4:14 "there are really no major advancements past full ZB that can be made" seems like a quote from speedrunner in a SummoningSalt video right before the song changes For real though - I think from what we know today, this seems logical. But it's a very bold prediction to make. Maybe in the far future (10-50 years) we might see a new method invented that is completely different than CFOP that reduces the whole solve to two 15 move algorithms. Maybe Roux solvers make some big breakthrough that completely changes cubing forever. Maybe there will be a hardware change or rule change that changes everything. Overall - great video! Keep it up
@@FlashRayLaser that is one way. but generally yes i agree, i think the future will be people who can understand the cube at a very fundumental level like tymon(but even more), lookahead, combined with fluid fingertricking for every situation that can still turn fast, and who can mix and match solutions from different methods to where they see fit. like super optimal abstract blockbuilding, that can include flipped edges/corners based on the situation, that you can then solve once you get to the end of the cube with an algorithm and some setup moves.
I was coming here to say the same. It might look like the ZB is the end of the line but we humans tend to surprise ourselves with more innovative ways of doing things.
@@fkeyzuwu I had an idea years ago. I scrambled a bunch of cubes at once but I used only 2-gen (R and U) scrambles and performed only three moves of the scrambles. I then solved the cubes intuitively using only the optimal three moves. I think I worked up to something like 7 but it became way harder progressively. For it to count I had to be able to do it quickly and reliably. Then I became busy with other things. But God's number for 2-gen scrambles is only 11 instead of 20. If some savant could train themselves up to 11 doing what I did, they could then intuitively finish cubes after simply building a 2x2x3 block on the side (provided they use edge control), which could be planned in inspection. This yields a solve that begins with the inspection plan and immediately transitions into something not only intuitive but fast as it's nothing but R and U. It takes a maximum of 16 moves to build a 2x2x3 but skilled cubers can usually do it in 8-12. So this solve style is a maximum of 16 moves followed by a maximum of 11 moves but going to generally take about 20 moves, all done quickly, the first half because it's planned and the second because it's all R and U.
I think part of what made world champions isolated in the first place was that cubing has historically been a sport focusing heavily on the individual and not the community. It'll be interesting to see how the next few years unfold
I don't think it's easy to predict the future of cubing. ZBLL might seem optimal, but there are so many other potential ways to improve. Some top cubers are nearly able to fully plan out F2L, there might be more sophisticated ways to use things like keyhole, look ahead is always important and there might be ways to optimise that, etc. Imagine executing F2L and, while it's happening, being able to predict the LL and execute it straight away. They might even be able to plan multiple solution paths and pick one where the LL is a good case, etc. It's also hard to say what the ceiling of other methods like Roux are. Or maybe some more advanced variant of ZZ where you somehow guarantee an OLL or PLL skip. Also, I think these young Chinese cubers are not just well-trained, they're clearly very intelligent and fast learners, so who knows what they'll come up with over the next few years. Someone had to come up with Roux, maybe one of them will develop a new method.
There is only one slight issue with this "prediction", is that in China, they take academics very seriously. Take a look at Ruihang Xu. The main reason he hasn't been able to improve as much is because his lack of time to practice. This will be the case for a lot of cubers. But I will have to mention this could change if they change how things are. And also they will still have quite the time to still improve before academics overwhelms them and minimizes their cubing time.
Wow your videos are getting more and more intense as we get closer to the world championships 2025 which is really interesting and fun to watch! Really appreciate the content, keep it up man! 🔥🔥
I can't believe an app hasn't been developed yet that works with smart cubes for learning algorithms the way spaced repetition apps like Anki work with language learning vocabulary. You could systematically learn large alg sets as efficiently and quickly as possible and drill them ad nauseum. I'm talking take the stickers off (or have a single colored cube just for drilling algs) so you don't have to look at the cube and just look at the app. The app gives a case, you solve it, and then it jumps to the next case, resetting your smart cube to the next case as well so it can follow you from there. You learn each new alg, drop it into the pool of algs in the spaced repetition app and go from there. Similar to Tau Yu's app but again, with a smart phone and a spaced repetition system for memorization. Annnyway, I've been wanting this for years now. It's wild that no one has built an app with that approach.
If we think about it, the reason young kids are so fast nowadays is because of how well and quickly kids take in information. That's why you hear that kids learn foreign languages better when they are younger rather than those that wait until high school.
