Sifteo (opens in new tab) cubes first came to light at a TED (opens in new tab) conference in February 2009 under the name 'Siftables', and although the name has changed the idea has not.
Sifteo cubes are a new type of interactive gaming system which allows people to play games over multiple touch screens and with simple accelerometer based gestures. Simply place a Sifteo cube next to another to expand the game world by up to 12 screens allowing for more content to be available - as well as seeing the bigger picture you might not get to see with only a few cubes.
Each set up of cubes come pre-programmed with four games although more can be downloaded from the Sifteo online store for roughly $8-12, including a Legend of Zelda like game, puzzle game and even an educational game.
One advantage of the new generation cubes is that you can now use them without the need for a dongle as the new sets come with a seperate base allows you to play Sifteo cube games anywhere without the need for a laptop.
Unfortunately the second generation cubes are not compatible with the first generation ones - although Sifteo are giving a $50 voucher off second generation cubes to those who have already bought the first generation ones as a way to make up for this.
The next generation cubes are due for a late November release in both America and the UK, and come in packs of three as well as individual add-on packs, which is something that was not available with the original cubes.
They will cost $129.95 for the three-pack and base, and $29.95 for individual packs.
Words: Chris Harries (opens in new tab)
Christian Harries (opens in new tab) is a final year product design student at Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication (opens in new tab).
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