Customer Reviews

Rubik's TouchCube

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Technosource's Rubik's TouchCube answers a question that probably no one asked, but it is so much fun we probably shouldn't mind. Overall the TouchCube is fairly easy to use and by being electronic adds enough on top of the classic cube to make a decent argument for its existence.

First I would like to provide product description clarifications:
1. The top face is the only face that you can directly move - the toy contains an orientation sensor so you are not accidentally rotating the sides or bottom with your hands while you hold it.
2. This 3 inch cube comes in a 6 inch box (for reference the original Rubik's cube was a 2.25 inch cube)
3. The cube weights 13 ounces, not quite a pound, but much more than the 3.5 ounce original cube
4. The toy may very well contain 3 AA batteries, but you cannot access or change them - they recharge through an included base

Pros:
1. Lots of cool features - including hint, auto-solve, undo, a volume controller (9-level, 2-mode), on-off button, and a scramble button - 6 features in all, each accessed by pressing twice or holding down the center square of a given face.
2. The colors are very vibrant and lots of fun - they are brighter than the pictures
3. The auto-solve feature uses a common set of steps to solve the green face first, then the sides and finally the blue face. Note this may not be the fewest moves to solve the cube, but it is a reliable, reproducible and easy way to learn how to solve any 3x3 cube. The solver can be stopped at any point if you wish to continue yourself.
4. Easy to charge with a fun to watch "screensaver" mode
5. Falls to sleep after a period of non-use and saves your progress to conserve batteries.

Cons:
1. The hint mode seems to abandon the common steps mentioned in #3 above and use the shortest number of steps to solve the cube. This means the cube appears to be a jumble with no apparent progress until voila - it is solved at the last moment.
2. Expensive - this product is A LOT of money
3. Difficult to rotate the top face about the z-axis. It is easier to simply rotate the whole cube and then turn along the x or y axis.
4. Can only rotate the top face - most top rotations would affect the bottom faces, but occasionally you have to reorient the cube to turn a face near the bottom. At first this is not intuitive, but easy to pick up and will force you to visualize the cube in a mentally engaging way.

Toss-ups:
1. Rotating the cube takes a deliberate finger swipe - not exactly easy, but not difficult either
2. The cube gets a little warm, not hot though. This is kind of odd, but no big deal.

Overall the electronic Rubik's Cube is a good toy, albeit expensive. It capitalizes on the "apparent simplicity" of many other popular electronics by offering not too many easy-to-use features. This cube is a must-have for any die-hard 80's enthusiast.

I was given one of these recently as an early holiday present from my family. After a week or so of owning an using it, I have to say that I feel it's a great little toy and an excellent gift for the cube or puzzle adict in the house (which would be me), BUT one that's not without its quirks.

First, the positives - the TouchCube has a lot going for it. It's mysterious, bearing all white faces when off, becoming instantly recognizable as a Rubik's cube as soon as its turned on. The whole "touch" thing is something that everyone loves... that whole "manipulating something with no visible buttons or switches" thing never gets old. It's very bright, especially when used in the dark, and the colors are accurate to those classic cube colors. It works like a traditional cube so it's solved like a traditional cube. The extra features that being computerized provides though will help some users out quite a lot. The "hint" feature is cool but I'd say it's hard to really learn from. The old solution guide that comes with the current regular cubes is a lot more helpful. Being able to have the computer solve the cube is nice for someone that just wants to start over. In this sense, the TC may help more people get into the cube again because it seems less "impossible" than before.

Negatives - High price. When a regular cube is [...] at Target, charging [...] is a bit steep, but the technology in this little guy does warrant the price... there's a decent CPU in there handling the solutions, 6 color LED panels, 9 per side, an accelerometer to determine orientation... I do understand that it's a very sophisticated little guy, but that price will scare some people away. The only other big problem is actually solving the thing. Because you have to manipulate the top face, and only the top face (all other faces have their touch surface disabled), this can cause a lot of disorientation if you're used to solving the cube a different way. It only took a day to adjust, but my solve times on the touch cube are about 20 minutes, vs about 2 1/2 for a regular cube thanks to a combination of having to re-think some moves and the fact that you have to rotate the whole cube instead of just turning it from the bottom. Isn't technology supposed to make things more efficient/better/faster? Finally - dead spots. There are some parts of my particular TC that just don't respond well to swipes. Sometimes 2 or 3 swipes are needed or sometimes it'll flip the cube the wrong way... if you don't notice it go the wrong way this can undo a lot of your solution work, forcing you to re-do a bunch of steps. If you DO notice it though, and haven't progressed too far, the "UNDO" feature is a boon. These seem to be getting better with use though, so it's hard to say if the dead spots will be a permanent problem.

