Quote Originally Posted by la-li-lu-le-lo View Post
They're similar in that they produce a similar effect (i.e. a full color 3D image), but the way that they do it is completely different. Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallax_barrier That doesn't describe it in much depth, but it gives you a general idea.

EDIT: http://www.mcs.anl.gov/uploads/cels/papers/P1438.pdf This paper has a better illustration, and a brief explanation of a normal parallax barrier (like the one used in the 3DS) in the "Background" section.
I know they're different, like i said i used the shutter effect as an example - not that they're the same technology.