We’ve only just digested news of the Rubik’s Mirror Blocks and the Rubik’s 360, but this thoroughly modern take on the classic puzzle is definitely one to get excited about. Called the Rubik’s TouchCube, it features 6 touchscreen faces that enable brick rotation with a mere swipe of a finger (video below). The puzzle can even assist you in solving it, step by step.

The TouchCube is entirely electronic and is the result of 3 years of engineering work for toy producer Techno Source. While 6 separate touchscreen panels is a very cool addition, it did present a problem – just how do you control the device when holding it will inevitably see your fingers aimlessly touching multiple panels, all at the same time. The solution was to include an accelerometer, that can sense which face is facing up and activate that screen only.

The device also comes with internal memory to let you save your game and finish it later, which is good to have, but is also something the original version could do just as well. The real advancement here, taking advantage of its electronic innards, is the ability to offer you tips if you get stumped and actually solve itself as you watch and learn.

Apart from requiring batteries, the biggest disadvantage to this latest Cube lies in how you’ll have to treat it. The original Rubik’s Cube was indestructible. This one, with six touchscreens, will most certainly require some care. Look out for it around Autumn with a ticket price of $149.99.

Congratulations to the marketing team btw for showing such restraint. You just know they were itching to call it the Rubik’s iCube.

Sources:
Engadget and Pocket-Lint

Rubik’s Cube inventor, Professor Erno Rubik, has come up with a curious new spherical version of his classic puzzle called the Rubik’s 360. Not to be confused with an Xbox title, the game aims to challenge and frustrate the best of us anew, as we attempt to guide tiny plastic balls through its set of transparent spheres.

Unlike the Rubik’s Mirror Blocks we saw back in September, the 360 is a complete departure from the blocky style we’re all familiar with. The sphere itself contains an inner-sphere that houses six tiny colored balls. The aim of the game is to move these balls from the inner-sphere to slots in the outer-sphere, by any means possible. It apparently entails a bit of shaking, though I’d bet a bit of throwing and yelling would also be involved. Unhelpful, yes…but practically inevitable.

The 360 is more of a physics-based puzzle as opposed to the mathematical challenge of the original, which may be of more interest to those who never really took to the cube. Apparently the secret to the game lies in weight and balance – as you must not only get the balls in the corresponding slots, but also keep them there.

The Rubik’s 360 is set to be unveiled at a toy industry fair in Germany on February 5th, but unfortunately, won’t be available for sale until August. I can’t wait to give one a whirl.

Sources:
Telegraph (Story) and Telegraph (Review)

Remember the good ol’ Rubik’s Cube? Ah, good times. There have been some variations over the years, but this latest version gets a truly modern makeover. Called Rubik’s Mirror Blocks, it does away with colored tiles in favor of differently shaped blocks. The aim of the game is to bring the puzzle back into a cube shape by matching up these different blocks.

This Mirror Blocks version uses the basic 3×3 structure of the original Rubik’s Cube, but each block has reflective, colorless stickers on its faces, making it even more difficult to crack (see video below).

You can pick one up at Amazon Japan from October 1st for ￥ 1,494($14). For international orders, try your luck over at TwistyPuzzles where Hidetoshi Takeji, the puzzle’s designer, is offering them for $20. Looks like there’s already a lot of orders though, so some patience may be required.

UPDATE: You can now pick up Rubik’s Mirror Blocks over at ThinkGeek for $19.99.

Sources:
Technabob and Digital Gadgets Freak (translated)