Have we reached the limit to 3x3 hardware?

[SdnS]

So, I have recently been thinking about how GAN has been releasing soo many new 3x3s with each one, “surpassing” the last. Which brings up the question, have we reached the limit on 3x3 hardware? When the 356X came out everyone switched to it and it instantly became soo many people’s main 3x3, and I can’t blame them because the amount of customization that comes with it and the cube’s unbelievable corner cutting and feeling out of the box, with no lube. Then the 356XS came out, which gave more options tensioning wise and really added a new feeling to speed compared to the 356X. When you stop and think about it, we have added soo many new systems and options to the 3x3 that I honestly can’t think of too many more ways it can be improved. We have added magnets, springs, nuts, tension systems, more sleek and sharp designs allowing for better corner cutting, interchangeable magnets, different magnets strengths, GES nuts and different nut strengths, different spring strengths, lubes, different shades, different sizes, GAN’s honeycomb design, and soo much more. So really when you think on it, have we really reached the limit on viable hardware, or will speedcubing brands keep on attempting to one up each other by cramming more and more random and possibly useless hardware into new cubes, which could seriously start to increase the average price of speed cubes.

 

[ImmolatedMarmoset]

While it's true that GAN is by far the best company and that GAN will continue to innovate and bring out puzzles that surpass the standards previously set by GAN (and not copy puzzles by companies that are not GAN), GAN will surely try to GAN the GAN in the near future and GAN every GAN so that GAN can GAN and GAN again, therefore GAN will GAN GAN, and GAN GAN GAN GAN...

Seriously, maybe GAN have reached the limit of what they can do, which is why they just rely on other companies to try new things and steal the designs that work...

nah, moyu is where it’s at

 

[Skittleskp]

With 3x3 hardware being so advanced, now we're looking for different feeling cubes rather than just straight up improvements. So saying Gan is the best company is like saying that you like the feel of there cubes the most. Also, saying Moyu is the best just says that you enjoy that type of feel in a cube.

 

[Daxton Brumfield]

We will only know if 3x3 has reached it's peak when the valk elite is released in 2069.

 

[roarofthelion1]

I think that there are many aspects that can/will be explored in the future. Like you said, some will seem useless and random. But I can see several recent innovations be perfected or tested still.
Ridges/concavity
weighted corners/pieces (or lack of weight)
size (smaller and larger cubes)
easier color shade customizability
durability (not really a problem anymore)
pvc coating/smoothness/bumpiness of pieces

I'm sure there are more aspects of the cube that can be improved but these are the ones I could think of quickly.

If the "ideal/perfect" cube is one with reasonable customizability in all aspects, there is still room to improve. As with all innovations, prices will probably be high at first but gradually decrease as more cubes with the given innovation flood the market.
If we look at the prices of cubes when magnets first entered the market, the first magnetic cubes were quite expensive. Top non-magnetic cubes were around $20-30 and, of course, GAN started to drive the price of their premium cubes up. But we also saw a number of (relatively) inexpensive and mainable magnetic cubes around the $20-30 price again. I'd predict that the prices of the plain cubes will continue to drop as time passes.
Of course, in the short run the prices of the newest innovations will be higher than everything else.

 

[Cuberstache]

I think color shade customizability is a huge area for improvement. More and more puzzles are coming out in exclusively stickerless, which I don't personally mind but I know some do. I think it would be nice if more puzzles would have stickerless black pieces coming with them. Off the top of my head, the only two puzzles I can think of that do this are the Galaxy V2 megaminx (and its variants), which come with an extra set of black pieces that you have to magnetize and install yourself; and the new Volt V2, which has an option for black/white on U/D. I think it would be cool if all stickerless cubes came with extra black pieces so you can add a black side wherever you want.

 

[Kit Clement]

I think color shade customizability is a huge area for improvement. More and more puzzles are coming out in exclusively stickerless, which I don't personally mind but I know some do. I think it would be nice if more puzzles would have stickerless black pieces coming with them. Off the top of my head, the only two puzzles I can think of that do this are the Galaxy V2 megaminx (and its variants), which come with an extra set of black pieces that you have to magnetize and install yourself; and the new Volt V2, which has an option for black/white on U/D. I think it would be cool if all stickerless cubes came with extra black pieces so you can add a black side wherever you want.

To be honest, I want to go back to the DIY days where you constructed your own cubes from scratch. This could allow for a build your own cube option like the sticker picker on Cubicle or any other reasonable sticker site, but for the pieces themselves. They ship you a core, screws/springs, and six (or whatever depending on the puzzle) sets of pieces with your own six color choices, and then you assemble it yourself.

