games / Reviews
Rubik’s WOWCube (Tech) Review
Image Credit: Rubik
Loading...I’ll start the review off with a bit of honesty, I’m not great at a Rubik’s Cube. I love them as a fidget toy and to pass the time with completing a few sides, but I’m not one to regularly and quicky complete cubes.
However, Rubik’s latest release, a miniature video game console called the Rubik’s WOWCube, is a great foray into the technology space showing some innovative ways to play games and use the twisting technology. However, that unique system does come with a premium price.
For those that haven’t seen it, the WOWCube is a 2×2 Rubik’s Cube. However, each individual square is actually an LCD screen that can function independently of each other, allowing for unique gameplay on each screen or the ability for screens to work with each other for sliding and game manipulation.
The WOWCube comes preloaded with several apps, with more purchasable from the WOWCube app (the major app release currently would be Space Invaders). However, the team at Rubik did a good job selecting apps that really show off the device’s abilities.
The one I spent quite a bit of time with is Cut the Rope. Twisting the cube can help with the rope cutting, moving the labyrinth around and more. Moving Om Nom and the candy closer to each other and away from traps located in each level. It’s simple in premise, but has good complexity in later levels.
Another one simple to pick up and go with is 2048. Like in the main game, you’re matching numbers trying to get the highest number possible, but again this really shows off the spinning mechanics as you twist and turn the WOWCube to slide numbers together to blend as long as possible.
There are plenty of apps that also showcase the Rubik’s natural ability of spinning to solve puzzles. You can make presidents and learn more about them, make places in the world, or even just do a traditional Rubik’s 2×2 cube.
Outside of games, there are also just several apps to enjoy, like shaking the cube like a snow globe, using it as a timer and more. It’s a lot of tech demo apps that just show what the cube is capable of, but they are enjoyable to check out and show off to friends.
Being the first of its kind also comes with some drawbacks. Battery life is fairly short, meaning that any time you aren’t playing it really needs to be on its unique dock to charge (the dock actually has a piece that slides in the middle of the cube to charge all screens). The dock glows a bright color that I wasn’t able to turn down or off with the app, a feature that was a minor annoyance at night.
I also worry about that dock I mentioned, because if anything does happen to it or get broken, you can’t just plug a new USB-C cable in, instead having to fork out more to buy a new one.
This leads to the biggest concern for the device, the price point. Currently, it’s on sale for $399, with the normal price being a whopping $499, the same point as a PlayStation 5 or Switch 2.
That’s a hard sell for a device not as robust as either of those systems. A few hundred dollars cheaper could make this much more affordable and easier to justify for more gamers, and I’m sure the current price point is reflective of the early life of the system and the cost of all the screens, but I would not be surprised if a lot of people walked away at the price point.