In a cubing landscape full of dime-a-dozen mosaic Shorts and generic unboxings, seeing a cubing channel with videos as unique and highly-produced as yours succeed as quickly as it is is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for proving original, thoughtful longform cubing content still has a place on TH-cam 🤍
Nice to see you making this point, I definitely agree with most of these things. When people see the Chinese kids taking over the top positions in the world, they think it proves that children are for some reason just automatically better in cubing and the mean age of top competitors will continue to go lower basically forever, while I think that's not true at all. The reason for why this is happening is that the systematic approach in Chinese community is just so much better than the "individual" approach, that kids with just 2 or 3 years of experience can outplay even the greatest western cubers with many years of experience. However, as the systematic approach will become more widespread (both in Asia and in the West), cubing will reach a level at which becoming world class in 3 years is going to be simply impossible and getting to the top will require starting at the very young age *and* years of experience and systematic work. China just showed us that no one has actually treated cubing seriously before, and the potential is much bigger than we all thought.
I learnt the beginners method 1 week ago. Now I’m trying to learn the CFOP method. The way these people solve it so fast is mind blowing. I hope to be this good one day. My current best time is 1 minute 49 seconds. My AO5 is 2 minutes 1 second.
I been cubing since middle school and solved several puzzles 2x2 3x3 4x4 360 and try several events one hand, 3bld , 3feet that was before I stumbled upon TH-cam
Bit late this time with the comment, but I do find it interesting seeing how YiHeng and Xuanyi were progressing that I forgot about the possibility that the future may not have cubers progressing at this rate anymore. I would like to see if this will later have more influence in other cubing events, especially with big cubes, mainly medium cubes like 4x4 and 5x5. Also, new upload, new hate comment: I hate comment bots.
It's scary to think how much better Xuanyi will be in a few years if he keeps cubing. My crystal ball tells me the only certain thing about the future is uncertainty - life and cubing is full of surprises.
Actually, I believe there is an even better unknown system of cubing that was developed a few years ago, it's called APB. Look into that, it's likely the method with the highest potential for reaching the human limit of solve times.
I'm sorry but its terrible ignorant to say that ZB is the peak of speedcubing. I'm not a roux solver but I am a hundred percent confident that the method has potential. Even the basic, unoptimized Roux that most advanced solvers use ca achieve move counts as low as ZB. More optimization will make it even more efficient and probably more algorithmic but efficient solutions will also become thing for the method. Plus, speedcubing is still a young hobby. Who knows, maybe the creator of the best human speedsolving method is not even born yet.
I seriously doubt full ZB is the limit. 15 second memo in 3BLD is not just possible, but easy at the highest level, so the future human limit will surely be some kind of 1-look method to remove all mid-solve recognition pauses and achieve some 25+ TPS sub 2s solves. Methods with a high alg set (eg. Thousands) are only an issue because of pauses for reginition. People are certainly capable of learning and reproducing that many at a very high level. After creating a double X cross and pre-alg AUF, there are only 7200 cases to solve the cube. Thats a lot, but a human being could certain learn that many. Is it possible to plan a double X cross and then track pieces to recognise which of 7200 cases you get? Almost any top level cuber could do that with 1 minute inspection, so its literally just a question as to whether you can get that time down to 15 seconds. Ironically I think that means 3x3 single and 3BLD will go sub-2 at about the same time haha
Whats with Roux? There will be a barrier of the fastet possible TPS. When thats reached, only less moves can get you lower times. Roux can get you less moves than full ZB, so why should full ZB the best method?
4:57 where the fuck did Switzerland go, what happened on the Balkans, and why are Egypt and Saudi Arabia the same country and Israel annexed Jordan? :D What is that map :D :D
I don't see the part where you discuss the culture problem. In the thumbnail you have country flags, however the video doesn't really discuss that. Do you mean cultural as in a methodical sense and not national sense?
Maybe the west needs fewer competitions and more group practice events. Where older more experienced cubers can mentor younger less experienced cubers. Like a kid soccer league. This is the only sport where the kids have no coaches.
great video but i disagree that there isn't further optimization past zb. in the first world championship in 1982, nobody would predict that you could use cfop to solve a cube in 7 algorithms. now we have optimized that to 6. it's possible that somebody will have a revolutionary idea that blows zb out of the water. im not saying it's likely, just that it's possible.
Agreed. I genuinely feel that eventually, people will be learning literal oo like they are for 2x2 right now, if cubing is still alive in the next 100 or 1000 years or whenever it happens lol.
This video assumes that ZB is the best method which it probably isn’t. Currently roux beats it out in most metrics and ZZ is probably better due to having the benefits of EO during F2L. APB has some potential and also shows that we can still develop more advanced methods. Also OS methods aren’t utilised at all right now and will probably become more popular.
