Atari Video Cube (thing)

Throw your Rubik's Cube out the window, you aren't gonna need it anymore. Now you can take retro 80's frustration to a whole new level, with the Atari Video Cube for the Atari 2600. No more long hours of twisting that old school plastic cube in some vain attempt to match the colors. Just pop in your Atari Video Cube cartridge and you can actually simulate turning a multi-colored cube. Of course this takes much longer than a real cube, but hey, if you are collecting Atari games you obviously have no shortage of free time.

Atari Video Cube is a Rubik's Cube simulation. It is hampered by the fact that it only allows you to see one side of the cube at once. Playing this game is even more frustrating than using a real Rubik's Cube. Die hard Atari fans only need apply. However the story behind the game that Atari cooked up is rather amusing at least.

This game is emulated by all the popular Atari 2600 emulators (Z26, Stella, etc).

Welcome to the cubical world of Hubie the Cube Master. Hubie can solve the ATARI VIDEO CUBE puzzle in seconds flat, 33.7 seconds, to be exact. That's fast, but then, he's had a lot of practice. You see, puzzles are Hubie's specialty.

Hubie wasn't always a Cube Master, in fact he used to live a pretty ordinary life. Every morning he made his breakfast, fed his dog Ralph, and went to work. He did have a peculiar habit, though. Hubie loved everything that had to do with squares or angles. For instance, he was always sure to eat three square meals a day, waffles for breakfast, ravioli for lunch, and cube steaks for dinner. Hubie slept in a perfectly square bed. Every day he swam laps in a square swimming pool. And each morning, as he walked to work, Hubie was sure to count the squares in the sidewalk beneath his feet.

People called Hubie a blockhead, but when they did, he always had an answer. Looking them squarely in the eyes, Hubie would shout, "Squares are important! Try playing checkers on a round checkerboard. Or try using ice balls instead of ice cubes in your drinks. Can you imagine going to New York to visit Madison Round Garden? It's just not the same. It wouldn't work!" And with that, he would square his shoulders and walk off.

Yes, Hubie certainly had a checkered past. But that was before the big change in his life. One day, while square dancing in his favorite restaurant (the one with the checkered tablecloths), someone gave Hubie a puzzle, a cube puzzle. He played it day and night, twisting and turning it to move the colors to the proper sides. Soon, he started to see cubes and squares everywhere, on the walls of his house, inside Ralph's square water dish, and even in the mirror while brushing his teeth.

Something very strange was happening to Hubie. One morning, instead of being in his square bed, he found himself on a strange flat surface. He saw immediately that everything around him was square, he was in an entirely square world! This transformation was a mystery, but Hubie didn't really care. He was...Hubie the Cube Master!

Hubie knew his mission in life was to teach cubists and future cubists the best ways to play the magical cube puzzle. He promised himself that he would learn how to solve the magical cube faster than anyone else in the world. He invites you to help him with his pledge, can you solve the cube faster than Hubie? Try it and see!

This game was originally called Rubik's Cube but someone at Atari forgot to license the name, so those were pulled off the shelf. They were retitled Atari Video Cube and sold to Atari Club members. Later they were also sold in stores. Due to some mix ups involving the recall, many copies of this game ended up in boxes for entirely different games, making the real box for this game quite hard to find.

This game is valued at about $30 USD for the bare cartridge. But a copy complete with box and manual is worth much more.