It’s hard to believe, but Sifteo’s interactive game cubes first went on sale a little over a year ago. Fast forward to the present, and the company unveiled version two of the co-born blocks. If you remember, the 1.7-inch squares allow you to play interactive table games, each of which has a 1.5-inch LCD, motion detection, and wireless connectivity.
With this next-generation variant, Sifteo improved the graphics, added a capacitive touch to the screen (the original acted like a body button), and doubled the number of cubes that can interact at the same time to 12. The v2 cubes also come with a dedicated wireless base station/speaker powered by AAA, which saves your tracks and saves the need for a computer, as the cover with the original built-in USB port allows you to transfer downloaded files from your computers. Developers who want to create content for the device will also be happy to hear that Sifteo will release its next SDK on October 1.
Ready for a tangibly cute cube gameplay? Pre-orders start today on the website of Sifteo, at the price of 3 dice with a base station and five games, and for each additional dice. They are expected to be delivered in November, so in the meantime you will find details in the demo video and the press release after the break.
Update: for the curious, we learned that the original cubes are not compatible with the new ones, but Sifteo sent the owners a coupon that they can use for the upgrade.
Sifteo Cubes: now Portable and Improved
Play on the street! The new, ultra-compact sifteo base eliminates the need for a computer during the game and makes Sifteo cubes truly portable. The sifteo base stores the players’ games, plays the audio of the game with a built-in speaker and communicates wirelessly with the sifteo cubes.
“We are very proud of the original Sifteo Cubes product, and the next generation Sifteo cubes are the next step in Sifteo’s mission to make the classic game interactive,” said Dave Merrill, President and co-founder of Sifteo. “Creating a fully portable system has been a top priority since the launch of Sifteo, and today we are incredibly excited to achieve this goal and more.
