You know what would make a Rubik's Cube even better? How about glowing lights, Bluetooth connectivity, and integrated games?
Okay, so that's probably not what you're usually thinking when you see a Rubik's Cube, but that's exactly what the GoCube is. The idea is to take a simple, classic toy and put a modern spin on it. It pairs with your phone to enable some unique games and will even teach you how to solve the cube, so even an absolute beginner can pick this up and have fun with it.
Trust me, I'm that beginner. I've never solved a Rubik's Cube in my life, but I had some fun with the GoCube. Let's dig in and see if it's worth the purchase.
Classic Design
The GoCube is naturally a very familiar design. It looks like a Rubik's Cube, with a 3×3 grid of squares on a cube that can be rotated around to solve its “puzzle.”
Where it's different, though, is the charging port and glowing lights on the GoCube. You'll need that charging port so it can maintain a Bluetooth connection with your phone for the extra games and solutions. Additionally, it's got a backlight, so you can play with it in car rides or in dark rooms. Did the Rubik's Cube really need a backlight? I don't know, but I think it looks really cool and I did actually use it.
You'll also get a nifty little stand that holds the GoCube when you're not using it, which turns it into a pretty neat desk accessory. You can, of course, just use it as an old-school, non-electronic device, too.
Solving the GoCube
Let's say you're like me, and you're an absolute beginner who's only ever mixed up a Rubik's Cube and never solved one. That would make something like this a little intimidating, right? Don't worry, there are tools to make sure you can actually use your newest toy purchase.
If you just want to mix up the GoCube and try and solve it yourself, you can do that. When/if you get stuck and don't know how to solve it, there's a solver tool in the GoCube app that will literally walk you back to getting your cube in its default position. It'll give you the twists and rotations you need to make, and they're accompanied by quick animations that actually show the GoCube being solved. If you're not sure how to do something, just watch the app and it'll walk you through it.
But if you're interested in actually figuring out how to solve this by yourself, you can go a step further and enroll in GoCube academy. Okay, so it's not a real school, but it does offer a series of digital courses and practice sessions that will literally walk you through the hows and whys of solving a Rubik's Cube. You'll learn all the normal algorithms and tricks that you'll need in some pretty easy to digest lessons, and again, you'll get videos accompanying everything in case you're more of a visual learner. It took me a couple tries through the classes for it to actually stick, but it did work. I can (slowly) solve a Rubik's Cube now.
GoCube games
A Rubik's Cube is a fairly simple contraption. You mix it up and solve it, and… that's it. There's really only one thing you can do. You can find a friend with one and try to see who can solve it faster, but there's very little variation for such a popular toy.
The GoCube seriously expands on that, and it looks like it's continuing to grow, too. For very basic stuff, you can actually challenge friends or strangers across the globe to see who can solve their GoCube quicker, or you can just race yourself and see what your fastest solve time will be. No cheating and peeling your stickers off, either.
But you can take the games a step further with the GoCube app. You can challenge a friend or a timer to follow certain moves to scramble up the cube and solve it under a certain time, just to see who's the best. If you like playing on your own, there's a huge variety of minigames you can play with your cube. You can literally turn it into a musical instrument where each twist and turn plays a different note, and the app will ask your to play Mary Had a Little Lamb or Happy Birthday, and there's a puzzle art section that asks you to create specific images on a side to craft an art of a duck or a heart. You can play Simon Says with the GoCube, a Guitar Hero knockoff, or a maze game, each with increasing levels of difficulty as you progress through the puzzles.
Maybe the GoCube is fun enough on its own for you, but if you're itching for something else to spice it up, it's there.
Looking forward
While the GoCube does seem pretty feature-packed right now (strange thing to say about a Rubik's Cube, right?) it seems like it's going to steadily improve going forward. There are a couple entries in the app for modes that aren't there yet, like an arcade shooter game and daily challenges to test your cubing skills. Cubestumes seems like a fun little way to dress up your GoCube in the app, and seems to pave the way for a store where you can buy new things to trick out your toy. Gotta have those recurring revenue streams, even for expensive toys, you know?
And there are things that do seem like they need improvement on the app, like an inconsistent battery level and the gyroscope in the GoCube being a little finicky at times. I've had to recalibrate it several times, and found out that it constantly gets thrown off in a moving vehicle. There's nothing that I'd consider a deal breaker, but I would like to see those problems solved before GoCube starts trying to sell digital “Cubestumes” in the app.
But overall? This thing's fun. It's a good blend of a classic toy and new technology that'll appeal to someone that maybe grew up playing with a Rubik's Cube, but also their kid who's familiar with digital interfaces and a bigger variety of features from even the most basic of gadgets.
It's expensive, though. GoCube runs $99, although they do have a Father's Day sale bringing it down to $69. That's expensive when you can pick up a regular 3×3 Rubik's Cube on Amazon for $8. It obviously does quite a bit more, and has a full app and backlighting and a battery and whatever else, so I'm not saying it isn't worth it, but it's something to keep in mind if you're worried about only playing with this for a couple hours. It's definitely aimed at someone that thoroughly enjoys puzzles and doesn't mind exercising their brain as a way to relax.
Check it out, though. If you like puzzles and more complex handheld brain teasers, this might just be your next favorite gadget.
