"The 3D monitor should be launched commercially before the end of this year, priced at around 3,000 euros (around $3,190)," a Sharp spokesman said.

The prototype on display was a 15-inch flat screen. Sharp explained that the screen contains a "parallax barrier" thin-film transistor (TFT) panel that splits the light generated by the monitor such that alternate columns of pixels are seen by each eye, so that each sees a slightly different image.

For this to work, the user has to be positioned directly in front of the monitor and at the correct distance away--which appears to be around 15 to 20 inches.

Sharp demonstrated how the 3D monitor could be used to improve game play, by showing a demo of "Quake" where the terrain, monsters and other items appeared in three dimensions. The company also believes that its new system could have applications in sectors such as medical imaging and molecular modeling.