Alarmo Review: Wake Up With Nintendo

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As a lifelong Nintendo fanatic who grew up with the classic games of yesteryears, I must admit that the Alarmo has truly captured my heart (and my mornings). This quirky alarm clock brings a touch of nostalgia and fun to what was once an uninspiring part of my daily routine.

To take over every corner of your home, Nintendo has launched Alarmo – an adorable alarm clock with a gaming twist, boasting clever motion-activated functions. It may not have many extra features, but it does come with some practical options for both children and grown-ups.

Over the past few weeks, it’s clear that Alarmo has added a touch of fun to the morning ritual for many, by gamifying the wake-up process in a way that Nintendo enthusiasts can appreciate. While there are features that will undoubtedly attract Nintendo fans, the $99 price tag might be a bit high for some potential users, despite future updates potentially increasing its appeal.

The Alarmo features a square screen embedded within its circular dial, topped with a large button housing an RGB light and used for menu navigation as well as serving as a control key. Additionally, there are two side buttons, one for navigating back and another for accessing messages. However, it’s slightly underwhelming that the screen doesn’t cover the entire circle of the clock face; this inconvenience is hardly noticeable when glancing at the clock in low-light conditions or early mornings.

At present, the font for the clock as well as some other features can be styled based on themes from popular Nintendo games such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Splatoon, Pikmin, and Ring Fit Adventure. This aligns with the alarm functionality of Alarmo, but even without the alarm, the device carries a distinctly Nintendo-inspired look and feel.

Alarmo Makes Waking Up a Game

As a devoted fan, I must say that what truly distinguishes Alarmo is its unique approach to waking up. Instead of just a traditional beeping sound, you can schedule a wake-up time for it. At the specified hour, Alarmo will activate an engaging themed scene from one of the properties (each offering several options). This “scene activation” serves as a fun and creative alternative to the conventional alarm sound. It’s like having a mini movie every morning!

When your alarm sounds, Alarmo amplifies the music or sound effects within its scene while illuminating the transparent button with different colors. The device becomes interactive as it uses its motion sensor to recognize your actions, causing the on-screen character to react accordingly based on the specific scene. For instance, in a bed tossing attempt to wake up, Mario might repeatedly punch a coin block in the scene. Once Alarmo detects you’ve moved away from its sensing area, it plays a completion sequence and turns off the alarm.

Motion-activated alarms aren’t revolutionary, but Nintendo’s integration with Alarmo is ingenious. For children, it transforms the waking up routine into an enjoyable experience and encourages them to rise from their beds. Moreover, for those intrigued by the app, Alarmo offers a unique feature where the alarm resets if you return to bed within an hour of the designated wake-up time. This way, it becomes impossible to merely get out of bed to switch off the alarm and then fall back asleep again.

The device called Alarmo comes equipped with a traditional alarm clock function. This means it produces a sound at a specified time, and you can silence it by pressing the top button. Critics might say that this makes Alarmo essentially just a $100 alarm clock, but there are those who appreciate the classic wake-up routine, enhanced by its Nintendo-themed design.

Nintendo Alarmo Features and Setup

Setting up Alarmo is incredibly straightforward, and navigating its menu is effortless. Pressing the button on top of Alarmo lets you cycle through various options such as selecting your wake-up time and preferred theme. To ensure motion control waking works optimally, place Alarmo on your nightstand, ideally with it facing the center of your bed. During family testing, there were no problems with Alarmo registering movements or failing to detect when I got out of bed. However, what truly makes Alarmo stand out is its gamification of the wake-up process, which has been a hit for my son. It injects some fun into his mornings and serves as an exciting topic of conversation between us daily, since he has set his theme to random, resulting in a unique scene each morning.

One intriguing aspect of Alarmo is its ability to maintain a sleep log, indicating the duration you spent asleep and periods of increased mobility. However, it should be noted that its accuracy isn’t perfect since it only records activity when you’re in bed. For individuals who are keen on sleep monitoring or happen to be tech-savvy with an interest in running Doom on Alarmo, this additional feature could be quite appealing.

Excitedly speaking as a fan, Alarmo’s initial storylines might be somewhat restricted, but with regular WiFi updates, it promises an expansion of its intellectual properties (IP). I’m eagerly looking forward to witnessing these additions, so I’ll hold off for now and see what Nintendo delivers. It’s essential to remember that not every IP is initially available, so if your favorite isn’t among the initial five, it’s worth keeping an eye out.

Another thing to keep in mind for parents is that although a Nintendo-themed alarm might seem kid-focused, the argument could be made that a kid doesn’t need an alarm. My kid wakes up at practically the same time every day without any alarm, and those days when it would be nice to have him sleep in, you don’t want an alarm waking them up early.

The $99 price tag gives Alarmo an air of being more of a fad or fan purchase rather than a necessity. While the motion control wake-up function is interesting, many of the device’s key selling points come with limitations. If I were a child, the prospect of waking up to Link saying “Hiya” would be quite enticing, and I can understand why any Nintendo enthusiast would consider buying Alarmo.

Nintendo Alarmo is available now. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.

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2024-11-06 02:23