Nintendo's Alarm Clock Precedes GTA 6 Launch

A Nintendo interactive alarm clock was probably not in your 2024 bingo card but here we are! Apart from the newly announced Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, the company has also launched a mysterious Switch Online playtest.

Nintendo Releases an Interactive Alarm ClockFree Alarm Updates Coming Soon!

Nintendo has unveiled the "Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo," an interactive alarm clock that goes for $99. "Alarmo responds to your body’s movement with game sounds," Nintendo announced this morning, "so you can feel like you’re waking up in the game world itself." The Alarmo features alarm sounds inspired by different Nintendo games, such as Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, and more, with additional alarm sounds coming in the future for free.

The way this interactive alarm clock works, basically, is that it will only stop ringing once you "get all the way out of bed," which Nintendo said you can treat as sort of "brief victory fanfare"—getting out of bed is, indeed, a mighty challenge on some days.

To set it up, you need to select a title from the current selections, pick a scene, set the alarm time, and Alarmo will handle the rest which is where the interactivity comes in. You may wave your hand in front of the alarm clock when it sets off, but this only makes the alarm quieter. Staying in bed for too long will only intensify the alarm until you get up and move.

The Alarmo alarm clock uses a special "radio wave sensor," according to Nintendo. The alarm makes use of the reflection of radio waves and measures your distance from the alarm clock as well as the speed of your movements.

"The key feature is that it can recognise very subtle movements, and unlike cameras, it doesn't need to film videos, so privacy is better protected compared to cameras," Nintendo developer Tetsuya Akama said. "Since it uses radio waves, it can be used in dark rooms. It can also detect movements even if there are obstacles, as long as the radio waves can pass through."

In addition to the announcement, Nintendo shared that Nintendo Switch Online members in the United States and Canada can purchase Alarmo online via the My Nintendo Store, for a limited time, ahead of the general public. "All visitors to the Nintendo New York store can purchase Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo in person at launch while supplies last," they additionally confirmed.

Nintendo Announces Switch Online PlaytestApplications Begin October 10!

In other developments, Nintendo has also announced that applications for a Switch Online playtest runs from October 10, at 8:00 AM PT / 11:00AM ET until October 15 at 7:59AM PT / 10:59AM ET. "We will perform a test called Nintendo Switch Online: Playtest Program related to a new feature for the Nintendo Switch Online service offered for the Nintendo Switch™ system," the company shared in its announcement.

Up to 10,000 participants will be chosen, and those based outside of Japan will be selected based on a first-come-first-serve basis. Nintendo said applications will close early when "the number of accepted participants has reached its limit." Interested participants must meet the following criteria:

　⚫︎　You must have an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership as of Wednesday, 10/09/2024 03:00 p.m. PDT.
　⚫︎　You must be at least 18 years of age as of Wednesday, 10/09/2024 03:00 p.m. PDT.
　⚫︎　Your Nintendo Account must be registered to one of the following countries: Japan, The United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, or Spain.

The Switch Online playtest runs from October 23, 2024 at 6:00PM PT / 9:00PM ET to November 5, 2024 at 4:59PM PT / 7:59PM ET.