Nintendo Sound Clock Alarmo: 7 things to know about the gaming-themed bedside wake-up gadget

“It’s-a me, the existential dread of another working day!”

If getting up each morning inspires thoughts like the above, you might want to check out a wacky new wake up device from none other than the home of Super Mario itself, Nintendo.

It’s just revealed the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, a gaming-themed interactive alarm clock that looks to start your day with a perky pick-me up, filled with tunes and sound effects from Nintendo’s storied gaming history.

Cute, curvy and toy-like in its red circular design, it’s a fun take on the traditional bedside alarm clock. Available to pre-order now for Nintendo Switch Online members (priced at £89.99), it’ll go on wider sale from January.

Still awake? Read on to find out more about Alarmo...

1. It’s motion activated

Just like Santa, the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo knows when you are sleeping, and knows when you’re awake. Motion-aware sensors in the Alarmo will keep a track of your movements when your alarm tune starts to chime — as you move around, it’ll start piping in fun sound effects from Nintendo games to rouse you further, and a fanfare will sound once you’re out of bed and stop the alarm. Ignore the alarm however and it’ll get increasingly more intense, with Nintendo baddies beginning to appear — that last feature is thankfully an optional extra!

2. It has 5 alarm styles

Alarmo comes preloaded with 5 themes based on Nintendo game franchises, with each having seven different alarm varieties to cycle through between them. You can be woke to the sounds of Super Mario Odyssey, Pikmin 4, Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, and Ring Fit Adventure. The thought of starting a day to the Zelda fanfare sends shivers down the spine.

3. It’s controlled by a chunky dial-button combo

There’s no touchscreen on the Alarmo — instead, any interactions you need to make to change alarm settings or scroll through menus are handled by a chunky, tactile dial and button combo that sits on top of the clock. This can also be set to act as a traditional alarm stopper when pushed, if the motion controlled alarm isn’t for you. There’s also a physical back button and another for bringing up update notifications.

4. Sleepy Sounds will help you wind down

Not only will Alarmo help you wake up, it’ll help you settle down, too. A ‘Sleepy Sounds’ mode plays peaceful ambient tunes from Nintendo’s games, helping you to wind down as you get into bed and head for (Kirby’s) Dream Land.

5. Log your sleep with Alarmo’s Records

Want to get some insight into the quality of your sleep? Alarmo will offer some stat tracking for your snoozes, too. A ‘Records’ feature will let you see how much you’re moving around in your sleep, as well as tracking average sleep times.

6. Hourly chimes with familiar faces

It’d be a shame if Alarmo only came to life at bed time and in the morning, so thankfully Nintendo has also loaded the clock up with easter eggs throughout the day. On the hour Alarmo will chime the time, and you’ll be greeted with an animation from a beloved Nintendo character to mark the passing of time.

7. Ongoing updates will keep your wake up sounds fresh

Alarmo is web connected, which means Nintendo will be able to send out new content updates to the clock over the course of its lifetime. Soon after launch Nintendo will be updating Alarmo with fresh themes, including a couple based around the Mario Kart and Animal Crossing franchises.

• Looking for something to play? Check out our best Nintendo Switch games shortlist