Nintendo’s New Alarm Clock Might Be the Perfect Gift for '90s Nostalgia Lovers

Alarm clocks can really suck. They break you out of your well deserved rest and they somehow get more annoying the more you hit snooze. Over the past few years, alarm clocks have been trending away from the harsh, honking noises that we’re used to and moving towards a more gentle sort of wake-up.

Nintendo is the latest company to get in on the gentle (and not-so-gentle) wake-up craze. While the gentle alarm-clock market is full of competitors like Hatch and Phillips who seem to have perfected the artificial sunrise, Nintendo brings a whole new twist to the alarm clock game. You can use the company’s favorite heroes and villains to help coax you out of bed in the morning. (1)

The video game company’s product is aptly called Alarmo and will be available for retail purchase in early 2025. Alarmo will set you back $99.99, which makes it a cheaper alternative to the popular Hatch Alarm. If you want to get your hands on Alarmo early, it’s available to paid Nintendo Switch Online members on the My Nintendo Store Website, and at the Nintendo store in New York City while supplies last. (1)

Read on to find out more about how Alarmo works, and what Nintendo games you can wake up to.

How Does Nintendo’s Alarmo Alarm Clock Work?

Alarmo works like most other alarm clocks. You pick a time that you want to wake up, and then you hit the hay. However, when you’re setting the alarm, you can choose between 7 “scenes” from 5 different Nintendo games. The “scenes” are what will actually wake you up in the morning, and according to the product video that Nintendo released, each scene has it’s “own combination of music and sounds.” (1)

When it’s time to wake up, the music begins gently and grows continuously louder. The sounds come in during wake-up in a pretty unique way, since the alarm also utilizes motion sensor technology to track your movements and play sounds as you toss and turn in the morning. For example, if you choose Mario Odyssey as your game, the alarm clock will play a song from the game as you wake up, and the classic Mario coin sounds as you move. You can also choose between “Steady Mode” or “Gentle Mode,” where the sound will get steadily louder or remain at a softer, gentler volume respectively.

When you get up, no need to shut Alarmo off, Nintendo says the alarm clock will immediately stop, and play fanfare, once you get out of bed. However, if you prefer a more tangible alarm clock experience, you can enable “Button Mode” on the device, which allows you to physically snooze the alarm clock. (1)

The company also warns that if you take too long to wake up, the alarm will get “more intense,” and in the product trailer included in the press release, the company shows a clip of long-time villain of the Mario games, Boswer, appearing on the alarm. (1)

Alarmo also includes features like “Sleepy Sounds,” which are sounds designed to help you wind down once getting into bed. Another feature the company showcases is “Records” which is Nintendo’s sleep tracking functionality, which again seems to utilize the motion tracking technology. The alarm clock also features an “Hourly Chime” which goes off at the top of each hour, and features a character announcing the new hour. (1)

What Games Can I Wake Up To With Alarmo?

According to Nintendo, you can currently wake up to five different games, each equipped with seven different scenes to choose from. Meaning that customers will have 35 different wake up options to test out each morning. The games that are included are: Super Mario Odyssey, Pikmin 4, Splatoon 3, Ring Fit Adventure, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. (1)

The company additionally teases more alarms will be coming as free updates, which you can download once your clock is connected to the internet. The company notes that Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be the next games to become available.

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Make waking up fun with Nintendo sound clock: Alarmo – available now!. Nintendo. October 9, 2024. https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/make-waking-up-fun-with-nintendo-sound-clock-alarmo-available-now/?srsltid=AfmBOorgt9lMMXUSzYFlecwgj9uVtWi5wTC2gXGU65FeH4KiL7hSGou-