mac.iLounge

Announced in 2009 as Siftables, Sifteo’s Cubes ($149) will finally become available this month, and we’re seriously intrigued by what they’ll mean for the future of interactive gaming. The basic kit includes three of the Cubes, a charging dock and AC adapter, as well as the USB wireless adapter that hooks into your Mac. Your computer beams games over to the tiny-screened Cubes, which serve as interactive displays and toys, with a minimum of three and a maximum of six Cubes working together at a time. Imagine a bunch of iPod nanos interacting with each other’s screens and you’ll have the right general idea.

Once you’ve plugged in the adapter and are running the SiftRunner software on your computer, you can choose from a variety of games to play on the Cubes. The coolest part is that they interact with each other by recognizing their location and proximity to one another; they also have orientation sensors and clickable displays. With the included Creativity Kit, you can also program your own apps on the Mac to run on your Cubes. While the Cubes aren’t cheap, we can imagine a cool future for these gadgets.