The Switch took Nintendo's profit to a 7-year high — and it's just the beginning (NTDOY)

The Switch, Nintendo's newest console, can be used both as a home console and as a handheld device. It's had unprecedented success with customers, and it's giving new life to the company's previously suffering profits. 

It was Nintendo's fastest-selling console ever, after it first launched in March 2017, and surpassed Nintendo's own expectations. As this chart from Statista shows, the hybrid console's unexpected success came at the right time — the failure of the Wii U, the immediate predecessor to the Switch, had dragged down Nintendo profits for years. Now, the Switch is bringing Nintendo closer to the glory days of its smash-hit Wii, released in 2006. 

Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

NOW WATCH: The top 10 games coming in 2018

See Also:

• Facebook increased its daily active users in Q1, but revenue dipped
• How Amazon's decision to spend billions on video is paying off
• The PlayStation 4 is still outselling every other console, including Nintendo's red-hot Switch

SEE ALSO: Facebook increased its daily active users in Q1, but revenue dipped