WowCube

WowCube is a handheld electronic gaming device developed by Cubios Inc. It is designed as a physical cube rather than a conventional screen-based console, combining the manipulation of a Rubik's Cube-style object with electronic games, applications, and visual content. The original concept dates to 2016, while Cubios Inc. was registered in 2017. The product is associated with a broader attempt to merge tactile puzzle solving, toy-like interaction, and portable digital entertainment. The device is built from eight connected modules arranged as a 2×2×2 cube. Across its exterior are 24 small LCD screens, allowing content to continue across multiple faces and modules. Internal motion sensors detect twisting, tilting, shaking, and other movements. This means that interaction is primarily physical: players manipulate sections of the cube, rotate or incline it, and in some software tap the screens. The hardware also incorporates processors in the individual modules, speakers, microphones, and a rechargeable battery system. Launch specifications for the Rubik's-branded version described eight processors and a battery of approximately 3,600 mAh. Software is supplied through a smartphone application. The cube connects to a phone over Bluetooth, and users can obtain games, widgets, and other applications through a software store. In addition to games, the platform can display utilities and visual features such as a clock, weather information, and animated photographs. The system has supported multiple titles and applications, including licensed versions of Cut the Rope and Space Invaders. The initial product was known as the WOWCube Entertainment System. Its distinctive multi-screen construction attracted attention beyond the specialist toy and gaming markets, and Time included it in its 2021 list of the 100 Best Inventions. The product was positioned as an unusual hybrid: part electronic game system, part physical puzzle, and part collectible or novelty object. Its control method differentiates it from handheld consoles that rely on buttons, joysticks, or a single fixed display, although the unconventional format also raised questions about its precise target audience. In 2024, Cubios announced a partnership with Spin Master, the Canadian toy company that owns the Rubik's brand. The collaboration produced a new version named Rubik's WOWCube, placing the device within the officially licensed Rubik's product ecosystem. Pre-orders opened in 2025 ahead of the holiday season, with a stated launch price of US$299. The updated version retained the core eight-module, 24-screen architecture while benefiting from the recognition of the Rubik's name. Coverage of the new product continued to describe it as occupying an ambiguous space between a puzzle, a toy, and a game console. Reviewers differed on whether its price and format made it a compelling gaming platform or primarily an inventive novelty. The Rubik's WOWCube subsequently received institutional recognition as an object of digital-game history. In 2026, the official Rubik's WOWCube System entered the collection of The Strong National Museum of Play and was catalogued in its Electronic Games department. The product therefore represents both a commercial hardware platform and an example of experimentation with physical-digital interaction in consumer games. Its long-term market position depends on software support, the appeal of its unusual controls, and whether consumers view the cube primarily as an electronic toy, a puzzle, or a full gaming device.

The WOWCube concept emerged in 2016 as an attempt to create a game system that could be manipulated as a physical cube. Rather than placing a conventional display and control panel in a rectangular handheld shell, the design distributed electronic components and screens across a connected 2×2×2 structure. Cubios Inc. was registered in 2017, and the company developed the concept into the WOWCube Entertainment System. The original system used eight interconnected modules and 24 exterior LCD screens. Its software interpreted movement from the cube's sensors, allowing games to respond when users twisted sections, tilted the device, shook it, or tapped its screens. The design made the physical handling of the object part of the game mechanic. It also supported software beyond games, including simple widgets and animated visual displays. A smartphone application and Bluetooth connection provided the mechanism for installing games and applications. The concept received substantial attention because it combined several familiar categories without fitting neatly into any one of them. It could be treated as a handheld console, but its controls depended on physically reconfiguring the cube. It resembled a Rubik's Cube, but its electronic screens and downloadable software made it more than a traditional puzzle. It also shared characteristics with an educational or STEM-oriented toy. The original WOWCube Entertainment System was included in Time's 100 Best Inventions of 2021, helping establish the device as an example of experimental consumer hardware. A major commercial and branding development occurred in 2024, when Cubios announced a partnership with Spin Master. Because Spin Master owns the Rubik's brand, the collaboration enabled a new official product called Rubik's WOWCube. The updated product preserved the basic concept while placing it within the globally recognizable Rubik's product family. Pre-orders began in 2025 for delivery associated with the holiday season, with a launch price of US$299. Reception to the Rubik's-branded version focused on the novelty of its construction, the relationship between physical puzzle play and digital gaming, and the level of software support available to justify its price. Some coverage treated it as a distinctive hybrid console, while other commentary questioned whether the product was principally a puzzle, a toy, or a novelty gadget. This uncertainty is central to the brand's market identity: its differentiation is clear, but its category is less so. In 2026, the official Rubik's WOWCube System was added to The Strong National Museum of Play's collection and placed in the museum's Electronic Games department. That acquisition gave the product recognition as part of the history of electronic games and interactive play. The brand's documented development therefore runs from an experimental cube-console concept, through public recognition and a major licensing partnership, to a Rubik's-branded commercial release and museum preservation.

