Imagine if you crossed a handheld gaming system with a Rubik’s Cube. What you’d get is CubiOs Inc’s WowCube, which is currently an honoree in the CES 2021 Innovation Awards.
Invented by son and father team Savva and Ilya Osipov, the cube-shaped device has four color IPS screens on each side (for a total of 24) along with eight microprocessors and an accelerometer hidden away inside. As is the case with a Rubik’s Cube, users can twist it along multiples axes, constantly changing how the screens align with one another.
Unlike a Rubik’s Cube, though, much more can be done with it than simply trying to get each side to be one color. Utilizing an accompanying iOS/Android app, users can load different games into the device via Bluetooth, changing the animated display on the screens in the process.
The games are played via a combination of twisting and shaking the device. No screen-tapping or button-pushing is involved.
A number of games have already been developed for the system, including word games, puzzles, mazes and arcade-style games. It does have an open API (application programming interface), though, for third-party developers who wish to create games of their own. It can additionally be used for non-gaming applications, displaying information such as the time, date and weather.
The device itself measures 70 by 70 mm on each side, and tips the scales at 335 g (11.8 oz). One charge of its integrated 4,320-mAh lithium-ion battery is claimed to be good for up to eight hours of use.
WowCube takes gaming to another dimension [New Atlas]