From Rubik’s Cubes so large and complex that they’re practically torture implements to robots that are able to solve a standard cube in just 0.38 seconds, we’ve covered some pretty neat Rubik’s Cube-related projects here at Digital Trends. A new Kickstarter campaign also takes everyone’s favorite 3D combination puzzle as its jumping-off point — with the goal of updating the classic 1970s brainteaser for a new generation.
Called GoCube, it’s a smart connected cube that promises to open up exciting new play experiences and features for all players. It works in a couple of key ways. One is as a more accessible entry point into the world of Rubik’s Cubes, a puzzle that can often be daunting to (and therefore quickly discarded by) new players. GoCube keeps track of your cube solving through a virtual re-creation on your mobile device, allowing you to examine your moves, progress, statistics, and even gain access to step-by-step tutorials.
However, it also turns the experience into a multiplayer game by opening up features like online battles, shared leaderboards, live competitions (in which players all start from exactly the same cube positions), and more. In other words, whether you’re a fresh-faced newbie or a grizzled veteran with the Rubik’s Cube scars on your digits to prove it, this could be the cube for you.
“Rubik’s is a great game,” GoCube creator Udi Dor told Digital Trends. “However, so many people don’t cross the barrier of learning how to solve it just because it seems so complicated. For cubers [who have completed the puzzle], there’s no real feedback or a way to properly measure their performances and to improve. GoCube doesn’t change the basic game; it improves and modernizes the overall experience — making it modern, accessible, intuitive, measurable, and most importantly, globally connected and socialized.”
With Rubik’s Cubes being the world’s best-selling toy, with total sales in excess of half a billion units, Dor is convinced there is room on the market for something like GoCube. Dor also points to the large and growing player community, which includes formal competitions in 70 countries around the world. While not everyone’s going to want to trade in their “dumb” Rubik’s Cube for a smart Bluetooth version, we can definitely see enough folks being willing to make a success of GoCube.
We offer our usual warnings about the risks inherent in crowdfunding campaigns. If that’s not enough to put you off, though, head over to GoCube’s Kickstarter campaign to get involved. Prices for a GoCube and associated app start at $59, with shipping set for March 2019.
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