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In Asia Thursday the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 1.5% to 2,749 and the Hang Seng Index fell 0.3% to 23,780. In Japan the Nikkei 225 Index advanced 0.7% to end the day at 10,479.

Asian markets plunged Thursday. In China the Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 2.9% to 2,678 and in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index fell 1.7% to 24,004. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index lost 1.1% to end the day at 10,437.

Microsoft sold out of its Xbox video-game console in late December thanks to strong holiday-season demand, and may have product shortages in January and February as well, as the company's Kinect motion-sensor device has boosted the popularity of the system, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

How long can Nintendo Wii maintain its position as the reigning video-game console? Microsoft shipped an astronomical 8 million Kinect game systems in the past two months, undermining Wii's leadership -- already weakened by competition from the Xbox and PlayStation 3.

Panasonic is gearing up to challenge Nintendo and Sony with a new handheld video-game player code-named "Jungle," Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. After leaving the portable-gaming market a decade ago, can this new device make Panasonic a major player?

Stores sold 4% less video-game equipment -- including hardware, software and accessories -- in October compared to a year ago, according to research firm NPD Group. While players are spending more on the games themselves, they aren't shelling out for new consoles: Sales of those systems declined significantly.

Sony Corp. (SNE) will slash the price of its PSPgo portable game player ahead of the holiday period. The company will cut the price of the PSPgo to $199 from $249 in the United States and to 16,800 yen ($207) from 26,800 yen in Japan, Reuters said. Sponsored Links Sony is cutting prices after...

Nintendo slashed its forecast for the year, citing weak sales and stronger-than-expected appreciation of the Japanese yen. It also announced its new handheld 3-D video game console won't be released until after the holiday season.

Nintendo will release its 3-D gaming device -- 3DS -- in Japan in February of next year, with a March release date for the U.S. and Europe. Will gamers buy the 3-D devices? The jury is still out.

Last month was the worst August in four years for U.S. video game sales, according to a new NPD Group report. Revenue fell 10% from August of last year as gamers scaled back on portable-gaming purchases and turned to -- often free -- online games instead.