This cube is similar to a die, where all six faces show distinct numbers, ranging from one to six. Numbers are patterns of round dots called 'pips'. They are arranged so that numbers on opposite faces add to seven. This implies that faces 1, 2 and 3 meet at a common vertex. Faces representing 1, 2 and 3 run in counterclockwise direction from this vertex.
Pips on traditional Western dices are arranged in specific patterns. These can be conveniently described by pairs, where one pair of pips is located on opposite corners, the next pair on the remaining corners and the last pair on the middle of two opposite faces. For odd numbers, a dot is added on the center of the face. Thus, 'three' is a diagonal row, and 'five' a quincunx. Numbers on the opposite faces of a die should add up to 7. However, there are two ways of arranging faces, one being the mirror image of the other, so that there are left- and right-handed dice. Standard Western dices are 'right-handed': if the 1-spot pattern is located on the upper face, then the 2-spot pattern is located on the left face and the 3-spot pattern on the right face.
The layout of the Dice Cube was created in 2010 by Evgeniy Grigoriev and introduced as a sticker variation on a 'Microbic Cube'. This latter cube, also invented by Evgeniy, is only 10 mm (0.39 in) wide. According to the Guinness World Records, it's the smallest fully functional Rubik's Cube.