start May 18 for £269 and will be available on Amazon, Argos and Smyths Toys.
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