I was looking around today for a stock to buy. I came up empty-handed. One of my ideas was Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI). I was intrigued this week by reports that said the company wants to have the launch to end all launches for the next Call of Duty title. Quite frankly, I think there's a chance the company will succeed with this. So, naturally, my thoughts turned to shares of Activision Blizzard as a possible buy candidate. Although I already own the stock in a longer-term, taxed portfolio, I wanted a trade for my Roth IRA.

Well, I couldn't buy the company. It's up today (3% at the time of this writing), and I do not want to buy any stock when it's up. Not now, at any rate. The market has come too far too fast, in my opinion, and I want to trade carefully. But, while looking at Activision Blizzard, I came across this article from Ben Kuchera over at Ars Technica. He discusses comments made by the publisher's CEO, Bobby Kotick, on Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) and its PlayStation platforms.

Earlier in the week, I discussed Sony Corporation's (NYSE: SNE) new PSP system that is set to arrive in the fall. It didn't make me want to buy the stock. And I don't think the Nintendo DS has anything to worry about.

Now, I'd like to mention a smart move by Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY). According to reports, Nintendo is programming a new Super Mario Bros. adventure for the Wii. What's really cool about it is the fact that it isn't 3D. Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with 3D games. But I always think the idea of returning Mario to his 2D roots is a good one. That kind of environment is where Mario really shines; 2D is in the plumber's DNA, believe me.

The news flow is abuzz this week with stats about Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and its Xbox 360 console. According to reports, the company has sold 30 million units of the gaming hardware around the world. Nintendo Co., Ltd. (OTC: NTDOY) is still in first place with 50 million Wii consoles sold. And Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE)? Well, the PlayStation 3 is decidedly third with roughly 22 million systems moved through retail channels. And don't give me that Xbox-360-had-a-year-over-Sony excuse. Doesn't matter. Microsoft has so far played it well.

But I'd like to see Microsoft do even better when it comes to the Xbox 360. I think, out of all the investments Microsoft makes that are outside of the core operating system asset, the Xbox 360 is the one with the most potential promise.

The news continues to be bad for Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) shareholders. The Wii is slowing down. While it remains a powerful force in gaming hardware, it's just not as compelling in terms of sales as it used to be.

Bloomberg tells the tale. The data for April sales show that the Wii sold less than half as many consoles in the U.S. this year as compared to April of 2008. Last month, the Wii moved 340,000 units. A year ago, the Wii sold over 700,000 units. That's a big difference. Now, don't get to thinking that Nintendo has now given up its crown. The Wii still outsells both the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360 in domestic locations.

Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) has a lot of great franchises. Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft ... these brands are very valuable to shareholders. But there's one franchise in particular that could use a little help in the buzz department. And according to a recent press release from the publisher, that's exactly what it will be getting via a fresh reboot.

The Tony Hawk skateboarding games have been very popular. Unfortunately, you don't hear about the franchise that much anymore (well, I don't, at least). All we hear about is the Guitar Hero series of games. As a shareholder in Activision Blizzard, I'm hoping that this situation will soon change for the better. When Tony Hawk: RIDE is released this fall, it will use a special skateboard controller that will supposedly make the gaming experience completely new and unquestionably exciting.

It's been a busy week for video-game investors. Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) reported earnings on Thursday. Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) also came out with numbers. In addition to those two, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and THQ (NASDAQ: THQI) both published their respective results as well. It's interesting to see how the market has reacted to the stats.

EA successfully scored a beat on the bottom line. On an adjusted basis, EA posted a loss of $0.37 per share. The analyst community thought that a $0.43 per-share loss was possible. Not bad. It was reported that EA has been aggressively cutting costs to improve its situation.

Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), a video-game publisher that competes with Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), THQ (NASDAQ: THQI), and Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO), reported some cool first-quarter numbers on Thursday after the bell. On an adjusted basis, the company earned 8 cents per share. According to analysts, Activision Blizzard was only supposed to do around 5 cents per share.

Not only was the bottom line solid, but revenues on an adjusted basis also came in ahead of expectations. And you can thank the usual suspects for powering up the quarter. You've got Call of Duty. You've got Guitar Hero. You've got World of Warcraft. These best-of-breed franchises are selling a lot of copies on Sony's (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3, Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360, and Nintendo's (OTC: NTDOY) Wii.

Nintendo's (OTC: NTDOY) ADRs are down well over 6% as I write this. The video-game giant posted quarterly earnings that weren't necessarily as fun as one of its Super Mario adventures.

