Sifteo Cubes update includes more blocks and portability

Sifteo Cubes – those 1.7 inch motion-aware game playing blocks – are being updated so that players can now use up to 12 blocks at a time (up from the previous six) and there is no need to be in close proximity of a computer in order to play.

Sifteo Cubes – those 1.7 inch motion-aware game playing blocks – are being updated so that players can now use up to 12 blocks at a time (up from the previous six) and there is no need to be in close proximity of a computer in order to play.

The Sifteo Cubes were released last year and are a collection of small blocks with clickable LCD screens that communicate wirelessly with one another, which allows responsive information to be passed between them.

Previously the games were sent to the blocks wirelessly from a nearby PC or laptop, but in this latest update a Sifteo Base has been introduced, which allows for portability and eliminates the need for a computer because the base can now store games on the unit itself while communicating wirelessly with the cubes.

Touch sensitivity has also been introduced in addition to the existing motion controls that the system supports, including shaking, tilting, sliding, stacking, flipping, and wriggling.

Sifteo has also recently signed partnerships with Nickelodeon and game designer Richard Garfield, creator of Magic: The Gathering, to bring new games to the system.

The basic Sifteo Cubes interactive game system comes with three cubes, the Sifteo Base with speaker, a USB port pre-loaded with four new games, a free download of a fifth game – Sandwich Kingdom, a micro USB cable, a soft carrying case, and AAA batteries. The system is priced at $129.95, with each additional cube priced at $29.95.

They will be available in stores in November, 2012.