 

[GAN 356 X]

With 3x3 hardware being so advanced, now we're looking for different feeling cubes rather than just straight up improvements. So saying Gan is the best company is like saying that you like the feel of there cubes the most. Also, saying Moyu is the best just says that you enjoy that type of feel in a cube.

You put that perfectly. I feel that a lot of newer cubers dont understand this part of hardware. Changing around the feel of a cube would be revolutionary

 

[Cubinwitdapizza]

Here are my opinions on each brand:
GAN: is copying moyu
Moyu: is still going to release new cubes but they may not have new revolutionary additions
Yj I know it’s a sub brand of moyu but I’ll cover anyway: Same as moyu lol
Rubiks: is going to come out with some crazy cube that’s gonna blow everybody away
Qiyi: let’s forget about qiyi let’s face it, Qiyi is going to die.
So I thin that the only brand that’s gonna survive is moyu at this point because they came out with the gts3m which was an awesome cube but had the ridges so to make a version that was very similar but with no ridges, they came out with the Wrm. I think this is how cube company’s are going to produce 3x3s now so that’s my opinion. Also I think that either moyu or gan will come out with a customizable color stickerless system.

 

[xyzzy]

Yj I know it’s a sub brand of moyu but I’ll cover anyway:

If you "know" something that isn't true, is that really knowing?

(Moyu used to be part of YJ, so you have the relation in the wrong order, but also they broke off quite a few years ago.)

 

[Sion]

I think there is going to be an influx of European and American speedcube designers in the mid 2020s.

My prediction that is by 2029, speedcubes are going to be a lot like cars, where there will be such things as “American cubes” vs. “Chinese cubes.”

I don’t think hardware is going to get “better” per se, but I do think it’s just going to change in accordance to preferences as time goes on.

 

[One Wheel]

To be honest, I want to go back to the DIY days where you constructed your own cubes from scratch. This could allow for a build your own cube option like the sticker picker on Cubicle or any other reasonable sticker site, but for the pieces themselves. They ship you a core, screws/springs, and six (or whatever depending on the puzzle) sets of pieces with your own six color choices, and then you assemble it yourself.

When Phil Yu did a Reddit AMA a few weeks back I asked him about specifically this idea. He was very pessimistic about the possibility of it happening anytime soon. He said that Chinese companies need to see demand, and he doesn’t think that’s likely.

 

[T.A.V]

I feel smart cubes will very soon become a standard and also very affordable. That will help shave a few milliseconds in solves as it will talk directly to the timer rather than relying on our hands.

Even if not filmed, imagine watching every record solve’s step by step replay on WCA site.

This will happen sooner than we think.

 

[ImmolatedMarmoset]

I feel smart cubes will very soon become a standard and also very affordable. That will help shave a few milliseconds in solves as it will talk directly to the timer rather than relying on our hands.

Even if not filmed, imagine watching every record solve’s step by step replay on WCA site.

This will happen sooner than we think.

The problem is that you could track the moves being done by the scramblers on your device so as to cheat

 

[T.A.V]

The problem is that you could track the moves being done by the scramblers on your device so as to cheat

Do they allow checking our phones/devices during rounds in competition?

 

[T.A.V]

'Smart' puzzles are not eligible for competition use, nor should they ever be.

Not yet
People said similar thing fir stickerless.
Smart cubes are evolving, they’ll have way more pros than cons and then will surely be allowed.

 

[MarkA64]

Nah, I think new cubes will continue to feel better than their predecessors and also budget cubes will get better.

But generally, hardware innovations might be at a peak.

 

[kubesolver]

I'm actually having one idea that could be a game-changer at top 3x3x3. But I'm not sure if it's even possible technicallly.

Imagine some mechanism that would offer similar possibilities as different spins of a ball in pool or snooker.

The idea being that you would do an R with a spin, and release the cube and depending on a spin it would do RU' or RU.
This would open a whole new world of fast algs full of regrips.

 

[xcross]

I'm actually having one idea that could be a game-changer at top 3x3x3. But I'm not sure if it's even possible technicallly.

Imagine some mechanism that would offer similar possibilities as different spins of a ball in pool or snooker.

The idea being that you would do an R with a spin, and release the cube and depending on a spin it would do RU' or RU.
This would open a whole new world of fast algs full of regrips.

why would you want more regrips?

 

[PetrusQuber]

I'm actually having one idea that could be a game-changer at top 3x3x3. But I'm not sure if it's even possible technicallly.

Imagine some mechanism that would offer similar possibilities as different spins of a ball in pool or snooker.

The idea being that you would do an R with a spin, and release the cube and depending on a spin it would do RU' or RU.
This would open a whole new world of fast algs full of regrips.

~Gets bunch of magnets, magnetises Rubik’s Brand with wrong polarity in attempt to get the wrong polarity to only stop at the solved state. Fails~