Switch has highest 12-month install base in US history

Nintendo's hybrid-handheld Switch console enjoys immense popularity through its first year of sales, especially in the United States.

Despite component shortages that limited hardware allocation throughout most of 2017, the Nintendo Switch has sold 14.86 million units as of December and overshot the company's internal 14 million sales target for the entire year. This consistent popularity has been driven by strong first-party and third-party software support along with the system's transforming on-the-go and home console hardware duality--and it's not something that should change any time soon.

It's no surprise the Switch is selling like gangbusters, but the NPD Group's latest findings put the console's success into perspective. According to NPD Group analyst Mat Piscatella, the Switch has raked up the highest hardware install base in U.S. history within a one-year period.

"The Nintendo Switch also remains on a record-setting sales base. Over it's first twelve months in market through February 2018, the Switch has achieved the highest install based of any console platform in history," Piscatella said in the recent NPD Group report.

The games-maker has accelerated production of Switch units in a bid to meet strong demand. 2018 will be a big year for the system as the company focuses on expanding the games lineup and rolling out the Switch Online subscription service needed to play multiplayer games online with friends in September.

Nintendo says it wants to sell 20 million cumulative Switch consoles by the end of March 2018.