# How much farther can cube manufacturers go?



## prostx23 (Nov 24, 2010)

Hi,

I've seen commentary on these forums on wether we've gotten close to reaching the human limit for solving the 3x3 (I personally think between 4 and 5 seconds will probably end up being the limit). Can the same be said of hardware design? What else can manufacturers and designers do to make the cube faster and more efficient to turn? Also, how much longer before manufacturers turn their attention away from the 3x3 and towards the bigger cubes with the same intensity and attention that they currently give the 3x3?

Mike


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## Cyrus C. (Nov 24, 2010)

You can apply Lucas' analogy here as well. Running has been around for centuries but, better running shoes are still being made.


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## Godmil (Nov 24, 2010)

Other cube sizes would need to be a lot more popular before they get the same attention on design as 3x3.


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## DavidWoner (Nov 24, 2010)

Godmil said:


> Other cube sizes would need to be a lot more popular before they get the same attention on design as 3x3.


 
Ummm really the only new design for 3x3s has been the Guhong/Lingyun. There have been tons of advancements in mechs for 4x4 recently, and in 5x5 leading up to the V-cube.


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## Godmil (Nov 24, 2010)

Yeah, true, but 3x3's have had so much effort put into tweaking them, and the end result is you get lots of really good cubes, which people choose between based on feel. With 4x4 what do you really have... everyone saying "well the Dayan is actually quite good, if it didn't pop every third solve."


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## spdcbr (Nov 24, 2010)

What about electronic cubes? You can turn with the touch of a finger
(not like a display, one that physically moves)
It doesn't seem reasonable right now, but maybe someday?


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## r_517 (Nov 24, 2010)

Alpha Cube's new design "CC" will be out very soon.


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## Enter (Nov 24, 2010)

in year 2020 they will make a cube that is Brain-controlled NTC or Neuro-Toy-Cube 
muhahah so the old record set in 2010 will bi finally broken!


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## ianography (Nov 24, 2010)

I want to see that cube now...


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## Lorken (Nov 24, 2010)

Anyone tried that rubik's touch cube? My mate brought one and it was crap. I would much rather prefer a plastic cube with stickers.


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Nov 24, 2010)

Enter said:


> in year 2020 they will make a cube that is Brain-controlled NTC or Neuro-Toy-Cube
> muhahah so the old record set in 2010 will bi finally broken!


 
We don't even have auto strapping shoes, flying cards, or hoverboards yet. Good luck.


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## Systemdertoten (Nov 24, 2010)

~Phoenix Death~ said:


> We don't even have auto strapping shoes, flying cards, or hoverboards yet. Good luck.


http://verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/129149629517786102.jpg


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Nov 24, 2010)

Systemdertoten said:


> http://verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/129149629517786102.jpg


 
I guess my children will have to wait.


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## splinteh (Nov 24, 2010)

A lot of people think having good gear makes you good. This goes for everything. They fail to accept the fact that this isn't always the case.


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## prostx23 (Nov 25, 2010)

splinteh said:


> A lot of people think having good gear makes you good. This goes for everything. They fail to accept the fact that this isn't always the case.


 
Sometimes superior gear can make someone who is already good, a bit better though. I just wonder how much more tweaking (or outright innovations) we'll see from cube companies, before nothing else of significance can be done to improve the 3x3 cube.


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## a small kitten (Nov 25, 2010)

> A lot of people think having good gear makes you good. This goes for everything. They fail to accept the fact that this isn't always the case.



This entire post can be summed by the word "maybe".

I don't think I would be nearly as fast if I didn't have a good cube.


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## Drake (Nov 25, 2010)

Hmm, its could go more lower then 3 sec i think. Just see with dayan guhong, lbuix, the time is going way better. New cubes, peoples praticing, speedcubing evry day to be better and better. So...


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## Evan_Frame (Nov 25, 2010)

I am not fast but I wouldn't be cubing at all if I didn't get a 'nice' feeling from mycubes. Every non-cuber that plays with my cubes likes them and wants to know how to solve. I, and those other people, will be faster one day because the cubes are good smooth non-store boughts


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## drewsopchak (Nov 25, 2010)

as feliks said "the cube you use will have a minimal effect on your times"


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## prostx23 (Nov 25, 2010)

drewsopchak said:


> as feliks said "the cube you use will have a minimal effect on your times"



Interesting comment


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## iasimp1997 (Nov 25, 2010)

prostx23 said:


> Interesting comment


 
Yet true, in any case. Put a storebought into Felix's hands and he could make a sub15 average easy, possibly even sub13. Put a DIY into the hands of a noob, and you may get ~3-4 second time differences. My opinion, it all comes down to your knowledge of the cube and/or the amount of practice you put into it.


