Edge Cases, Ep. 1 — Interview with Max Filin, CEO & Co-founder of WoWCube
The WoWCube: a gaming console, productivity tool, and AI companion — all in one cube.
What is WoWCube?
It looks like a Rubik’s Cube. It twists like one too. But inside, it runs eight independent computers, twenty-four high-resolution screens, eight speakers, and 144 neodymium magnets — all in a device you can hold in one hand.
WoWCube is a gaming console, educational toy, creative platform, and AI companion rolled into one. Named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2021, it started with a question from a fifteen-year-old.
Diana (RiseLink) and Max Filin (WoWCube CEO) during the Edge Cases Ep. 1 interview.
A kid’s question that changed everything
About seven years ago, fifteen-year-old Savva asked his father Ilya — a professional inventor — a simple question: “What if you put live characters on a Rubik’s Cube surface?”
That question sparked everything. Ilya assembled a team and started building. Max joined as CEO, bringing 15 years of consumer electronics manufacturing experience. What came out the other side is unlike anything that existed before.
“We brought a group of incredibly talented people and started to think outside the cube,” Max says. “Together, we built this.”
Every surface of the WoWCube is a screen — 24 in total, displaying games, apps, and more.
The tech that makes it work
Each of the eight modules in the WoWCube is a fully autonomous computer. When you twist the cube, all eight need to act as one — passing data, syncing animations, letting game characters step from one screen to the next.
The secret? 144 neodymium magnets.
“The metal plates are spring-loaded pistons with small neodymium magnetic balls inside,” Max explains. “When you twist, the connectors rotate, align, and magnetically snap into place — passing both power and data between modules.”
This mechanism is patented. Ilya invented it. And in Max’s words: “This is the secret sauce that makes the whole device possible.”
Max demonstrating the WoWCube live during the interview — showing Cut the Rope running across all 24 screens.
The result: a screen that changes shape. In Cut the Rope, you tilt and twist to swing the candy and feed the frog — the character moving across the cube’s faces in real 3D space. “Even if you play an arcade or puzzle game,” Max says, “you’re always increasing your spatial reasoning and motor-to-brain coordination.”
The hardest part wasn’t what you’d expect
Custom OS — The team built their own operating system from scratch, including an app store, file system, and notifications.
Power management — Eight independent devices behaving as one, running on tiny batteries. Its own engineering universe.
Cost — The real challenge. “The hardest problem is making such a complex device affordable,” Max says. “We play games on microprocessors designed for door locks. You have to optimize literally everything.”
Why WoWCube chose RiseLink
Balancing performance, power consumption, heat, and cost across eight independent modules isn’t an afterthought — it’s the whole game. For WoWCube, choosing the right chip partner was as important as any hardware decision.
Max breaking down how the magnetic connector system works — the patented mechanism that lets 8 modules act as one.
“The level of engineering collaboration we got from RiseLink is something we could only dream about before,” Max says. “In many ways, we’re building this platform together.”
For a device this technically unusual — eight CPUs sharing power and data through magnetic connectors, all needing to behave as one — that kind of hands-on support from a chip partner isn’t a luxury. It’s a requirement.
Seven years from Arduino to app store
The first prototype was huge. Ilya built it with Savva on Arduino, charged through a 2.5mm audio jack. They still have it in what Max calls their museum.
Hundreds of iterations followed — different chips, glass thicknesses, hinge designs, sizes. The cube was square before it was rounded. Each version revealed new problems, and manufacturing a product that survives in the hands of a child who just wants to grab and play is a completely different challenge from building a prototype that works.
Max’s advice to hardware builders: “Understand the difference between design and design for manufacturing before you get too far. You can 3D print an MVP — but when you move to a device for real end users, that’s when the problems start.”
A platform, not just a product
The WoWCube and its charging dock.
70+ apps and games already in the WoWCube Store
SDK + Emulator — Download and start building games today
WoWCube Studio — No-code drag-and-drop tool for creating photo frames, games, and 3D Google Street View displays
Developer Grant Program — Submit your concept, get feedback, prototype support, and real funding
Max’s message to developers is direct: “You have a chance to get your hands on the iPhone before it hits the market. You have an opportunity to be the one who creates the next Tetris.”
Connect via the WoWCube app to download games, manage settings, and customize your cube.
“We built the technology. We built the device. Now it’s time to build the world around it.”
Get started
Download the SDK and emulator, try WoWCube Studio, or apply for the grant program at wowcube.com. The WoWCube Entertainment System starts at $399.
Watch the full interview on Edge Cases — RiseLink’s podcast about the builders behind the world’s most unusual smart devices.
Thinking about building your own smart device? Request a sample or reach out at hello@riselink.ai
Images courtesy of WoWCube / Cubios, Inc. and Edge Cases / RiseLink.
