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Sharp details new 3D screens for mobile devices
Adding more depth to the already eye-popping rumor that the Nintendo 3DS will use Sharp's parallax barrier LCD screen, Sharp today detailed its latest 3D, no-glasses-required screen for mobile devices. Engadget spotted the announcement this morning -- one that advertises the 3D touchscreen as "ideal for mobile devices such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and smartphones" -- rightly pointing out that the screen falls near-perfectly in step with Nintendo's recently revealed 3DS handheld. The announcement also confirms that the screen can switch between 2D and 3D modes, and that the non-touchscreen iteration of it will go into production in "the first half of fiscal 2010 [beginning April 1]." Presumably we could see the touchscreen version going into full production soon afterward, and a new Nintendo handheld on retail shelves by this holiday. We've contacted Nintendo to see if Sharp will be lending its screens to the 3DS, but we wouldn't go holding our breath for an official response any time before E3. [Via Engadget]
3DS said to feature 3D control stick, Sharp LCD screens; will be playable at E3
As if news of a new handheld device coming from Nintendo in the middle of the night wasn't enough, Engadget today spotted two reports out of Japanese newspapers Asahi and Nikkei detailing the 3DS' known hardware so far. Asahi claims that the handheld's 3D output (remember, sans silly glasses) comes via a "parallax barrier LCD" from Sharp, while Nikkei backs this up and adds that the device's screens will measure roughly four inches diagonally across (each). Nikkei also claims the device will feature a "3D control stick," though this could presumably be an analog control stick, as well as rumble support and an upped battery life / speedier Wi-Fi. And while we heard last night that the device would arrive on retail shelves sometime in "Fiscal 2010" (before the end of calendar year March 2011), the report says it will arrive during the "second half of [calendar] 2010," owing the new handheld's reveal to slowing DS sales. In speaking with a representative from Nintendo of America, the New York Times confirmed that we'll get our first hands-on with the 3DS at E3 2010, so we'll get our chance to find out exactly what that hardware contains soon enough. Source 1 - Asahi Source 2 - Nikkei Source 3 - The New York Times [Via Engadget]
