The new Nintendo Switch Lite console made a strong debut, helping the game giant crush analyst expectations for the quarter and double its profits from a year ago.
Nintendo sold 1.95 million units of the new smaller, cheaper Switch console for the third quarter ending Sept. 30. The device made up roughly 46 percent of all third quarter Switch sales, a remarkable ratio considering it was released just 11 days prior to the end of the quarter.
Overall, Switch sales rose 50 percent over a year ago to just shy of 4.8 million units for the quarter. Sales of the flagship Switch console fell about 11 percent over the prior year, showing why Nintendo decided to refresh the device when it did.
Switch made a huge debut on the way to becoming the fastest-selling console ever in the U.S., moving 2.74 million units in its first month. Including Switch Lite, Nintendo has now sold 41.67 million consoles since the device debuted in March 2017, along with 246 million games.
Nintendo posted operating profits of 66.8 billion yen ($615 million) during the six-month period, up 116 percent over the prior year. Nintendo’s revenue of 271.9 billion yen ($2.5 billion) in the third quarter rose 26 percent over the prior year.
Despite the strong quarter, and the early success of Switch Lite, Nintendo did not raise its earnings expectations going forward.
Switch Lite costs $199, $100 less than the flagship Switch. It is meant solely for handheld play, as opposed to the larger Switch that lets gamers connect to a TV. It also has a smaller screen; no kickstand; and does not come with detachable Joy-Con controllers — making more of a successor to the Game Boy or Nintendo DS than the Switch.
