3D Maze Ball

To love puzzles as I do, and yet be so bad at solving them, is a heavy burden to bear. Therefore, I'm not even going to think about getting this 360-degree, spherical horror, and instead will be content to just look it at for a couple of minutes on the Internet.

Another reason not to actually play it: It is rumored that if you solve it, a portal opens to the place where McDonald's researches childrens' play areas.

The Awesome 360 3D Maze Ball [Random Good Stuff]

[#1 posted by Bugs , December 11, 2008 6:04 AM]

My mum has one of those, it's great. It isn't actually a maze, but three intertwined courses to roll a ball bearing around. Where you need to go next is usually very obvious, you just need to keep your hands steady enough to keep the ball bearing on its track as you twist the globe around.

The easiest track is very easy, the medium requires concentration. For the hard track you need to be in a room suspended freely from a balanced crane to isolate you from seismic microtremors and kept silent lest an errant soundwave knocks you off course. Brilliantly it keeps a record of how long you take to complete each section, thus quantifying exactly how shamefully ham-fisted you are.

[#2 posted by TJ S , December 11, 2008 7:26 AM]

"For the hard track you need to be in a room suspended freely from a balanced crane to isolate you from seismic microtremors and kept silent lest an errant soundwave knocks you off course." - 1

So, it's like Super Monkey Ball? I swear that Sega's level designers are sadists. (Also see: Chu-Chu Rocket)

[#3 posted by Pixel , December 11, 2008 8:46 AM]

This is a cheap hong-kong knockoff of a flop toy from a few years ago. the earlier version had the timer #1 spoke of, this version forgoes the electronics completely (and uses a thinner more easily deformed outer bubble).

I've played both (and own the knockoff version and they play about the same aside from one or two minor mold-line related issues on the knockoff.

It is incredibly addictive and can be incredibly frustrating, you ,and anyone else foolish enough to pick it up will get sucked in.

[#4 posted by TJ S , December 11, 2008 8:52 AM]

#3 - After your comment, this is going to be my boss's Christmas present.

[#5 posted by guy_jin , December 11, 2008 9:30 AM]

@3: any idea where to get the 'real thing' now?

[#6 posted by Pixel , December 11, 2008 11:23 AM]

#5 The Original was the Superplexus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superplexus

And is only available through ebay and such used.

[#7 posted by Tenn , December 11, 2008 1:57 PM]

Beautiful. I'm tempted to get it, just to be cruel, for my very shaky handed friend for Christmas. I always tell him he'd be the absolute last person I'd ask for brain surgery.

[#8 posted by Cassandra , December 14, 2008 6:44 AM]

My roommate has one. I don't pick it up anymore--I once spent an entire Saturday trying to get to the last numbererd bit.