Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Sifteo Cubes

Looking for a new type of gaming device - here comes Sifteo cubes.

Sifteo cubes are physical blocks with colored graphical screen that can sense each other and their motion. It provides a highly physically interactive gaming experience that can be both fun and educational. To see this in action watch the following short video:


The Sifteo cubes are the result of the MIT Media Lab's Siftables project, first demoed at TED conference in February 2009. In January this year the company launched an early access program for $99. The company just started the pre-order for all now. For $149, the Sifteo Starter pack consists of three Sifteo cubes, charging dock and AC adapter and a USB wireless link. Additional Sifteo cubes can be bought for $45 each. The system can be expandable up to 6 blocks currently. Games can be bought online at Sifteo store for $5 each.

Few things that I would love to see in future versions. First, there is a lot of dependence on the computer (PC or Mac) as it runs the games and plays the sound so you need it around while playing. Anyways that dependency can be minimized/removed will be cool. Second, after watching a few videos demonstrating the system it becomes clear that even 6 cubes won't be enough. Third, currently only one side of the cube has the screen, multiple screens of the cube might make it even more interesting.

Overall I love the idea and definitely be seriously considering to buy one.