So in short, it's not 100% perfect, but the TouchCube is a great conversation piece and for those that just like the Rubik's cube enough to overcome the high price, it's worth it. I would recommend a regular cube first though, if you're shopping for someone that doesn't already have one. That way, if they just don't enjoy it, you're only out 1/15th the cost.

For the price, you would expect a great build and ingenious programming. Instead, you get a product made from plastic you would expect from a bargain bin toy and programming that makes no sense whatsoever.

So much is wrong with it that it far outweighs the pros of the thing.

Pros:
+Nice packaging, obviously ripped off from apples old iPod box designs.
+Bright LEDs make for a brilliant display.

Negatives:
-CHEAP PLASTIC. At this price, I would think they would have used tempered glass, or at least a nice quality acrylic.
-Only one side--the side facing up is interactive at one time. This means tedious movements for simple algorithms.
-You need to wait for the rotation animation to finish before you make the next swipe which means algorithms which should take less than a second end up taking much longer because each swipe takes at least a second to register, animate and finish.
-Rotation of the top row is terrible. Two corners rotate the top row clockwise while the other two rotate it counterclockwise. Corresponding rotations are parallel to each-other. Why you cannot use every corner to turn both ways is beyond me. The top it off, the swipes are usually not registered regardless of how accurate you swipe.
-Display mode on the stand, a strong point of the product ONLY GOES FOR A COUPLE MINUTES before automatically shutting off despite the manual indicating that its display should go for 15 minutes . It auto-scrambles itself (while keeping your personal save data) and then solves on its own. It's pointless decor considering you need to press the buttons on the sides to reactivate display mode.
-Display mode uses battery instead of running off the stand's power. If it runs out of battery before the display mode automatically shuts off, it will flash red (signaling that it is out of battery) and beeps obnoxiously until it powers off. Keep in mind this is while it is supposedly charging. I've never heard of anything running out of battery while it's docked and charging.
-BATTERY LIFE - each charge lasts maybe 15 minutes. Forget about taking it out of the house and to top it off, it takes about an hour for a full charge.

There you have it. What could have been a brilliant interactive display piece is basically ruined by poor engineering, build quality and programming idiocy. Seriously, how hard would it have been to program the thing to have a display mode that doesn't shut off on its own?

If you are used to solving the traditional Rubik's Cube, then you will find the TouchCube to be a challenge. If you memorized the algorithms for the original cube, then you will have to really think mentally about how to manipulate each side to reach the desired algorithm. Only the top side can be manipulated, so you will have to rotate the cube in many ways to rotate the sides since the sides actually need to be the top side to allow for a manipulation. Confused? Yeah, go to [...] to watch a video to explain it better. Do your research before you buy.

I will admit to being a fairly nerdy kind of guy. I have 20 sided dice hanging from the rear-view mirror, can figure pi in my head, laugh at jokes about math and collect rubiks cubes.

All that aside, this is a great toy. If you enjoy the cube it is a ton of fun and a great way to look at the cube (since you can only move the top side.) If you are a speed cubist this can be really annoying. You will want to move more than just the top side, but cannot.

The good:
1. Cool, if you thought the Rubik's cube was a nice conversation piece (and it is) this is better, it glows, it is much better.
2. New spin on an old toy. Good use of technology, simple concept. Very bright.
3. Seems to work well, when you remember that ALL functions must be done from the top face
4. Not too expensive. I bought it local for 1/3 MSRP.
5. Automatic light show when charging. Very nice feature.

The bad:
1. Slow to solve. I am over a minute on a regular cube. My third solve of the touch cube is 4.5 minutes. Not so slow I feel like it is a waste (and I completely disagree with the non-amazon review that listed it as too sensitive and slow.)
2. Expensive. Even at 68.00 it is a little too much. Did not stop me from buying it, but something to keep in mind.
3. Big and Heavy. Not something that I would let my kid play with.
4. Old battery tech. Based on a comment in the manual it would appear that it uses NiCD battery which has a "memory" and is not very efficient at charging.

All in all I really am enjoying the touchcube. If you are a cubist I would recommend buying it.

3.14 Apple Pie is a great song.....

I received one of these for Christmas and have had a lot of fun with it so far. You can scramble or solve the cube with a couple taps of a button. You "move" the sides by swiping your finger across a row or column or diagonally. Unfortunately it only works on the top side so you have to continually rotate the cube so that the side you want to work on is on top. It's not quite as intuitive as being able to turn any side, but after a little while you get used to it.

The horizontal and vertical swipes are fairly responsive. I occasionally have to give it a couple swipes to get it to turn, but for the most part it gets it the first time. The diagonal swipes are a bit more problematic. I haven't been able to get those to work very well using the method recommended in the directions. I've found a quick one-two tap of the two squares works much better than sliding my fingers across the diagonal. Accidental "turns" are an occasional problem if you're not careful to keep your fingers off the top side when you hold the cube. You can use the undo button but it's a bit of a hassle to use because you have to turn the cube around to find the side which contains the undo button (it's the middle square on one side. All the different functions are controlled by double-tapping the middle squares on the various sides).

