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.

One of the things I have long coveted (other than my new obsession, the House of Pain Adidas) is a Nintendo Wii. You see, I am a bit behind on the gaming world, but I like the Wii because I could play golf with Tiger Woods and my (bad) swing. Perhaps I may be able to get a Wii for less than the shoes now, as long as I am not in the U.K..

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), a video-game publisher which competes with Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO), and THQ (NASDAQ: THQI), reported earnings for the fiscal third quarter on Tuesday. It wasn't EA's finest moment. After accounting for adjustments, non-GAAP income was $0.56 per share. That represented a horrible decline. Last year at this time, EA earned $.90. Operating cash flow was likewise ugly. For the past twelve months, EA generated a little over $80 million of the green stuff. In the previous similar period, EA saw over $260 million in cash from operations Non-GAAP revenue was essentially flat.

Although Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE) sell fine gaming consoles, both companies still are far behind competitor Nintendo Co., Ltd (OTC: NTDOY). The small white box known as the Nintendo Wii has outsold both competitors since it was released over a few years ago and, month after month, it proves its sales dominance over far more capable and advanced consoles. But, as gearheads and feature freaks continue to not understand, better doesn't translate into popular. While the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 compete on many levels from polygons to high-def audio, the Wii provides engaging gameplay. And, it appeals to more than thumbstick junkies.

It's not that the Wii is the best gaming system ever. It just has mass appeal where the other two do not. It also, for the longest time, had a price advantage at $249. While both Sony and Microsoft made numerous price drops and bundle reconfigurations to try and compete on price, the Wii has remained steady at $249 and has handily outsold the other two. Is it really that good? Numbers don't lie. Sony, as an example, spends so much making the incredibly advanced Playstation 3 that it may never make any money off the console itself, no matter how hard it tries. Same goes for Microsoft, which probably loses less money per console than Sony. The "making money with software and royalties" gambit and losing a ton on the hardware itself is dicey and will continue to be so.

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) or Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) both just can't seem to get over the fact that the Nintendo Ltd. (OTC: NTDOY) Wii gaming system is beating both in terms of sales. On Black Friday sales a few weeks ago, the Wii was at the top of searches on the web and was, by far, the best-selling game console -- a title it's held for over a year now over both the competitors.

Yet, Sony and Microsoft consistently indicate that the Wii is on a different playing field since it does not offer a true gaming experience. What are these companies smoking? The gaming experience is not a gimmick, but it is apparently what has connected with millions of new game players, from the geriatric set to entire families. Not a true gaming system? Please. The customer experience is what counts, not the polygon count and the Swiss army knife approach of "do everything and anything" gaming consoles that can even cook your breakfast for you. Goofiness aside, you get the idea.

Microsoft's entry-level price for the Xbox 360 is now $199 -- $50 cheaper than the Wii, which has held onto its $249 price tag since it was introduced in the U.S. When Microsoft tells Cnet that "I think for us, we don't really see the Wii as a direct competitor, we actually very much complement the Wii experience ... it's obviously clear that we're going head-to-head with the PS3 in this generation." Unbelievable.

Nintendo Co., Ltd. (ADR) (OTC: NTDOY)'s Wii game console continuet to burn up the sales charts, selling hundreds of thousands every month. In fact, the lower-priced and graphically-inferior Wii has blown through almost every sales expectation since its release nearly two years ago. Last month, the Wii was responsible for 49% of all game consoles, and it's sold nearly 30 million since its November 2006 launch. Wow.

But, with success comes a large target on the back. Nintendo has been named in a patent lawsuit claiming the Japanese gaming company. Hillcrest Technologies says that Nintendo has violated various patents it holds dealing with the wireless, dimension-aware gaming controller that ships with every Wii console.

