Rubik’s WOWCube adds complexity, possibility by reinventing the puzzle cube

The WOWCube is a $400 smart Rubik's Cube

The Cubios Rubik's WOWCube is a new, electronic version of the classic puzzle. It costs $399 and replaces the traditional 3x3 grid with a 2x2 design packed with screens and sensors.

This modern take aims to do more than just be a puzzle. It can play other games, display widgets like the time and weather, and connect to a smartphone app.

The tech changes the core puzzle

The shift to a 2x2 grid makes the traditional Rubik's puzzle significantly easier. It has only 24 colored squares compared to the original's 54.

For hardcore puzzlers, this is a major downgrade. There's no way to play the standard 3x3 version. However, for those who find the original frustrating, the WOWCube offers a more accessible challenge.

The smaller design is a technical necessity. Each of the cube's eight modules contains its own processor, gyroscope, and accelerometer.

It's loaded with games and gimmicks

Beyond the Rubik's puzzle, the WOWCube features a suite of other games and apps. This is where the 2x2 layout finds its purpose.

• Games like White Rabbit (a tilting Pac-Man clone) and Ladybug use the cube's twistable design.
• Pixel World turns the puzzle into an image-matching game with global landmarks.
• It also includes a version of the popular number game 2048.

At launch, it has 15 "games," though some, like Space Invaders Cubed for $30, are paid additions. A Widgets app can show basic information like the time and temperature.

The smart features add friction

Interacting with the WOWCube is often more complicated than turning its sides. Navigation relies on gestures like double-knocking to select and shaking three times to exit an app.

These motions can be unreliable. The tilt mechanism for highlighting icons was frustrating, and screens would sometimes orient upside down or away from the user.

The device requires a companion iOS or Android app, WOWCube Connect, to download new games and customize settings. The iOS version required agreeing to let the "app track activity," raising privacy questions.

Battery life and bugs are a trade-off

The classic cube works forever. The WOWCube does not. Cubios claims up to five hours of constant play before needing a recharge on its dock.

This finite battery life hinders the idea of spending hours casually fiddling with it. During testing, the device occasionally bugged out, turning off some screens but not others.

Its reliance on electronics makes the experience less predictable than the purely mechanical original. All this tech also makes it about 40 times more expensive than a standard $10 Rubik's Cube.

A fascinating but flawed experiment

The WOWCube successfully makes the Rubik's Cube relevant again with new software-driven possibilities. It is a fascinating chapter for the iconic puzzle.

However, its technological additions often cannibalize the simple, timeless appeal of the original. The core puzzle is scaled down, the interface can be finicky, and the price is prohibitive.

Notably, the WOWCube began as its own product and only secured the rights to use the Rubik's branding in 2024. It joins a history of tech-infused cubes, like the app-connected Rubik's Connected from 2020.

While it brings new life, the WOWCube could never replace the classic. It demonstrates how adding technology can complicate a gadget that already "just works."