It’s 7 a.m., the is sun poking through the curtains and blearily I am awakened — not by birdsong, but by the barking of a Chain Chomp, a ball-and-chain-like recurring enemy in the Super Mario video-game series.
The sound grows louder until I stir. When I reluctantly get out of bed, Alarmo, the $100 alarm clock Nintendo released out of the blue last month, bleats a Mario victory jingle. If I crawl back into bed, it will start to make noises again; and if, somehow, I’m still not up after 20 minutes, it will amplify the pressure and unleash something noisier and more persuasive, like Mario’s nemesis Bowser.
Over the years, I’ve tried all kinds of devices and apps meant to improve sleep, but this one comes from the most unlikely source. Nintendo dropped the internet-connected clock right when gamers and investors alike were on tenterhooks for any information about its successor console to the Switch. The hybrid console — the source of almost all of Nintendo’s revenue — is on its last legs, with the company recently further cutting this year’s sales outlook.
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