Yu nakajima didn’t disappear, he is currently the ceo and founder of a Cubing store in Japan called Tribox
that's so cool.
@@chimysharkvery much not disappeared. Tribox is one of Matty's sponsors.
He also did 72 more comps after world's 2007.
everything changed when cubing became a way to flex to your aunties.
As a Asian I agree.
To people that don’t know, people on the Chinese internet criticized a world class cuber’s mom for being to harsh on him.
This is also the reason there are so many young crazy cubers in China.
rubik just hobby, you become docte o rawye
Real.
4:14 "there are really no major advancements past full ZB that can be made" seems like a quote from speedrunner in a SummoningSalt video right before the song changes
For real though - I think from what we know today, this seems logical. But it's a very bold prediction to make. Maybe in the far future (10-50 years) we might see a new method invented that is completely different than CFOP that reduces the whole solve to two 15 move algorithms. Maybe Roux solvers make some big breakthrough that completely changes cubing forever. Maybe there will be a hardware change or rule change that changes everything.
Overall - great video! Keep it up
The future is the Heise method.
@@FlashRayLaser that is one way. but generally yes i agree, i think the future will be people who can understand the cube at a very fundumental level like tymon(but even more), lookahead, combined with fluid fingertricking for every situation that can still turn fast, and who can mix and match solutions from different methods to where they see fit. like super optimal abstract blockbuilding, that can include flipped edges/corners based on the situation, that you can then solve once you get to the end of the cube with an algorithm and some setup moves.
I was coming here to say the same. It might look like the ZB is the end of the line but we humans tend to surprise ourselves with more innovative ways of doing things.
There are quite a few experimental methods that promise to be better than ZB. APB, Mehta-TDR, as well as variations of ZZ and Roux..
@@fkeyzuwu I had an idea years ago. I scrambled a bunch of cubes at once but I used only 2-gen (R and U) scrambles and performed only three moves of the scrambles. I then solved the cubes intuitively using only the optimal three moves.
I think I worked up to something like 7 but it became way harder progressively. For it to count I had to be able to do it quickly and reliably. Then I became busy with other things. But God's number for 2-gen scrambles is only 11 instead of 20. If some savant could train themselves up to 11 doing what I did, they could then intuitively finish cubes after simply building a 2x2x3 block on the side (provided they use edge control), which could be planned in inspection.
This yields a solve that begins with the inspection plan and immediately transitions into something not only intuitive but fast as it's nothing but R and U. It takes a maximum of 16 moves to build a 2x2x3 but skilled cubers can usually do it in 8-12. So this solve style is a maximum of 16 moves followed by a maximum of 11 moves but going to generally take about 20 moves, all done quickly, the first half because it's planned and the second because it's all R and U.
the quality is crazy man! keep it up
I think part of what made world champions isolated in the first place was that cubing has historically been a sport focusing heavily on the individual and not the community. It'll be interesting to see how the next few years unfold
I don't think it's easy to predict the future of cubing. ZBLL might seem optimal, but there are so many other potential ways to improve.
Some top cubers are nearly able to fully plan out F2L, there might be more sophisticated ways to use things like keyhole, look ahead is always important and there might be ways to optimise that, etc. Imagine executing F2L and, while it's happening, being able to predict the LL and execute it straight away. They might even be able to plan multiple solution paths and pick one where the LL is a good case, etc. It's also hard to say what the ceiling of other methods like Roux are. Or maybe some more advanced variant of ZZ where you somehow guarantee an OLL or PLL skip.
Also, I think these young Chinese cubers are not just well-trained, they're clearly very intelligent and fast learners, so who knows what they'll come up with over the next few years. Someone had to come up with Roux, maybe one of them will develop a new method.
Bro, I only now realized how much effort you put in these videos. Really amazing content!! Keep it up😁
There is only one slight issue with this "prediction", is that in China, they take academics very seriously. Take a look at Ruihang Xu. The main reason he hasn't been able to improve as much is because his lack of time to practice. This will be the case for a lot of cubers. But I will have to mention this could change if they change how things are. And also they will still have quite the time to still improve before academics overwhelms them and minimizes their cubing time.
Hopefully as cubing grows it will be more viable for them to continue down the line
Living in China seems like hell😅
Damn, these frankly PHILOSOPHICAL videos are really good! Super cool outlook on the cubing world not only at the moment, but also in the future!
