SifteoCubes
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Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Sifteo's Dave Merrill (update: video embedded)
We've been hearing a fair amount about the Sifteo Cubes over the past couple of years, but we haven't had nearly enough opportunities to actually see the things in action. The company's president and co-founder Dave Merrill will be kicking off the second day of our CES stage by taking the unique and uniquely adorable gaming platforms for a spin. January 9, 2013 12:00 PM EST Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here! Update: video embedded
Sifteo Cubes go next-generation, square gaming gets more portable (update)
It's hard to believe, but Sifteo's interactive gaming Cubes first went on sale just over a year ago. Fast forward to the present, and the company has unveiled version two of the MIT-born blocks. If you'll recall, the 1.7-inch squares let you play interactive table-top games, each featuring a 1.5-inch LCD screen, motion sensing and wireless connectivity. With this next-gen variant, Sifteo's improved the graphics, added capacitive touch to the screen (the original acted like a physical button) and doubled the amount of Cubes that can interact at once to 12. The V2 Cubes also come packed with a dedicated, AAA-powered, wireless base station / speaker that stores your titles, sparing the need for a computer to play as was the case with the originals -- an onboard USB port allows downloaded files to be transferred from your computers. Developers looking to create content for the device will also pleased to know that Sifteo's releasing its next SDK on October 1st. Ready for some tangibly-cute Cube gameplay? Pre-orders begin today at Sifteo's website, priced at $130 for 3 Cubes with a base station and five games, and $30 for each additional cube. They're set to ship in November, so in the meantime you'll find details in the video demo and press release after the break. %Gallery-163853% Update: For those curious, we've learned that the original Cubes are not compatible with the new ones, but Sifteo has emailed owners with a $50 voucher that they can use toward upgrading.
Sifteo and Surface team up for magical marriage of meaninglessness
Sifteo and Surface are definitely two of the cooler, but more useless gadgets we've had the pleasure of handling over the years. So, what happens when you get these questionably useful toys (both literally and figuratively) together? Well, a whole lot of nothing particularly important. By combining the proximity sensors on the Cubes with the object recognition of the SUR40 the devs were able to whip up a simple game that has you recreating patterns of colored cubes. Sound a little dull? We won't lie, it's not the most thrilling thing on Earth, but there's a video of it none-the-less awaiting you after the break.
Switched On: A toy for the smartphone gaming generation
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. The first thing worth noting about Sifteo Cubes -- which recently became available for pre-order at $149 for a starter pack of three that should start shipping this month -- is that they are not geometrically true to their name. Their square surfaces sit atop depths that are less than half their side length, so even stacking two Cubes won't produce three-dimensional symmetry. They are a little smaller than the game pieces from the much more limited and less expensive Scrabble Flash digital letter-arranging game that was a hit last holiday season. The pieces fit comfortably between two fingers for easy gripping, flipping and rearranging, which you'll need to do a lot of in their various games. They are also a good size to substitute for many handheld playthings, reminding one of overstuffed Mahjongg tiles but also akin to shrunken toddlers' alphabet blocks or playing cards. The sides and back are otherwise nondescript except for a set 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 three more Cubes at $45 each. Different games derive different levels of benefit from having more than three tiles, but most work fine with the starter set.
Sifteo Cubes up for pre-order tonight, gaming gets tangibly-cute this September
Want a game for the tabletop with on-screen pop, and a sprinkle of adorable? Sifteo is officially set to get your gears going when its interactive Cubes, up for pre-order by the end of today, ship out in September. If you'll recall, the MIT-rooted project uses blocks equipped with 1.5-inch displays to create a variety of gaming environments mixing touch, motion and on-display content. Also announced is a bundled "Creativity Kit," which enables you to make your own games on the fly. It was was briefly available to early adopters in January for $99.99, and now $149.99 gets everyone in on some good times. You'll receive a triplet of the oh-so-cute Cubes, a charging hub and a 2.4 Ghz wireless USB adapter for connectivity, as well as transferring Sifteo store apps purchased on your computer. Interest piqued? You'll find details in the PR just past the break -- unless you're a square, that is.
Project Blox is like any other toy that comes with 300 pages of documentation (video)
If your kid (or inner kid) turns their nose up at those delectable Sifteo Cubes, it'll obviously be because they want open source smart building blocks instead. So oblige the budding geek with Project Blox, courtesy of electrical engineering students at the University of Texas at Austin. Every toddler-friendly block has its own LCD and touch panels, plus motion sensors and wireless comms that let it interact with other blocks in weird and wonderful ways -- like the maze game you'll see in the video after the break. Project Blox is still very much a project, unfortunately, but its creators have put all their code and schematics online so baby Einstein can have a go at building his own.
Sifteo Cubes get FCC teardown, not so cute anymore
Sifteo's cute little gaming Cubes have grown up a lot over the past couple of months: they've undergone two name changes (from Siftables to Cubits to Cubes), experienced the gaming rites of passage at CES, and now these 1.5-inch full-color computers are making their FCC debut, including the ritual teardown. The not-so-cute internal photos show one of the Cubes, guts exposed, revealing a 32-bit ARM processor. Also buried in the FCC documents is evidence that the darling devices communicate with computers via a 2.4GHz USB dongle and sport a three-axis motion sensor. Sifteo's already sold out of its first round of pre-orders, but we're guessing we'll be seeing more of the adorable little guys sometime real soon.
Sifteo announces early access details for Cubes: $99, Q1, lots of extras
We knew good and well that Sifteo's Cubits were coming in the year 2011 A.D., but little did we know we'd be seeing an update so soon, and here at CES of all places. The aforementioned company has apparently forged ahead with a name change, officially dubbing the little guys you see above "Cubes." Those looking to buy in early are certainly in for a treat, as its Early Access Program will bring a discounted rate as well as lots of extra goodies -- more for less is hard to beat, you know. At some point in Q1 of this year, $99 will enable eager early adopters to get a trio of the 1.5-inch blocks, 1000 points to purchase games and apps from the online store, a coupon to redeem once the product is launched in earnest, 50 percent off anything in the Sifteo store (up to $200) and a limited edition t-shirt. It'll be the only chance to snag a set prior to their nationwide release in the fall of this year, and if you're still wondering just how much fun you could have, head on past the break for the full release. It's a hoot, we tell ya.
