In a wildly unexpected move, Nintendo has revealed Alarmo, an alarm clock that tracks your sleep movements and iconic gaming sounds to wake you up.
The timing might be coincidental, but Nintendo has, in fact, revealed new hardware. In what is potentially the greatest troll job around, Nintendo has announced Alarmo. Definitely not what anyone was expecting.
Over the past month, rumors about an imminent Switch successor reveal have significantly ramped up. As we know the device has begun mass production, and even leaked images of the device have started to swirl, gamers have been on edge for some sort of announcement at just about any moment. There is no way Nintendo is not aware of this, and it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve had fun playing with fans’ expectations.
As such, I find myself laughing at the timing of this all too real announcement for an alarm clock. Don’t get me wrong, it actually sounds like it has some neat functionality, but hoo boy, I would have never guessed:
Alarmo features motion sensor technology that responds to your movements, allowing you to snooze your alarm with motion alone and stop it by getting out of bed. Tailor your routine and make waking up fun by picking from 35 scenes inspired by five Nintendo titles – Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4 and Ring Fit Adventure – then set a time and let Alarmo handle the rest.
In the morning you’ll experience immersive sounds and music from the scene you picked. Rise to sounds of the Mushroom Kingdom with Mario and friends, begin your day’s adventure with Link and Princess Zelda, or start fresh with the Inklings from Splatoon 3. And those are just some of the experiences you can wake up to!
That’s not all – you can also check Records to see how much you move around in your sleep, set an hourly chime themed to your chosen title, and change between Steady or Gentle Modes for your morning alarm. In Steady Mode, the alarm will gradually get more intense the longer you stay in bed, whereas Gentle Mode offers a more consistent intensity level. There’s also Button Mode for a more traditional, tactile “hit the snooze button” alarm clock experience. You can even use sleepy sounds to wind down with soothing music and sounds at your set bedtime.
Plus, if you link your Nintendo Account you can download scenes from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons games via free updates when they become available.
See, some neat ideas here, like using the motion sensors to not only snooze itself, but track how restful your sleep might be. For the moment there are only two ways to get your hands on Alarmo ($99). One, be a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber and visit the My Nintendo Store. Two, head to the Nintendo store in New York. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until early 2025 to pick it up.