The editing getting better
bro did YiHeng dirty in the thumbnail 😂
yes xD. Hello CubeForSpeed
YiHeng ❌
Lil’ Heng ✅
Yu Nakajima, your favorite cuber's idol
Im backkkkkk for that weekly cubing vid now
you know its serious when the editing quality is so good
0:29 It's spelled Hokkaido
And then there’s me, a washed up cuber that in his prime couldn’t even pull off a sub-8 😭🙏
1:24 don’t forget about 2017 Nahm
STUCUBE Quote of the day "The miracle of Yu Nakajima’s story is that despite his complete isolation, he found a way..."
Wow your videos are getting more and more intense as we get closer to the world championships 2025 which is really interesting and fun to watch! Really appreciate the content, keep it up man! 🔥🔥
really good meta-analysis of cubing. nice job
finally a good title and thumbnail:)
I can't believe an app hasn't been developed yet that works with smart cubes for learning algorithms the way spaced repetition apps like Anki work with language learning vocabulary. You could systematically learn large alg sets as efficiently and quickly as possible and drill them ad nauseum.
I'm talking take the stickers off (or have a single colored cube just for drilling algs) so you don't have to look at the cube and just look at the app. The app gives a case, you solve it, and then it jumps to the next case, resetting your smart cube to the next case as well so it can follow you from there.
You learn each new alg, drop it into the pool of algs in the spaced repetition app and go from there.
Similar to Tau Yu's app but again, with a smart phone and a spaced repetition system for memorization.
Annnyway, I've been wanting this for years now. It's wild that no one has built an app with that approach.
cubeast exists but i don't think it's spaced repetition. It's also not free.
Love your videos! You are way too underrated! Keep up the great work! 🔥
WAKE UP NEW STUCUBE VID JUST DROPPED💯🔥
If we think about it, the reason young kids are so fast nowadays is because of how well and quickly kids take in information. That's why you hear that kids learn foreign languages better when they are younger rather than those that wait until high school.
I have been thinking this for SO LONG THANK YOU SO MUCH STUCUBES FOR SAYING IT
May the cubing cold war begin now
In a cubing landscape full of dime-a-dozen mosaic Shorts and generic unboxings, seeing a cubing channel with videos as unique and highly-produced as yours succeed as quickly as it is is a breath of fresh air. Thank you for proving original, thoughtful longform cubing content still has a place on TH-cam 🤍
Nice to see you making this point, I definitely agree with most of these things.
When people see the Chinese kids taking over the top positions in the world, they think it proves that children are for some reason just automatically better in cubing and the mean age of top competitors will continue to go lower basically forever, while I think that's not true at all. The reason for why this is happening is that the systematic approach in Chinese community is just so much better than the "individual" approach, that kids with just 2 or 3 years of experience can outplay even the greatest western cubers with many years of experience. However, as the systematic approach will become more widespread (both in Asia and in the West), cubing will reach a level at which becoming world class in 3 years is going to be simply impossible and getting to the top will require starting at the very young age *and* years of experience and systematic work.
China just showed us that no one has actually treated cubing seriously before, and the potential is much bigger than we all thought.
By the thumbnail I thought that Yiheng was now a chess bot
The champions/ best cubers always change so quickly and they are so young and from everywhere!!! 😮
Great videos as always
I learnt the beginners method 1 week ago.
Now I’m trying to learn the CFOP method.
The way these people solve it so fast is mind blowing. I hope to be this good one day.
My current best time is 1 minute 49 seconds.
My AO5 is 2 minutes 1 second.
Hey, that's some nice times!! Keep it up man!
@@sqrtpie4435 Thanks man, I appreciate it
Hokkaido, Japan*.
we cookwd
3:00 thats what we thought in chess
This guy gets more philosophical every video
I been cubing since middle school and solved several puzzles 2x2 3x3 4x4 360 and try several events one hand, 3bld , 3feet that was before I stumbled upon TH-cam
There was a darker aspect concerning those Chinese kids' parents as well, but I highly doubt you would ever make a video about it.
Anyway, good video.
banger video
Bit late this time with the comment, but I do find it interesting seeing how YiHeng and Xuanyi were progressing that I forgot about the possibility that the future may not have cubers progressing at this rate anymore. I would like to see if this will later have more influence in other cubing events, especially with big cubes, mainly medium cubes like 4x4 and 5x5.
Also, new upload, new hate comment: I hate comment bots.
It's scary to think how much better Xuanyi will be in a few years if he keeps cubing. My crystal ball tells me the only certain thing about the future is uncertainty - life and cubing is full of surprises.
Actually, I believe there is an even better unknown system of cubing that was developed a few years ago, it's called APB. Look into that, it's likely the method with the highest potential for reaching the human limit of solve times.
