It’s no secret the video game industry is having a rough 2009 here in the United States — but that's not the only place it's struggling.

While there are now over 100,000 apps in the Apple App store, the vast majority of them were created on a shoestring budget. With customers flocking toward lower-priced program, it just doesn’t make business sense to spend big development dollars—especially on games, the App store’s most crowded category.

For decades, the Walt Disney Company has largely kept Mickey Mouse frozen under glass. Now, however, concerned that Mickey has become more of a corporate symbol than a beloved character for recent generations of young people, Disney is taking the risky step of re-imagining him for the future.

The third quarter of 2009 was a pretty horrendous one for the video game industry. Year over year sales plummeted amid a lack of ‘must have’ games. Now, as earnings season draws near, game makers are about to face the consequences.

Following a disappointing quarterly report card from gaming giant Nintendo, Hiroshi Kamide, gaming and software analyst at KBC Securities, believes the firm will do better next year.

Nintendo plans to launch a new version of its DSi hand-held videogame player with a larger screen in Japan as early as this year to kick-start sluggish demand, the Nikkei business daily said on Tuesday.

Streaming movies are coming to the PlayStation 3. Netflix (NFLX) and Sony (SNE) on Monday announced a partnership that will let owners of the gaming system instantly watch roughly 17,000 movies and TV shows.

Despite an extensive marketing campaign, positive reviews and some of the most widespread media attention ever given to a video game, “The Beatles: Rock Band” had a relatively lackluster first month on store shelves.

The good news: After six consecutive months of negative numbers, the video game industry finally had a month that topped 2008’s sales figures. The bad news: It only did so by the skin of its teeth.

The November 2005 launch of the Xbox 360 marked not only the beginning of a new cycle of video game hardware, it also launched a new era in video game pricing.

One of the video game industry’s most consistent hitmakers is taking things to the next level.  PopCap Games, the creator of titles such as “Bejweled,” “Zuma,” “Bookworm” and “Peggle” – has raised $22.5 million from venture capitalists.

For nearly three decades, the Federal Trade Commission’s rules regarding the relationships between advertisers and product reviewers and endorsers were deemed adequate. Then came the age of blogging and social media.

The issue of whether minors should be legally prohibited from buying violent video games may soon be settled – once and for all.

What will Santa have in his bag this holiday season? Toys ‘R Us, the largest U.S. toy retailer, has issued its forecast for the hottest toys .  With consumers still watching their spending carefully, one theme that stands out  is a focus on value. Toys on the list range from $10 (squeaking Zhu Zhu interactive hamsters )  to about $350 (Disney 's  Netpals netbook computer).  Click ahead to see which toys made the cut. 

Unlike its predecessors, the new portable gaming system from Sony does not run on traditional packaged software. Any game or movie the user wants has to be downloaded — and that leaves retailers out of the loop on the most profitable part of any gaming system.