Four years on, Pok¨¦mon Sleep finally launches this summer
Nap-tracking accessory sings lullabies, connects with Pok¨¦mon Go.
Pokémon Sleep, the franchise's snooze-tracking app first announced four years ago, is finally close to launch.
Today's Pokémon Presents livestream gave us a long-awaited update on the app, which is now set to debut for iPhone and Android devices this summer.
As previously announced, the app will use your phone to track the length and quality of your sleep, and let you gather in-game Pokémon depending on how good a night's rest you got.
"The idea behind Pokémon Sleep is to be a game which makes you look forward to getting up in the morning," The Pokémon Company stated today.
Front and centre in the game is Snorlax, of course, famed for his ability to sleep basically anywhere at any time. The app also hosts a new Pokémon professor, Neroli, who is researching the creature.
Footage of the app showed users setting an alarm and then getting a summary of their sleep length and quality in the morning. It looks like simple stuff - the kind any smartphone can do already.
Your sleep will then be categorised into "dozing", "snoozing" or "slumbering" categories - each of which have their own set of Pokémon that will be attracted to your game. The more you play, or rather sleep, you might find more unusual sleep styles - like Slowpoke's "Goofy Sleep". I'm not sure how you get that.
If you fancy buying another Pokémon gadget, you can use the upcoming Pokémon Go Plus+ device (yes, pronounced "Plus Plus") to track your sleep and speak to you using Pikachu's voice. It goes on sale this 14th July, for an as-yet unannounced price.
The device's speaker will babble at you in Pikachu's language when you activate its sleep tracking capabilities, and when you switch them off in the morning. You can also get it to sing you a Pikachu voice lullaby.
As suggested by its name, the Go Plus+ will also connect to Pokémon Go to once again let you spin stops and catch creatures by just pressing a button. An upgrade from the previous Go Plus here lets you choose to use different types of Pokéballs, such as Great and Ultra balls too - a very handy addition.
Further integration of your sleep data into Pokémon Go is also on the way, but will be detailed in the future.
Best of all, linking a Pokémon Go Plus+ to Pokémon Go will unlock special research in Niantic's game, including a Snorlax wearing a nightcap.
