4Play Is a 3D Tic-Tac-Toe Game

You’ve certainly played the game of tic-tac-toe, but at some point you probably got things figured out and it wasn’t much fun anymore. Another version, called 3D tic-tac-toe, pits players against each other in a 4x4x4 matrix. This makes the game much more challenging, especially when you attempt to play on a napkin and keep track of where Xs and Os supposedly reside in three dimensions.

Christopher McElroy has been playing this advanced version on paper for many years, and he eventually took it into the actual third dimension with stacked boards that could actually hold the pieces representing Xs and Os in space. Taking this even further, he wrote an algorithm that he could play against, and eventually even combined the two into an automated electronic system with lights representing Xs and Os.

Now, after a plethora of improvements in this hardware and software, he’s ready to sell the game, which is now funding on Kickstarter. The device features an array of 4x4x4, or 64 RGB LEDs, and 16 buttons on top provide a local user interface. It also features a Silicon Labs BGM111 Bluetooth unit, which lets you to link to an iPhone or iPad play against others over the Internet. It looks like a lot of fun, and you can even download and play the game on the 4Play iOS app right now!