The Switch 2 is here! Just kidding. Nintendo’s newest gadget is actually the Alarmo, and its a clock to help you get out of bed in the morning. The device is the Mario maker’s latest quirky yet whimsical attempt to weave itself into the most unlikely parts of its gaming fans’ lifestyles.
The $US100 hardware is a clock with an LCD screen that plays animations and an alarm mode that gently tries to wake you up in the morning. A motion sensor lets you snooze it by moving your arm or shut it off entirely by getting out of bed. It can even spy on you while you sleep to tell you how much you’re tossing and turning. Pre-orders for Switch Online subscribers are available starting today, but the devices themselves won’t ship out until early 2025.
Mario’s not the only one who will be nudging you to get off your lazy ass and start earning those coins. Alarmo will feature 35 scenes taken from games like Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and more to start. Later, scenes from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe will become available as free updates later on.
There are two main modes for Alarmo. The first is called “Steady Mode,” an alarm that gradually gets more and more intense the longer you stay in bed. The other is called “Gentle Mode” and provides a more consistent level of gaming cacophony. There are also buttons if you’re old like me and don’t want to put your wake-up routine in the hands of a robot.
Nintendo’s website walks you through a standard Alarmo sequence. Just prior to the alarm time, a character will pop up on the screen. Then, at the allotted time, sounds will begin playing. Eventually a character like Peach will arrive to patiently coax you awake. Snoozing will repeat the cycle, but if you keep snoozing, eventually Bowser will show up and lecture you on your poor grindset.
Alarmo certainly looks like it’s the mystery hardware that FCC filings were recently discovered for. Coming alongside an expected Switch 2 announcement, fans speculated if it was a new peripheral for Nintendo’s long-awaited next console. It is not. Even so, I kind of like the idea. $US100 sounds like a lot, but it’s still less than other popular WiFi-enabled super alarm clocks.
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