Sleep is a big issue worldwide. Most people don’t get enough sleep, and this can have a serious impact on mental health, physical health, and cause additional problems. That’s why various manufacturers have been attempting to create sleep-tracking aids and apps over the past few years. Nintendo is the last company to join in on the sleep-tracking craze.

Nintendo’s New Sleep Tracker

Nintendo has recently teamed up with a company called ResMed to work on a handheld device that will effectively track sleep patterns. Nintendo reps have told press that the company is using ResMed’s knowledge combined with Nintendo’s ability to create fun things to turn tracking sleep and fatigue into “something fun.” The company is being quiet about the details, but Nintendo reps have stated that the company never starts a project without being sure that they have a huge market, so you can expect the device to be marketed and received rather well.

IT was announced some time ago that Nintendo plans to start a health division, and the new sleep handheld will be the first product that Nintendo creates for the healthcare division. But, Nintendo isn’t really a stranger to fitness, the company did create the Wii after all - before that console, gamers weren’t really designed to get people off of the couch and moving around.

Some Extra Details

The new Nintendo sleep tracker will stay on a user’s bedside table while they sleep. From there, the tracker will monitor sleep patterns and somehow monitor fatigue (which is an element of the device according to Nintendo reps). Nintendo might not be a stranger to fitness and health, but the company does have some competition from the likes of FitBit, which offers a sleep tracking app currently.

If Nintendo has taught us one thing throughout its past history, though, it’s that this company doesn’t launch products that are like all the rest. Nintendo usually finds ways to breath life into concepts that already exist, and it can’t be said that any current sleep tracker makes tracking sleep “fun,” which is one word that Nintendo reps specifically used.

Speculations

Nintendo might try and connect the sleep tracking device with gaming somehow to make getting more sleep more rewarding. If we look to Wii Fit games, we can see that these games reward users by providing them with different levels of achievement once goals have been reached. So, you might see the new fitness tracker work along those lines. Or, we could be in for something completely different.

Nintendo plans to release the new fitness tracker during the next financial year. The end of that financial year is March of 2016, so we can expect to see what Nintendo is working on before that date. While serious Nintendo fans want to see the company move back to the older consoles, new tech users are all about fitness and health, and Nintendo is focusing on that lucrative crowd. Let’s hope that this new device is both fun and useful, so that Nintendo’s sales can climb once again.