I love to sleep, if I wasn’t the editor of Pocket Tactics I’d go in search of a job that allows me to sleep for 40 hours a week. I also absolutely love Pokémon, I have a Raichu tattoo and a full shelf of plushie ‘mons that watch over me while I tap away on my keyboard. Now, where am I going with this? Well, Pokémon Sleep just hit the App Store and Google Play, and despite it hitting two of my great loves, I have some qualms I need to air with you all.
So far I’ve only spent three nights with Sleep so far, and as I’m a professional sleeper, I’ve received scores of 100, 99, and 100 again. This is great and definitely makes me feel a little smug about my snoozy skills, but on reflection, I don’t believe this app has any idea how well I slept. Sure I had my phone next to me in bed, but my partner and cat were also there. I’m not entirely sure it can differentiate my snoozy shuffling from my cat treading on my device or my boyfriend rolling over heavily.
My second issue comes from the app’s need for my device to remain plugged in and chugging away for eight hours. I reached out and touched my phone a few times before falling asleep, and its unnatural nighttime warmth made me sleep less easily in the worry that I’d wake up in a bed engulfed in flames. “But what about the Pokemon Go Plus +?!” I hear you say… So you want me to spend $50, the price of a AAA game, on a device that does little else other than not make me worry about a charred phone?
Now, I’m definitely a sucker for expensive peripherals, but I do feel like I’d be paying money for Niantic to listen to more snore and feel me tussle about a bit. My final issue is the amount of content in Sleep. If there was a way to have one main buddy Pokémon to care for and maybe go on walks with as well, Sleep could be a more rounded health app and get you to go on silly little walks for your silly mental health after you’ve had a lovely restful slumber.
Those are my issues, but I haven’t come out here without a potential solution – Pokémon Sleep smart watch compatibility. If you’re a Digimon fan like I am, you may be aware of the nifty little V-Bracelet. This watch-like peripheral is a $50-$100 device with a companion app that encourages you to work out and keep motivated by looking after an adorable little digital monster that grows and changes with you. I own one of these and think they’re fantastic – other than how incredibly ugly they are, but you aren’t here for fashion advice…
So, what’s stopping Niantic or TPC from either implementing compatibility for existing smart watches that can track your sleep with ease or creating a brand new (more fashionable) Poké-Bracelet? Both of which you could send a buddy to who could gain experience and motivate you while you plod along the road to your destination. Imagine, if you will, a Pokéwalker strapped to your wrist with a color screen and more functionality.
A device that can more accurately track your heart rate and movement could also improve the satisfaction you feel from getting a good score in the morning. Then there’s the improved sleep factor you’d get from not worrying about your mobile catching fire.
As I mentioned above, I’m a sucker for peripherals, so this may not apply to a wider audience, but I’d pay around $150 for a device that helps me get a little fitter, encourages me to sleep on time, and lets me look after a Raichu on my wrist. The Pokémon Sleep app is adorable and I love the artstyle, but the lack of things to do makes me worry about the longevity of the app, and it feels targeted to a very small audience.
To conclude, you can catch me playing Pokémon Sleep for the time being, but without more accurate tracking and things to do, I can see myself and many others dropping off soon. However, give me my Pokémon virtual pet and watch me play for years to come.
For more Pokécontent, make sure you take a look at our full Pokémon Sleep preview, Pokémon Go promo codes, and Pokémon Go Eevee evolution guide.