1. 2026Entered The Strong National Museum of Play collection

   The official Rubik's WOWCube System was catalogued in the museum's Electronic Games department.

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2. 2025Rubik's WOWCube pre-orders opened

   Pre-orders opened for the updated Rubik's WOWCube ahead of the 2025 holiday season at a stated launch price of US$299.

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3. 2024Spin Master partnership announced

   Cubios announced a partnership with Spin Master to create a new version under the Rubik's brand.

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4. 2021Included in Time's 100 Best Inventions

   The WOWCube Entertainment System was selected for Time's 100 Best Inventions of 2021.

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5. 2017Cubios Inc. registered

   Cubios Inc., the company associated with development of WOWCube, was registered.

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6. 2016WOWCube concept developed

   The concept for a handheld electronic game system built as a twistable cube dates to 2016.

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A premium hybrid of a twistable physical puzzle, handheld game system, and connected electronic toy, differentiated by its 24-screen cube format and motion-based controls.

• WOWCube Entertainment SystemHandheld electronic game system

  The original WOWCube is a handheld cube-shaped electronic entertainment system made from eight connected modules. Its exterior contains 24 LCD screens, while internal processors and motion sensors allow games to respond to twisting, tilting, shaking, and tapping. The system supports downloadable games and applications through a smartphone companion app and Bluetooth connection. Reported software includes licensed versions of Cut the Rope and Space Invaders, as well as utilities and visual widgets such as clocks, weather displays, and photo animations.

• Rubik's WOWCubeLicensed handheld electronic game and puzzle device2025

  Rubik's WOWCube is the updated version developed by Cubios in partnership with Spin Master, the owner of the Rubik's brand. It retains the eight-module 2×2×2 cube architecture, 24 exterior IPS LCD screens, motion-based controls, onboard audio, microphones, and a rechargeable battery system. The product is intended to combine Rubik's-style physical manipulation with digital games and applications. Pre-orders opened in 2025 at a stated launch price of US$299.

• 2025Launch Rubik's WOWCube through pre-ordersProduct launch

  The updated device was positioned as a combination of a physical puzzle, handheld game system, and connected electronic toy.

  What changed. Pre-orders opened ahead of the 2025 holiday season, with a stated launch price of US$299.

  Aftermath. Reviews and commentary focused on the device's unusual form factor, its unclear category boundaries, and whether the software and novelty justified the premium launch price.

  Launch price. US$299 (2025 pre-order launch)

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• 2024Adopt the Rubik's brand through a Spin Master partnershipStrategy

  Cubios had developed an unusual cube-based electronic game system, while Spin Master controlled the globally recognized Rubik's brand. The partnership created an opportunity to connect the device with an established puzzle identity.

  What changed. The companies announced a collaboration to release a new version named Rubik's WOWCube.

  Aftermath. The partnership led to the Rubik's-branded product and its 2025 pre-order launch.

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• 2026Rubik's WOWCube added to The Strong National Museum of Play collection

  The official Rubik's WOWCube System entered The Strong National Museum of Play's collection and was catalogued in its Electronic Games department under object numbers 126.1046, 126.1047, and 126.1048.

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• 2025Pre-orders open for Rubik's WOWCube

  Pre-orders for the updated Rubik's WOWCube opened ahead of the 2025 holiday season at a stated launch price of US$299.

  Product launchPricing
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• 2024Cubios announces partnership with Spin Master for Rubik's WOWCube

  Cubios announced a partnership with Spin Master, owner of the Rubik's brand, to develop and release a new Rubik's-branded version of the electronic cube.

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• 2021WOWCube Entertainment System recognized in Time's 100 Best Inventions of 2021

  The original WOWCube Entertainment System was included in Time's annual selection of notable inventions, drawing attention to its multi-screen cube design and movement-based game controls.

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1. Rubik's WOWCube
2. WOWCube official website