With Nintendo’s 3DS gaming handheld on the horizon, any glasses-free 3D display technology announcement is being examined closely. Back in March we pondered whether Nintendo might use Hitachi’s 3D system, based on the company already being a DSi screen supplier, but now Sharp – who also supply Nintendo with LCDs –have announced their own 3.4-inch 3D LCD technology. As for whether it works, Akihabara News reckon it’s “REALLY impressive” and the equal of systems requiring 3D glasses.
Sharp’s system uses a parallax barrier system – basically a series of vertical slits which control what light reaches which eye – and can be used in both portrait and landscape orientation. It’s switchable between 2D and 3D models, and the company reckons it’s the brightest such display so far, at 500cd/m2.
Two versions are planned, one with a touchscreen and the other without – remind you of any particular gaming handheld? – and mass production is expected to begin in the first half of the 2010 fiscal year. No word on what sort of pricing the panels might carry, but they’re apparently the same thickness (even with a touchscreen layer) as regular 2D displays.
