"It'd be really hard to listen to your music if the interface was a Rubik's Cube. Or maybe not... wait, someone write that down."

You were beaten to that one by a decade and a bit, albeit in animation. (The bit about Mihoshi's Cube.)

"This odd device can access dimensional space … Unfortunately, it operates much like a Rubic's Cube, with the operator having to turn the sides to get the desired effect. In Mihoshi's hands, this pretty much means any effect is random, although it seems she has some idea what combinations do what."

Anyway, my own anime addiction to one side … another good post and a sound selection of insights. Indeed with games on the table, you're veering into another of my must read authors: Danc. Game design torn apart and thrown back together again, when he's not giving away art.

Oddly, none of my nearby toys were particularly interactive. Guess I'm more into mascots despite my interests!