The "Wiimote," as it has been dubbed, uses gyroscopes, Bluetooth wireless technology, and is incredibly simplistic on the surface (there are a minimum of buttons, unlike the competition). But inside the Wiimote, the technology making it possible to swing it like a tennis racket is quite complex. Hillcrest's claim rests primarily on wireless technology it invented to allow the physical motion of a controller to select items on a viewing monitor. Hillcrest has already licensed its technology to several gaming companies, but the question remains: why did it take almost two years to bring the lawsuit against Nintendo? Something smells here.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), a competitor of IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), will report its earnings for the fourth quarter on Thursday. According to Trey Thoelcke's earnings summary, the software giant will be expected to produce sales of about $15 billion on earnings per share of 47 cents. These numbers would represent double-digit growth rates for each metric.

According to this estimates page at AOL Finance, Microsoft has cultivated a reputation for being reliable when it comes to delivering on Wall Street expectations. It certainly has the assets to keep this trend going. The company's operating-system monopoly, as well as its incredible success with the Office suite of products, guarantees a steady stream of cash flow and bottom-line predictability. Other investments, such as the Xbox 360 and the company's various Internet properties, aren't as guaranteed. In fact, Microsoft has engaged a very strange battle (strange to me and others, at least) to buy Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) to bolster its future prospects on the 'net.

So, here's what investors should be looking for. I will be very interested in what management has to say about its thoughts regarding Yahoo! and its utility for Microsoft. Is it an absolute necessity? I doubt it, and I really do hope that shareholders will finally get some closure on this subject. The best thing would be for Microsoft to announce that it is done with the portal. And in terms of the Xbox 360, I would be interested in hearing any new marketing strategies being readied for the holiday season and if the current recessionary environment will have any effect on sales. Microsoft recently reduced the price for one Xbox 360 model as a way of increasing that system's value proposition in relation to the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii. The company also has entered partnerships with General Electric's (NYSE: GE) NBC Universal and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), according to Variety, to make its Xbox Live asset even more attractive to users looking for cool content such as movies and TV shows.

Activision closed on its transaction with Vivendi Games Thursday and officially became Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVID), according to an article at SmartMoney.com. And I am pretty excited at the prospects for the new business (I am a shareholder). It's going to be a tough competitor against Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO). (Of course, the latter two might merge at some point.)

Activision is riding high with its Guitar Hero franchise, and Vivendi Games brings an incredible asset to the table in the form of online gaming sensation World of Warcraft. I can't say I know much about World of Warcraft the game itself, but I know it has a huge following. What else do I need to know, right? For 2009, management at Activision Blizzard expects pro-forma operating income of over $1 billion and perhaps $1.20 or more in terms of earnings per share. That puts the stock, which rose over 5% on Thursday and closed with a price of $31.77 per share, with a P/E ratio a little over 26. That isn't too bad a valuation considering the growth potential. And when the holiday season comes around, I'm sure people will still be buying the publisher's software for gifts, recession or not. Whether it's the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3, the Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360, or the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii, gamers will be buying the company's products for these platforms in droves.

The stock has retreated from the highs it reached back in June when I wrote about it, but I am still bullish on the thesis here. Activision Blizzard should do really well, but with the markets in turmoil, you can probably wait for a pullback before buying.

Disclosure: I own Activision Blizzard; positions can change at any time.

THQ's (NASDAQ: THQI) Q4 results were not good at all. Revenues were up over 8% to $187 million, but the software publisher lost an adjusted $0.37 per diluted share from continuing operations. Last year at this time, THQ generated positive adjusted net income of $0.13 per diluted share from continuing operations. The full fiscal year was no better -- revenues were basically flat at $1 billion. The company lost an adjusted $0.23 per diluted share from continuing operations during the year compared to an adjusted profit of $1.20 per diluted share from continuing operations in 2007.

This publisher is no Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) or Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) right now. Its slate is performing poorly, and the company's stock is likewise in the dumps. But what about the future? A few years back, THQ wasn't a bad investment decision. I have a feeling that THQ will rebound as the current console cycle continues its forward path, especially when further price cuts in hardware make their way to market.

THQ, however, needs to get its slate back on track, and to really go after the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation 3 and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360 players. It seems to be doing OK with the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii platform in terms of revenue mix. Perhaps the deal struck with DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA) for a video game based on the animation company's 2010 feature Master Mind will help.

