I had enough problems trying to solve the original Rubik’s Cube. Heck, I was often tempted to just peel all the colored stickers off and place them on the proper sides of the cube whenever I got frustrated with the damned thing. So when I came across V-CUBES, I just about lost my mind.
V-CUBE cubic puzzles come in 5x5x5, 6x6x6 and an insane 7x7x7 configuration for the true puzzle masochist.
The mammoth 7x7x7 cube is made up of hundreds of individual pieces which rotate around an inner mechanism that was precisely engineered to turn quickly and smoothly (hence the slightly bulging appearance of the cube). If I’m doing my math right, the V-CUBE 7 offers up about 1.95 * (10^160) permutations, so that should keep you busy for just a little while.
Think that seems unsolveable? Check out this video clip of master puzzle solver Frank Morris cranking through the V-CUBE 7 in just under 7 minutes flat:
And just in case that’s not complicated enough for you, the V-CUBE guys are working on future models all the way up to 11x11x11. O.M.G.W.T.F.R.U.B.I.K?
You can find all of these cubes over at the V-CUBES Online Shop. Prices range from about $35 to $70 USD.
[photos via Flickr and speedcubing]
