When you think of Nintendo, what do you think of? You probably think of video games, Super Mario Brothers, Wii, Zelda, Game Boy, etc. Do you think of a sleep tracking device?
In 2014, Nintendo planned to get into the very competitive fitness/sleep tracker movement. The plan was to give you this device only the way Nintendo can. This mystery device was going to be released sometime in March 2016. Note the key word in that last sentence…WAS. Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said this Quality of Life device is not only delayed, but delayed indefinitely. But Nintendo’s plan was to go beyond the traditional smartwatch, health tracker, or other wearable technology versions. With Quality of Life, it would know when you’re sleeping. It would process your data, and give you suggestions when you seek them. For example, if you weren’t getting enough sleep, Quality of Life would tell you to eat better, lower your stress level, quit smoking, or give other health advice. The late Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s last president, showed great confidence in Quality of Life in 2014, when it was in it’s newborn stages. Iwata showed great excitement about visualizing sleep plans. And to Nintendo’s defense, they had reasons to be optimistic. Their first health based product, Wii Fit, sold over 40 million copies by January 2016.
But this isn’t Wii Fit. This is Quality of Life. This is, or should I say this was, Nintendo’s version of wearable technology. Wearable technology is one of the most competitive tech gadgets around today. In the last couple weeks, I’ve talked about wearable technology. So why did Nintendo suspend Quality of Life? Did they not think it was good enough for the extremely competitive market? If they’re going to continue on with this device, they need to be different and stand out. I would suggest find a way to incorporate some of the beloved Nintendo characters in this device. Or is it a good idea for Nintendo to be competing in the sleep tracking game at all?