This source says that Nintendo's quarterly operating income plunged more than 40%. The forecast for the year was likewise troubling. Nintendo believes its profit may drop 12%. This guidance was worse than expected. We've talked here before about Nintendo perhaps seeing a slowdown in the Wii fad. We've also discussed the issue of currency pressures. According to this article, the problems caused by the yen might be abating somewhat.

You seriously have to be kidding me. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is interested in Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS)? I can't believe what I just read.

Well, to be accurate here, I'm not sure if this is a strong rumor or not. Then again, there has been a lot of speculation over the fate of EA since it has been doing so poorly and since its stock has seen a fall in value the last few years (it should be noted, though, that the stock has been strong the last several months).

But Barron's reports that Apple may want to buy the gaming publisher since it has a lot of cash to utilize for investing. Apparently, Guy Adami of the CNBC show Fast Money said there was some buzz equity surrounding this possibility (it was also mentioned that maybe Apple could purchase Twitter . . . but that's another story!).

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is set to report third-quarter earnings today after the close of trading. Analysts expect the software giant, whose competitors include IBM (NYSE: IBM), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), to earn 39 cents per share. Let's hope for a beat since Microsoft generated several pennies more per share in the previous year's similar quarter.

I don't feel a lot of confidence about this quarter. I'm sure everyone remembers Q2 back in January of this year. Microsoft released its earnings earlier than expected, but it wasn't to report great news. Instead, the company missed on the bottom line. Plus, management announced some workforce reductions. It wasn't a pleasant sight. The stock sold off, and shareholders felt miserable.

Investors in video-game stocks might end up with a case of a sour stomach after digesting the latest domestic sales figures from research firm NPD. According to Reuters, overall video-game revenues in March dropped 17% on a year-over-year basis. Indeed, it's not something that shareholders of Sony (NYSE: SNE), Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY), or Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) want to see.

Shareholders of Nintendo, however, will be glad to know that their company once again dominated the charts. The Wii sold over 600,000 consoles. Xbox 360 sold over 300,000 units, and PlayStation 3 moved over 200,000 systems. As for the PlayStation 3, well, it's frustrating statistics like these that are causing video-game execs to publicly call on Sony to do something!

I guess Sony (NYSE: SNE) likes to concentrate on things that have worked. The company recently announced a price cut for its PlayStation 2 system. The old price: $129.99. The new price: $99.99. Yes, the wonderful $99.99 level. It's a number that draws the attention of consumers and practically dares them not to be interested.

You can bet that a lot of casual gamers will be looking to buy the console now. I know what you're thinking: Who the heck doesn't already own a PlayStation 2 by this point? Well, I'm sure there are quite a few people out there who don't have one installed in their living room.

Plus, you have to remember that there will be many parents out there who might want to pick up one of the consoles for their younger kids. Little ones who may just be starting their video-gaming lives. Why waste several hundred dollars on next-generation technology when old-generation technology will suffice for such a demographic?

The video-game industry had another good month.

Sales figures for February show that the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii sold the most consoles (like anyone was surprised by that?). Over 750,000 units were purchased, according to statistics from research firm NPD.

The Xbox 360, which is manufactured by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), sold over 390,000 consoles. And then we have poor Sony (NYSE: SNE), which makes the PlayStation 3. That system found a little over 275,000 willing buyers.

Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) is one of those stocks that you just want to own but are not sure that you should own. How many times have you heard that the Wii is selling like hotcakes and that the company is beating the heck out of Sony's (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360?

You've heard it a lot. Plus, you may even know how fun the Wii is from personal experience. Maybe you own one and are right now trying to finish the last level of Wario Land: Shake It!. And even if you don't own one, chances are one of your friends does.

Boy, I'll tell you, owning Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) has been tough lately. I love the company's prospects. It's got great franchises: Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, World of Warcraft. It's doing better than rivals Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and THQ (NASDAQ: THQI). But the stock has been hitting a lot of technical resistance. Not only that, but CEO Bobby Kotick recently sold a bunch of shares (over a million, actually).

Well, in terms of that insider sale, we can all relax. Basically, Kotick was exercising options that were set to expire relatively soon, says Barron's. That accounted for one million shares. Now, he did also sell over 240,000 shares that were stored in a trust. The mitigating factor here is that Kotick operates under restrictions as to when he can and cannot sell stock. So, in an overall sense, we can give him a pass on this one. Silicon Alley Insider supports this sentiment, and talks about another insider's sale in similar terms.