Summary
While the gaming world breathlessly waits for the reveal of the Switch’s successor,Nintendohas announced a totally different piece of hardware: an alarm clock that plays sounds from various Nintendo games. Ever sinceNintendoPresident Shuntaro Furukawa confirmed it earlier this year, fans have been eagerly awaiting the official unveiling of the company’s next major console with little more than unverified leaks and rumors to hold them over. The official word is that the tentatively named Switch 2 will be shown at some point before the end of the current fiscal year in March 2025, with some reports still claiming that Nintendo’s reveal could happen later this year.
In the meantime, Nintendo has plenty of new games and other products in the pipeline for 2024 and beyond, including upcoming titles likeMario & Luigi: BrothershipandSuper Mario Party Jamboree. In recent years, Nintendo has been branching out intolifestyle products likePokemon Sleep, a mobile app that monitors a player’s sleep patterns and unlocks new Pokemon based on how many hours of rest they get during the night. Nintendo is now unveiling a new device to help make waking up in the morning a little more fun as well.
Earlier today,Nintendo of Americaposted a video for its latest device, the Nintendo Sound Clock Alarmo. As its name implies, Alarmo is an alarm clock that plays music and sounds from popularNintendo games likeSuper Mario Bros. Odyssey,Splatoon 3, andThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Like most alarm clocks, music plays at a predetermined time, but the $99.99 Alarmo ups the ante by playing sound effects in time to the user’s movements to help coax them out of bed. When the user finally sits up, a triumphant fanfare plays to signal the end of the alarm.
How Much Does the Nintendo Alarm Clock Cost?
The Nintendo Sound Clock Alarmo works by detecting a user’s movements witha built-in motion sensor, stopping automatically when said user gets out of bed. This means that, unlike other alarm clocks, the user won’t have to press a button to stop the alarm sounds manually. However, Alarmo’s sounds grow more intense the longer it takes the user to wake up, with an example playing Bower’s ominous theme fromSuper Mario Odyssey.
At launch, fans will be able to set alarms inspired by five Nintendo games, including the previously mentioned gamesin addition toPikmin 4andRing Fit Adventure. Each theme comes with a variety of “scenes,” or alarm varieties with their own music and sounds. By connecting Alarmo to the internet, players will be able to download more alarms through free updates that will become available later, with two examples beingMario Kart 8andAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Alarmo is packed with other features like “sleepy sounds,” which play when the user gets into bed at night, records that keep track of the user’s sleep patterns, and an hourly chime function that signals the start of a new hour. While Alarmo isn’tthe big Nintendo announcementthat fans have been waiting for all year long, it looks like a fun and innovative way to start any gaming fan’s day. Nintendo’s newly announced alarm clock is currently available in early access for Nintendo Switch Online members in the US and Canada, as well at as the Nintendo New York Store. A wider retail release is slated for early 2025.
