You will finally solve this toy

A robot built by Lego can solve a Rubik’s Cube in about 3.2 seconds, but about 40 years after discovering the iconic puzzle, I have yet to solve it on my own. I assumed that successful decryption of a cube would stay on my bucket list forever, but a smart Rubik’s Cube is finally teaching me the strategies for solving one.

If you’ve ever watched a Speedcubing competition where puzzle masters compete to solve a Rubik’s Cube in record time, you might have wondered how these geniuses can look at a scrambled cube and know the exact steps needed to match all the colored tiles on the six sides. Competitors may appear to spin their cubes randomly in a furious attempt at luck and randomly match a team, but in reality there is a well-established strategy they follow to solve the puzzle.

You can read the step-by-step resolution strategy on the Rubik’s Cube official website, which involves working on a series of smaller goals, like first creating a daisy with the yellow center, then a white cross, then solving all the corners, etc. It is a very specific process which, when followed correctly, guarantees an unscrambled cube, but learning how to do it correctly is a challenge in itself. It is one that I find much easier with the Rubik’s Connected Cube.

The Rubik’s Connected Cube is the official Rubik’s branded version of the GoCube, an improved smart version of the puzzle that started life with a Kickstarter campaign. Besides the rounded corners that make Speedcubing easy, the Rubik’s Connected Cube looks and feels exactly like the original puzzle, right down to the multi-colored stickers covering all of its individual tiles. But unlike the original which can be easily fixed (relatively speaking) by peeling and reapplying all of those stickers, the Rubik’s Connected Cube connects to a mobile app via Bluetooth that knows every move made with the cube in real time and its exact sound. scrambled state even if you continue to play with the cube after closing the app.

I have a few minor complaints with the Rubik’s Connected Cube. It uses an exclusive charging cable that you’ll never want to lose, and for $ 60 I would prefer more durable plastic tiles as some versions of the puzzle now use instead of multi-colored stickers which may peel off over time. It has a premium price without a premium finish. But i’m happy to ignore these concerns, because in just a week, I’m almost at the point where I can solve a Rubik’s Cube on my own.

If you dream of one day becoming a competitive Speedcuber, the Rubik’s Connected app includes features such as timers, which only starts when the cube starts to move and stops as soon as it is solved, skill challenges and even the ability to qualify for official competitions. But for newbies like me, it’s the interactive training tools that justify the existence of the improvements in this popular puzzle.

Through a series of interactive lessons, you learn the process and strategies to solve a cube (pro tip: never twirl middle sections) presented through textual instructions, 3D animations and videos where manipulation techniques are demonstrated. Solving a Rubik’s Cube even has its own abbreviated language for knowing which side you’re supposed to turn next. For example, F means turning the front face clockwise, F ‘means turning it counterclockwise, and F2 or F’2 means doing twice.

You can follow the resolution steps using the guide on the Rubik’s website, but the Rubik’s Connected Cube and the app track your progress along the way, alert you when you’ve accidentally made a wrong move, and even provide immediate instructions on how to undo any mistakes you’ve made. It’s like having a Rubik’s Cube master looking over your shoulder all the time to make sure you’re doing things right, and, to me at least, that means that a mistake doesn’t leave me confused and frustrated with the process.

It takes about an hour to go through all of the training in the app, and you’ll likely have to take it a few more times to memorize the process. After about a week of diligent practicee I’m not there yet, but I can also see specific muscle memories setting in, and Speedcubing doesn’t seem like a superhuman feat anymore. I don’t think I will ever break world records, but I have no doubt that I will be able to solve a Rubik’s Cube on my own if I keep practicinging.

If you feel completely frustrated with the lessons and ready to give up, the app has another incredibly useful feature: an automatic cube solver that presents youat-follow the steps so that the Rubik’s Connected Cube is deciphered and looks like it’s out of the box.

There is no sugar coating: PIt’s a little silly to pay $ 60 for a smart version of a toy that can be had for $ 10 without app connectivity. I’m sure there are plenty of ambitious Speedcubers out there that will do just fine. read a free tutorial online. I’m not one of them and will probably never go back to a regular Rubik’s Cube.