Nevertheless, there is nothing exciting in the earnings release, nothing that makes me think that THQ is out of the dark woods yet. Again, though, I would expect the publisher's stock to rebound in the future. Question is, how patient will investors be?

Disclosure: I own shares in Activision; positions can change at any time.

The video-game sales report for the month of March is in. The NPD Group, a market-research company, said that sales of hardware and software jumped 57% compared with March of last year, coming in at $1.7 billion. Hardware revenue grew 46%, while software sales leaped by 63%. One of the best analysts of the video-game sector, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan, thought that software sales might increase 47% from last year.

That's okay, though -- video games certainly have the right, as well as the ability, to surprise to the upside, especially when Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) released the incomparable Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii in March. I don't think there's one soul on the planet that didn't expect that title to be tops in March -- it sold 2.7 million units. Seriously, many gamers are addicted to this. I know one individual who still plays several rounds of smash-brawling antics twice a day! The title definitely drove Wii sales -- the console sold 67% more units in March than it did in the previous month.

The data continue to show that video gaming is hot, and that quality publishers such as Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) should be investigated as potential ideas on pullbacks. However, I think Nintendo is the bigger one to look at now since the Wii continues to do well and since it has an interesting putative catalyst coming up in May with the Wii Fit exercise system. Of course, you may just want to look right now. 'll like Nintendo's stock a whole lot better if it gets below $60 per share. No matter what, though, the company is still giving Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) a nice run for their collective money. With the DS, the Wii, Mario, etc. -- Nintendo certainly commands respect, I'll say.

Disclosure: I own shares of Activision; positions can change at any time.

Best Buy, Inc. (NYSE: BBY), always the one to capitalize on unique marketing opportunities at every chance it gets, sees another one coming down the road very soon. The upcoming Nintendo Wii gaming title Wii Fit, which is to be released on May 17, should be one of Nintendo's hottest gaming titles of this year.

The Wii has made its mark using interactive and physical gameplay, requiring the physical involvement of the players instead of the couch potato thumb involvement of regular competitive game consoles. For that reason alone, the Wii has become immensely popular, outselling both the Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) Playstation 3 and the Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360.

Best Buy's marketing angle with the Wii Fit release happening in over a month includes some teaser ads near fitness DVDs that use Nintendo's catchy Wii slogan: "how will it move you?" The new Wii Fit game, which will include a "balance board" to help those playing the game to interact as much as possible physically, needs to have a "best outlet" for sales here in the U.S. due to its existing mass population appeal, and if Best Buy can ramp up anticipation correctly, it may become the outlet to buy the Wii Fit game title come the third week of May. That is, unless competitor Circuit City Stores, Inc. (NYSE: CC) becomes aggressive on its Wii Fit marketing -- and I don't see that happening.

THQ (NASDAQ: THQI) is not casual when it comes to casual gaming. What is casual gaming, you ask? It is a genre of videogaming for people who don't want to learn a bunch of button combos for a complex first-person shooter or don't possess the desire to spend fifty hours winding their way through a vast role-playing universe. And it just might be an important avenue of growth for the videogame industry, since it opens up new markets beyond the hardcore gamer. Publishers such as Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) and Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) know that casual-gaming strategies are important these days, as do console makers Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Sony (NYSE: SNE). Heck, Nintendo's (OTC: NTDOY) overall strategy is arguably completely casual in nature, considering the appeal of the Wii.

THQ announced the other day that it would buy Elephant Entertainment and enter into a publishing deal with Oberon Media. Both of these companies are purveyors of casual-gaming entertainment and they are meant to broaden the scope of THQ's offerings in this area. Expectations are for casual games to grow significantly over time.

It may be a smart thing for THQ to grow its casual-gaming business, but it needs to focus right now mostly on getting its main pipeline back in order. Recent delays for certain titles, as well as sagging sales of games that were supposed to do well, have caused THQ's stock to fall; in fact, THQ's recent quarter was kind of bad, in my opinion. So, yes, go after the casual market -- but remember the less-than-casual and hardcore players as well, as they are major drivers for the success of a gaming slate.

Disclosure: I own shares of Activision; positions can change at any time.

