The Rubik’s Cube has evolved. It has gone from cube shaped to spherical and is see through rather than solid, but it’s still a difficult and addictive puzzle nonetheless. The Rubik 360 was officially launched in July and was tipped to be one of the hottest 10 toys this Christmas. It has been so popular already that stocks are now so low it is hard to find a shop with one to buy. If you do find one BUY NOW so you don’t miss out.

So what is this new toy from Rubik and is it worth buying?

Rubik 360

(Hover over image for current price.)

Tweetview (Overview in

“6 Balls + 3 Spheres + 1 Solution + 0 Cubes = Rubik’s 360! Gravity is your enemy in this great new puzzle. Can you steer the balls home?”

Rubik 360 – What Does It Do?

The Rubiks 360 is a spherical, mechanical puzzle with the aim being to guide the six coloured balls that are trapped inside three transparent spheres, through two internal spheres, to their respective matching coloured slots on the outside edge. Any balls that you do manage to steer into place can be locked in as you either take a break or continue with the puzzle. As with all these types of puzzle, the answer lies in finding the ‘knack’. Rest assured you will need to persevere to crack it.

The Rubic 360 is an innovative and more difficult puzzle than the Cube. You now need to spin, twist and turn the spheres to move the balls. There is one hole in the innermost sphere and only two in the next layer. Both inner spheres rotate on different axes so the balls can go all over the place. It may sound easy, but just try it and feel your frustration mount.

This new spherical challenge is as hard to put down as the original Cube was all those years ago. The spheres interact in a special way when you flip and whirl and twirl the puzzle so you need skill, dexterity and smart thinking to solve it. Unlike the Cube it is more than just a logic challenge, you’ll need to develop your handling skills as you go.

The complexity of the challenge lies in the fact that the two internal spheres are weighted at the opposite side to the hole(s). This means that every time you twist or spin the toy, the balls are always on the opposite side to the hole that they need to go through. Gravity really is your enemy here. You need to use the fact that the inner spheres rotate at different angles to try and ease the balls into the hole.

There is only one solution and unlike with the Cube, breaking it into pieces isn’t going to work!

The game is recommended for ages 8+ years.

An 8 Year Olds Reason For Wanting The New Rubik 360

“I can beat that!”

Rubik 360 – Is It Any Good?

The puzzle is well designed and seemingly durable although I haven’t thrown it on the floor to test it! The aim is simple to understand but very hard to carry out. For first time players it takes a lot of playing around with to figure out the knack to solve it but it can be done in a few hours.

It is frustrating but suitable for all ages and abilities. You will never run out of batteries or need to plug it in, making it very eco-friendly.

This is a great puzzle for any Rubik or puzzle fan and players well practised at the Cube will still find it a challenge as the lessons learnt there do not help with the 360. The main difference is the change from a maths based problem with the Cube to a physics based problem with the 360. The 360 is not as difficult as the Cube but children will learn a little about gravity by playing with the toy although they probably won’t realise it!

Aesthetically the toy is nice to look at with its transparency and simple lines.

Rubik 360 – Are There Any Downsides?

Unlike the Cube which could have kept your children quiet for hours one day and then hours again another day solving the problem again, the 360 is hard the first time but then with the knack acquired, the frustrations are effectively over. Oh and the repetitive noise might get tiresome after a while.

Buy Rubik 360 Now

With very limited stocks of the Rubix 360 available, don’t miss your chance to play this creative, addictive, and unpredictable puzzle.

The only place I can find it in stock at the time of writing is John Lewis, although the following retailers do sell it when their stocks are replenished:

amazon-logo          amazon-com-logo

The Toy Shop, Toys R Us or Play.com.

If your child has the new Rubik 360 I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Please leave me a comment.


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