Four years after its original reveal, The Pokémon Company has finally revealed new details on Pokémon Sleep. The mobile sleep tracking app will launch in 2023 on iOS and mobile and be compatible with a new accessory dubbed the Pokémon Go+ Plus.
Pokémon Sleep was first announced at the Pokémon 2019 Press Conference event. While it was initially targeted for a 2020 release date, information on the app went silent after its announcement. It reemerged during today’s Pokémon Presents stream and it looks like it’ll actually release this year, though it doesn’t have an exact date yet.
The stream gave some concrete details on what the app is and how it works. It’s a gamified sleep-tracking app that tosses players on a new island built around a sleeping Snorlax. Professor Neroli tasks players with helping him research Pokémon sleeping habits. That’s simply accomplished by leaving your phone next to your pillow while you sleep. The app will record and analyze sleep like any tracker.
The Pokémon aspect of that comes in how it categorizes sleep. Rest will be placed into one of three categories: dozing, snoozing, or slumbering. Pokémon with the same sleeping habits will appear around Snorlax in the app, which is how players ultimately conduct research. While players won’t “catch” Pokémon, they can collect different creatures and their sleeping styles.
For those who don’t want to keep their phone on their bed, The Pokémon Company is launching a new peripheral this year. The Pokémon Go+ Plus (yes, that’s “plus plus”) is a Pokéball shaped button that can record sleep data. Pressing the center button once will activate the device and send data to a phone. It’s also a bit of a game in itself, as players can increase their friendship with a digital Pikachu voice housed inside it and unlock different alarm sounds.
The device is compatible with Pokémon Go as well, as it’ll let players spin Pokéstops or throw Pokéballs without picking up their phone. Linking the device with Pokémon Go will give players a research mission that’ll let them catch a Snorlax with a sleeping hat on.
Pokémon Sleep does not have a release date yet, but Pokémon Go+ Plus is set to launch in July 2023.