If I had a dime for every time a person asked me "Is Rock Band ever coming out for the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii?" I'd have more money than Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) and Viacom (NYSE: VIA) combined. Seriously. Now, though, Wii fans can see the light at the end of the tunnel because Rock Band debuts on the popular platform on June 22 of this year. I don't think any gamer on the planet expected the title to not come out for the Wii.

Not only is this great news for Wii users, but it's also excellent information for shareholders of EA and Viacom. As Richard Driver pointed out, the game is a valuable asset for Viacom. EA benefits because Rock Band is the publisher's answer to Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI)'s Guitar Hero franchise. In fact, Nintendo really stands to benefit this summer from both Guitar Hero and Rock Band because a version of the former will be coming out for the Nintendo DS handheld. There's definitely going to be a rock rumble happening when the dog days are upon us, although I'd expect that Rock Band for the Wii will have a much bigger impact. That doesn't seem too hard to predict considering that music games of these types work better on consoles, in my opinion.

This is going to be one hell of a test for Activision, EA, Viacom and the Wii. Will users adopt Rock Band in droves? Will the Guitar Hero franchise be threatened? In theory, the Wii is a console for casual gamers who just like to play some tennis or a few of the extremely fun midway diversions that can be found in the awesome title Carnival Games -- will they go for something more expensive and more involved? My prediction -- Rock Band will be a hit, but it won't sell a ton of units until the holiday shopping season is upon us. Can't wait to see what happens come June. Till then, rock on, my friends!

Disclosure: I own shares of Activision; positions can change at any time.

I don't have to tell you how utterly, unbelievably, unequivocally popular Activision's (NASDAQ: ATVI) Guitar Hero game is. It's currently selling tons of units on the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii, the Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360 and the Sony (NYSE: SNE) PlayStation platforms. It's too tough for me to play, but legions of others are having a grand old time living out their rock-and-roll fantasies.

I've been wondering for a while now if the DS would ever get a Guitar Hero game. Let's be honest -- all of us know several kids and/or adults who own one of these handhelds; they're like everywhere (and, yes, I want one too, to be frank, although I hate small game devices). I was thinking that Activision was leaving a lot of money on the table by not programming a version for Nintendo's handheld. But then I thought that a DS version would be like an insult to the image of the franchise -- how could a developer possibly capture the feel of the console iterations on the little DS? Didn't make sense to me, so I figured we'd never see a DS version.

As I've said before, I love reading the monthly videogame sales stats from marketing research outfit NPD. February was yet another nice month for the industry. Software continues to move off retail shelves at a robust clip; sales in this department were up 47% year-over-year last month.

Activision (NASDAQ: ATVI) and its incredible Call of Duty 4 title -- yes, I am an Activision shareholder and will probably promote any of its games to my friends and acquaintances, but if you think I'm wrong on this one, go check it out for yourself, it does rule something fierce -- continued its reign at number one, selling 296,000 discs. Activision also did well with Guitar Hero III for the Nintendo (OTC: NTDOY) Wii, selling 222,000 copies of the game. Rock Band, the music game from Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), did well on Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360 -- over 160,000 rockers heeded the call to play some classic tunes.

As one might expect, the Wii sold the most consoles in February. Sony (NYSE: SNE) came in second with its PlayStation 3 unit, and the Xbox 360 was third. Microsoft says a shortage of systems hurt the company; I don't doubt that claim, the 360 did seem a bit hard to come by at some retail channels last month. But it'll be back in competitive mode in the coming months, I'm sure, making certain that Sony doesn't rest on its laurels. I expect sales for software to continue doing well, and just wait till the next holiday season -- I agree, it's too early to be talking about that, but it'll be here before you know it., and I expect it will be another banner selling period. And I can't wait to see what software title will be on top for the current month -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii came out this past Sunday, keep in mind. If you told me you haven't heard of this title, I'd be surprised -- it really was the story of the week (or, should that be wiik; stupid pun, gotcha). A couple of GameStop (NYSE: GME) locations in my area held some tournaments, and from what I heard, they were quite lively.

Disclosure: Steven Mallas owns shares of Activision; positions can change at any time.