Although the cube responds fairly quickly to a move, you can't make consecutive moves too quickly or it won't register the second one. You basically have to swipe, watch to see the leds rotate, then make the next move. Basically this means you have to wait 1-2 seconds between each move. So if you're quick with a regular cube you'll find it slower going because of this. I can solve a regular cube in about 90 seconds but it takes me roughly 3-5 minutes on this one.

The TouchCube uses non-replaceable internal rechargeable batteries. Once they permanently die you can't replace them (unless you want to try taking the cube apart). But hopefully they'll last a good long time before that happens. It has an auto-shutoff to keep the batteries from draining completely if you forget to turn it off or leave it idle for more than a few minutes. When you turn it back on it will remember the state it was in when it shut off so you can pick up right where you left off.

One problem is that my cube has already started to exhibit some build defects. Each side is covered by a clear sheet of plastic which protects the leds underneath. I haven't abused my cube at all but one side already has a fairly large crack in the plastic. It hasn't affected the usability but over time I could see it possibly breaking apart and exposing the leds underneath.

Overall I've found this to be an enjoyable alternative to a regular Rubik's Cube. The technology is impressive and it works pretty well. However in the end it's still just a souped-up, more expensive version of the regular thing. If you're a person who regularly plays with a Rubik's Cube, then this will probably be a worthwhile purchase for you. But most people will be better off just buying a regular $10 cube.

Cons:
This is definitely not for the beginners and not for the very young kids who wouldn't understand that the cube cannot be physically rotated and need to learn to orient themselves to the top face moves only. Conventional cube can be turned and twisted in any direction, and all tips and tricks published do take advantage of that fact. This will take a beginner who learned conventional cubing quite a while to map his moves to the "top-face-move-only" technique. So, this cube is a step backward in that sense.

The charge didn't last. An overnight charge only lasted for 20 minutes of cubing.
Visual differenc between the white and yellow is very little in a well lit environment. It looks amazing though if played in the dark.
In the process of handling the cube, It was hard for me avoid accidental moves and sometimes didn't even notice until later.

Pros:
The Undo and Scramble options are great. They have done a great deal of good product design to fit it to almost all needs pertaining to cubing, such as, scramble, solve, undo, sound effect,etc.

I am not sure how durable it will be. The material used for the faces are sort of plastic lamination and may get scratched. But it's better than conventional cube faces peeling off soon after they are out of their packages.

$50 price tag from [...] was okay considering Amazon is listing it at around $75.

The toy is awesome and you can barely tell it was actually used. Very cheap price for a great product and quick shipping. I was a bit annoyed with the actual solve system, it's slow and a bit confusing.

This little gizmo is a blast to play with but a few complaints keep popping up in reviews. Here's a few suggestions to those considering this baby:

1. Battery Life. Youve read how people claim only a few minutes worth of battery life on a full charge. When I first charged mine up it only lasted 5-10 minutes! Sucks right?! Well had I read the directions it says to charge for at least 8hrs for the first charge. EVEN WHEN THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN leave it on the charger over night. Now I get MUCH longer life per charge. My complaint would be dont trust the green charge indicator, it seems a bit flakey, you jostle the cube and it will turn green, so just ignore it.

2. Non-responsive. I would say that there is a "feel" to this thing, a certain swipe speed and timing are required. After a few go-rounds i got the hang of it. Also for the 'diagonal' swipe a series of taps works MUCH better. Far from a deal breaker for me. Annoying at first but once I got the hang of it the 'mis-cues' seemed to drop off significantly.

One other bit of 'issue' is that the cube looks best is a semi-dim to dark room. Full sunlight is a big no-no. It is the coolest looking thing you're likely to play with and it has gotten WAY more ooo's and ahh's from my friends than any of my other gadgets. As for the price I got mine for fifty bucks at a certain retailer that sounds like 'fest fry'. Overall I love my cube. If youre a big rubiks fan like i am, this is a must-have :)

I got one of these for Christmas, and it didn't work. I have seen the video reviews, and I know that it is supposed to work right out of the box.

PROS
NONE :(

CONS
1. It was completely uncharged coming right out of the box
2. When I try to charge it, the display mode doesn't even start up. This means while charging it, the cube was white, no color, and this indicates that something is wrong. By the way, I am positive I am charging it. The red light does light up when the cube is in the dock.
3. After 1 WEEK of letting it charge (because the light never turned green) it still was not charged and wouldn't do any thing except make those stupidly annoying red beeps and flashes.
4. Then I contacted amazon, and told them my issue, and they sent another one.
5. THE NEW ONE IS DOING THE EXACT SAME CRAP AS THE FIRST ONE!