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## apwhitelaw (Nov 25, 2010)

drewsopchak said:


> as feliks said "the cube you use will have a minimal effect on your times"


 
While this could be true, I have a storebought cube and it is no corner cutting ability at all, and I believe that my times will be so much better once I get my DaYan GuHong.


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## calekewbs (Nov 25, 2010)

apwhitelaw said:


> While this could be true, I have a storebought cube and it is no corner cutting ability at all, and I believe that my times will be so much better once I get my DaYan GuHong.


 
That's exactly what I'm thinking. I do agree with Felix to an extent, though I don't think that he could accomplish the same results with EVERY cube out there. My version would be something like "As long as you have a cube that is relatively high quality, regardless of the "feel" of it, your times should not be affected."


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## prostx23 (Nov 25, 2010)

iasimp1997 said:


> Yet true, in any case. Put a storebought into Felix's hands and he could make a sub15 average easy, possibly even sub13. Put a DIY into the hands of a noob, and you may get ~3-4 second time differences. My opinion, it all comes down to your knowledge of the cube and/or the amount of practice you put into it.


 
I tend to agree with this point of view, many don't...

http://www.speedsolving.com/forum/showthread.php?25530-Competition-Fairness/page7

The discussion (mostly) pertinent to Felix's comment begins on this page.


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## ~Phoenix Death~ (Nov 25, 2010)

DIYs are getting overrated.


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## DavidWoner (Nov 25, 2010)

iasimp1997 said:


> Yet true, in any case. Put a storebought into Felix's hands and he could make a sub15 average easy, possibly even sub13.


 
looooooooooooool I would probably pay to see that.


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## Igora (Nov 25, 2010)

Enter said:


> in year 2020 they will make a cube that is Brain-controlled NTC or Neuro-Toy-Cube
> muhahah so the old record set in 2010 will bi finally broken!


 
Lol, more likely that it will be called the NIMIQC or Neuro-Intelligence-Magic-IQ-Cube

OT: There have been more developments in bigger cubes as of recently, e.g. the teraminx. As for developing 4x4s, the X cube or whatever it's called looks promising.


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## Zubon (Nov 25, 2010)

As for me, once I get used to the turning, I pretty much average nearly the same on any cube that is not horrible and is lubed. If a cube pops easily, forcing me to go slow, or it locks up a lot, it may increase my average by almost 1 sec, but most "good" cubes now don't have that problem.


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## Dene (Nov 25, 2010)

DavidWoner said:


> looooooooooooool I would probably pay to see that.


 
That'll be $20.

(Yes I'm aware that's only a single but let's be honest he could easily average sub10).


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## prostx23 (Nov 25, 2010)

Dene said:


> That'll be $20.
> 
> (Yes I'm aware that's only a single but let's be honest he could easily average sub10).



Was there any modification done to that cube? That is an impressive solve on what was, most likely, an otherwise medicore, at best, cube.


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## splinteh (Nov 26, 2010)

Funny how you see those kids with a million different 3x3's while they average 45 s on YouTube. OMG It can corner cut at 45! I need this one!


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## Hermanio (Mar 29, 2012)

Sorry for awakening such an old thread but I believe there is a huge difference when you start using a ShengShou 4x4 instead of a Rubik's brand 4x4.


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## Owen (Mar 29, 2012)

Yup, I dropped two minutes instantly. But I was slow.


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## jeff081692 (Mar 29, 2012)

When I got my zhanchi 3x3 and lanlan 2x2 I immediately broke my personal bests on both cubes and I was already sub 20. The difference was I could execute algorithms faster without having either cube pop or lock up.


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## retep (Mar 29, 2012)

Ya, I originally had a rubik's brand (like most people), which I thought was pretty good, but I figured I would buy a better cube (Guhong V2) as the other cube made my hands and fingers hurt if I spent like 5+ minutes doing "finger tricks". When I got the Guhong V2 my first solve was 35 seconds, before that I was averaging about 45-48 seconds with some 50+ second solve times. With the new cube I got to averaging about 35 seconds and was starting to consider 40 second times bad, so I got a 22% decrease in my times. So yes having a good cube can help quite a bit, although the bigger factor is still the solver. As for the main question of the thread, I don't really know, they have come a long way but I am not sure how much further they can go... (like with solving, the better you are the less there is to improve on and the smaller effect those improvements will make).


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## Eazoon (Apr 4, 2012)

cubes have lots of room to improve. Thats why modding them makes the so much better.


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