Nintendo has released the new Sound Clock: Alarmo. Is this alarm clock the ideal warm-up for the Switch 2?
When Nintendo announced new hardware last month, everyone immediately thought of the successor to the Nintendo Switch. But the Japanese company conjured something else out of its top hat, or rather its Super Mario hat. The company came up with the Sound Clock: Alarmo.
But how does the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo work and do you really want it? WANT editor-in-chief Jeroen Kraak woke up with Zelda and Mario next to him and tells his findings.
This is Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo
Nintendo is an old love of mine. My first console was the NES and later, of course, I had the Nintendo 64. Super Mario 64 is therefore one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, after the DS I lost touch with the console. It wasn’t until the Switch that we reconnected and how I appeared to have missed it.
Nowadays I spend many hours on my Switch and take it everywhere I go. Like many others, I can’t wait for the Switch 2. So when Nintendo announced its Alarmo, I wanted to try it right away. Getting up with Super Mario and Zelda sounds good right?
(Image: Jeroen Kraak/WANT)
The Nintendo Alarmo has a real Nintendo design. You could almost say it was plucked straight from the nightstand of a Super Mario game. It’s big, red, round and has a huge luminous button at the top. He has one purpose: to wake you up.
This is how you wake up to Mario and Zelda
and it does that waking up well. You can choose from several scenes from Nintendo games, such as Super Mario: Odyssey, Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 3. There are also other scenes available for download. Just before your alarm time, your alarm clock starts with quiet sounds to start playing them louder during the wake-up time. In addition, the button at the top also lights up brighter and brighter.
It is wonderful to wake up with Nintendo music. Proper melodies have been chosen that are not too loud or that give you an instant morning mood. Meanwhile, on the screen of the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, you can see a small animation. In addition, it can also play soothing sounds just before you go to sleep in order to fall asleep peacefully.
But now for the special feature of the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo. Inside the device is a motion sensor. This is specifically designed to see that you are getting up. If it detects that, it turns off the alarm clock. This way you can be sure that you are actually awake. However, it is also possible to turn off the alarm clock with the push button.
(Image: Jeroen Kraak/WANT)
In addition, the motion sensor can also measure your precise sleep. However, it is not as comprehensive as, say, an Apple Watch, nor can it transmit that data to your smartphone. Nevertheless, the device does connect to the Internet, only that is probably mainly for updates and downloading new scenes.
Still some drawbacks
To use the alarm clock, you have to set it up first, which is still a bit cumbersome and takes quite some time. Moreover, entering the password for your Internet connection with the dial is a good exercise in patience. Fortunately, setting it up is only a one-time process.
In addition, there is another disadvantage to this alarm clock because it must always be connected to electricity, so it is not wireless. Something you do expect from an alarm clock these days. Moreover, the device is large enough to accommodate a battery, as it is also extra light.
If you want to get the Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo into your home you will also have to have a well-filled wallet, because the device will cost you 99.99 euros. So that’s a little less than two Nintendo Switch games.
Okay so it’s not the cheapest alarm clock and a bit cumbersome at first, but once you set it up it’s a pleasure to wake up next to it. Especially for a Nintendo fan.
Sound Clock: Alarmo
Nintendo
7
Score
Plus points
A genuine Nintendo look Original gadget Waking up in a unique way
Minuses
Installation is a bit cumbersome The price Not wireless
The Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo is a real gadget for the Nintendo fan and once you get through the installation procedure everything works very easily. The look exudes one and all Nintendo and the functions and scenes are well chosen. Still, the price is a bit on the high side and it would be even better if the device was wireless. Now we have to wait for more games to be brought to the device and preferably some classics as well