Video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. got a lift after a Piper Jaffray analyst urged investors to buy the stock on weakness, placing it among the few bright spots Wednesday as the broader technology sector declined.

For several components of the tech sector, Wall Street analysts believe 2009 will be a year of transition. The first half will be painful, the second half slightly better, but the real recovery won’t occur until 2010.Here's the outlook for four key sectors.

U.S. video game retail sales soared 53 percent in June, fueled by Nintendo's Wii and handheld DS gaming systems, as well as Konami's blockbuster "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" — by far the month's best-selling title.