Sifteo Interactive Intelligent Blocks Are Like Smart Dominos

There are still bunches of people out there that like to play board games with real pieces rather than digital and electronic games on a computer or game console. A company called Sifteo has a new concept that combines digital play elements and physical pieces that bridges the gap between a board game and a digital game with a cool set of intelligent digital blocks known as Sifteo Cubes.

The little cubes are wireless and measure 1.5-inches. They have internal batteries good for about four hours of play and the blocks are interactive and perform different play elements depending on how they are moved. For instance, you can move the blocks from a horizontal line to a vertical line or even stack them and the game play changes. Inside the little blocks hides an ARM Cortex M3 processor. Sifteo created their own wireless protocol to allow the blocks to communicate over the space of a few inches with little power consumption.

The blocks can also connect to a USB dongle plugged into a computer within a 20-foot range. The big question is if the blocks will grab the interest of consumers. Three of the cubes will sell for $145 with each additional cube costing $45. Players will be able to download games for the cube system for $5. Each pack of Sifteo Cubes will come with a creativity kit that allows the creation of games by the individual with no programming experience needed. The cubes are up for pre-order right now and will start shipping in September.

[via VentureBeat]