Really interesting!
I'm sorry but its terrible ignorant to say that ZB is the peak of speedcubing.
I'm not a roux solver but I am a hundred percent confident that the method has potential. Even the basic, unoptimized Roux that most advanced solvers use ca achieve move counts as low as ZB. More optimization will make it even more efficient and probably more algorithmic but efficient solutions will also become thing for the method. Plus, speedcubing is still a young hobby. Who knows, maybe the creator of the best human speedsolving method is not even born yet.
Yeah subbing for subject matter but presentation and editing is outstanding - J
Now i have a crippling depression with my pb 44s
Right now there is probably a kid in an isolated area learning creating algorithms for every single possibility
ZBLL and making the cross on any color to be most efficient will be the only way to beat any records in the future .
1:49 what is that website
I seriously doubt full ZB is the limit. 15 second memo in 3BLD is not just possible, but easy at the highest level, so the future human limit will surely be some kind of 1-look method to remove all mid-solve recognition pauses and achieve some 25+ TPS sub 2s solves. Methods with a high alg set (eg. Thousands) are only an issue because of pauses for reginition. People are certainly capable of learning and reproducing that many at a very high level.
After creating a double X cross and pre-alg AUF, there are only 7200 cases to solve the cube. Thats a lot, but a human being could certain learn that many. Is it possible to plan a double X cross and then track pieces to recognise which of 7200 cases you get? Almost any top level cuber could do that with 1 minute inspection, so its literally just a question as to whether you can get that time down to 15 seconds.
Ironically I think that means 3x3 single and 3BLD will go sub-2 at about the same time haha
Whats with Roux? There will be a barrier of the fastet possible TPS. When thats reached, only less moves can get you lower times. Roux can get you less moves than full ZB, so why should full ZB the best method?
Next, it will be the 20 moves method. The method they used to calculate the god's number. With only 10 TPS sub 2 seconds solves will be possible.
0:27 the countries seem mixed up here 🤔
4:57 where the fuck did Switzerland go, what happened on the Balkans, and why are Egypt and Saudi Arabia the same country and Israel annexed Jordan? :D What is that map :D :D
cant believe i didnt see this until now!
I don't see the part where you discuss the culture problem. In the thumbnail you have country flags, however the video doesn't really discuss that. Do you mean cultural as in a methodical sense and not national sense?
my brother thought Yihang wang hade a 4.03 second average
He’s he remembers a month from now
knew like 0% of ts js like the finals im having next week
lets go
Maybe the west needs fewer competitions and more group practice events. Where older more experienced cubers can mentor younger less experienced cubers. Like a kid soccer league. This is the only sport where the kids have no coaches.
The yiheng photo is crazy
Hey Stu, you know what else is massive?
LOW TAPER FADE MEME
will you do a 100k subs special
Do you think the top speedcubers are in unfair advantage from taking doping stuff like chess players?
nice video
⬇️UNDER 1 HOUR GANG
cool
5:11 damn alwin
W Stu
“He’s probably the reason your favorite cuber got into speedcubing in the first place”
Yes he said that in the video
The cube Nakajima had to use was dreadful. 🙄. Well done. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
how dare you forget to mention Shotaro Makisumi.
I have never been this early before.
1 hour
this is why they say "China number 1"
why do you keep calling it "the east" bro
I'll come back to this comment in 2032 to see if China conquered speedcubing.
I'll remind you
Iv never seenn a drawing of yiheng 😭
Hokkaido*
i don´t get the point of the video
😮
Oh my skibidi
hi
This is… just why yiheng
L plus ratio
ok
great video but i disagree that there isn't further optimization past zb. in the first world championship in 1982, nobody would predict that you could use cfop to solve a cube in 7 algorithms. now we have optimized that to 6. it's possible that somebody will have a revolutionary idea that blows zb out of the water. im not saying it's likely, just that it's possible.
Agreed. I genuinely feel that eventually, people will be learning literal oo like they are for 2x2 right now, if cubing is still alive in the next 100 or 1000 years or whenever it happens lol.
Under 10 min people 👇
bruh who cares
The comments aren’t an application rank.
What?@@letmethinkaboutit2460
Fr
@@tgbplays658I cared. I was thinking a lot about it.
Under 1 min
speedcubing is for nerds
This video assumes that ZB is the best method which it probably isn’t. Currently roux beats it out in most metrics and ZZ is probably better due to having the benefits of EO during F2L. APB has some potential and also shows that we can still develop more advanced methods. Also OS methods aren’t utilised at all right now and will probably become more popular.
holy im early
30th