Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology.
The very first thing worth noting about Sifteo Cubes — which recently became available for pre-order at $149 for a starter pack of 3 that needs to start shipping this month — is they aren’t geometrically true to their name. Their square surfaces sit atop depths which are lower than half their side length, so even stacking two Cubes won’t produce three-dimensional symmetry. They seem to be a little smaller than the sport pieces from the a lot more limited and cheaper Scrabble Flash digital letter-arranging game that was a success last holiday season.
The pieces fit comfortably between two fingers for simple gripping, flipping and rearranging, which you will have to do loads of of their various games. Also they are an awesome size to substitute for lots handheld playthings, reminding one in every of overstuffed Mahjongg tiles but additionally similar to shrunken toddlers’ alphabet blocks or cards. The perimeters and back are otherwise nondescript with the exception of a group of contacts on their rear used for charging. Sifteo Cubes are charged via their tray, which showcases them through a translucent plastic top with room for 3 more Cubes at $45 each. Different games derive different levels of have the benefit of having greater than three tiles, but most work fine with the starter set.
The Cubes’ color screens — while only one.5-inches across and having a 128 x 128-pixel resolution — are really the secret to the system’s versatility. They don’t seem to be touchscreens as your finger would absorb a wide part of their surface, but do work as a single clickable button. Beneath those screens lie a bunch of sensors. Cubes can tell after they are touching each other’s sides, tilted, flipped or shaken. By loading different games onto the Cubes, you’ll be able to completely change how they’re played with.
Games are sideloaded onto the Cubes from a computer or Mac using software that doubles as Sifteo’s app store. This requires use of a small USB wireless adapter which might be docked inside the charging box when not in use. Of course, one of many drawbacks of this initial release is that the computer or Mac should always be near the Cubes even once games have started for the reason that Cubes don’t have any speakers and the pc handles (perfectly synchronized) audio output. As is, the Cubes last for approximately three hours of play on an entire charge.
The widely high-minded and conceptually simple games, which Sifteo says specialize in “intelligent play,” feature genres of strategy, puzzles, education and fast reflexes. That might sound an awful lot like many smartphone games, and indeed the costs and play value are similar, however the game mechanics are usually not. One basic difference, for instance, is that Sifteo Cubes are played with on a table instead of on a tool you retain to your hands. This makes for a potentially more openly social experience.
multiple games, for instance, depend upon one continually rearranging the cubes to adapt a pathway that serves as a path toward a goal or faraway from an enemy. Another is a fascinating twist at the Bejewled genre by which Cubes should be rearranged in order that colored patterns of dots align. At this stage, some games are little greater than mini-games or proofs of concept. a very good example of that is ‘Do the Sift,’ a Bop-It-like game wherein you’re asked to control certain Cubes while leaving others alone. The experience of its delightfully ’80s retro graphics and sounds last for under three major rounds, which last only jiffy.
The various early apps were written by puzzle fans for puzzle fans. One exception that encourages a more free-form experience is an app aimed at younger children called Oogor’s Day, which creates a dynamic story as Cubes with different characters are manipulated. It’s hard to assert how in-depth Sifteo games can go, but one third-party developer soon plans to ship a promising music sequencer called LoopLoop. Even everyday customers can customize some existing games and exercises, though, with what Sifteo calls the Creativity Kit — an easy, form-based method to creating drills that are supposed to find favor with parents and teachers and should be applied sooner or later to other disciplines reminiscent of music.
There’s really nothing else available quite like Sifteo Cubes. The corporate characterizes the product as a cross between a toy and games, however it is a refreshing breeze on earth of either, one who should pick up velocity as more third-party games hit the system by this holiday season. If Sifteo can inspire developers to milk its platform, its unique mode of interaction gaming ought to be enough for it to steal sufficient attention from smartphone gaming.
Ross Rubin ( @rossrubin ) is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group . Views expressed in Switched On are his own.
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