Family-First Gaming: Breaking Into Consumer Hardware with Nex

Feb 3, 2026

David Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Nex, led a pivot from mobile apps to a family-first consumer gaming console. He discusses building playful active experiences, why TV and on-device AI matter, retail demo strategies, subscription and safety-first product design, and plans for international expansion and connected, family-focused play.

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INSIGHT

Subscription Powers Longevity

Longevity depends on business model and focus, not just motion tech. A subscription service funds continuous content investment and iterative improvements for families.

INSIGHT

Family-First Focus As Differentiator

Targeting families and kids changes product design priorities like safety and curated content. That focus differentiates Next from past motion platforms that tried to serve broader audiences.

ADVICE

Design Privacy And Safety First

Treat privacy and safety as non-negotiable design constraints and build from the bottom up. Use a closed ecosystem, edge-only video processing, and curated first-/second-party content.

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In this episode, host Kalie Moore talks with David Lee, Co-founder & CEO of Nex, to unpack one of the rarest success stories in modern gaming: launching a new consumer console and winning. In a category dominated for decades by the same three players, Nex broke through by rethinking who gaming hardware is for. Often compared to Wii or Kinect, Nex’s real innovation isn’t motion-based play alone, but a family-first platform built around physical activity, kid safety, and parental trust. In a down year for console sales, Nex sold over 650,000 units, expanded into thousands of retail stores, and captured meaningful market share by designing specifically for families.

The conversation traces Nex’s nearly decade-long journey from mobile-first products to a high-stakes pivot into living-room hardware - and the leadership decisions required to make that leap under uncertainty. Kalie and David dig into why most motion-gaming platforms struggled to last, what Nex designed differently for long-term engagement, and how retail, subscriptions, and trusted IP shaped its growth. The episode closes with a look ahead to Nex’s 2026 roadmap, from international expansion to connected play designed with strict family controls, and David’s long-term vision for what Nex could mean to families ten or twenty years from now.

We’d like to thank Overwolf for making this episode possible! Whether you're a gamer, creator, or game studio, Overwolf is the ultimate destination for integrating UGC in games! You can check out all Overwolf has to offer at https://www.overwolf.com/.

We’d also like to thank Lightspeed Venture Partners for making this episode possible! With its dedicated gaming & interactive media practice, the firm invests from an over $6.5 billion pool of early and growth-stage capital. If you’re interested in learning more, go to https://gaming.lsvp.com/.

If you like the episode, please help others find us by leaving a 5-star rating or review! And if you have any comments, requests, or feedback shoot us a note at podcast@naavik.co.

Who’s On:

Guest - David Lee: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlkf/

Host - Kalie Moore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaliemoore/

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Sound design by Gavin Mc Cabe.