| Atari Lynx |
Website Links For Lynx |
Information AboutAtari Lynx |
The Atari Lynx is Atari 's only Handheld Game Console , and the first such machine with a Color display. The system is notable for its forward-looking features, advanced graphics, and Ambidextrous format. The ''Lynx'' was released in 1989, the same year as Nintendo 's (monochromatic) Game Boy . FEATURES The Atari Lynx had several innovative features including it being the first color handheld, with a backlit display, a switchable right-handed/left-handed (upside down) configuration, and the ability to network with up to 17 other units via its "ComLynx" system (though most games would network eight or fewer players). The Lynx was also the first gaming console with hardware support for zooming/distortion of Sprites , allowing fast pseudo- 3D games with unrivaled quality at the time and a capacity for drawing filled polygons with limited CPU intervention. Blue Lightning , an Afterburner clone, was especially notable and featured in tv advertising for the console. The games were originally meant to be loaded from Tape , but were later changed to load from ROM. The game data still needed to be copied from ROM to RAM before it could be used, so less memory was available and the games loaded slower than necessary. The system was developed by Epyx as the "Handy" and completed in 1987 , at which point Atari bought the rights to it. Atari changed the internal speaker and removed the thumb-stick on the control pad before releasing it as the Lynx two years later, initially retailing in the US at USD $189.95. The two creators of the system, RJ Mical and Dave Needle , were also members of the Amiga design team and much to the frustration of Atari, the Amiga was used as the software development platform. In 1991, Atari relaunched the Lynx with new packaging, slightly improved hardware, and a new sleek look. The new system (referred within Atari as the "Lynx II") featured rubber hand grips and a clearer backlit color screen with a power save option. It also replaced the monaural headphone jack of the original Lynx with one wired for stereo. It also was in a scene of Full House, when Stephanie went to a make-out party. MISTAKES Though technologically superior to the Game Boy, a number of factors overshadowed the success of the unit:
By the mid-1990s, the Atari Lynx was no longer widely available, having failed to achieve the critical mass it required to attract a wide range of quality third party developers. However, as with a lot of older consoles, there is still a small group of devoted fans, creating and selling games for the system. An emulator called Handy was released to play Lynx games on PCs in 2000. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Some (homebrew) carts with EEPROM to save hi-scores.
SCREENSHOTS |
Image:Atari-lynx-chips-challengepng''
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Chip's_Challenge" class="copylinks">Chip's Challenge ''<br> Atari / Epyx (1989) |
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Image:Atari-lynx-road-blasterspng''Road Blasters''<br>
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Tengen_(company)" class="copylinks">Tengen (1990) |
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Image:Atari-lynx-shanghaipng''
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Shanghai_solitaire" class="copylinks">Shanghai ''<br>Mediagenic (1990) |
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Image:Atari-lynx-turbo-subpng''Turbo Sub''<br>
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Atari" class="copylinks">Atari (1991) |
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Image:Atari-lynx-rampartpng''
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Rampart_(arcade_game)" class="copylinks">Rampart ''<br> Atari / Tengen (1992) |
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Image:Lynx-steel-talonspng''Steel Talons''<br>
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Atari" class="copylinks">Atari / Tengen (1992) |
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Image:Atari-lynx-jimmy-connors-tennispng''Jimmy Connors' Tennis''<br>
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Atari" class="copylinks">Atari (1993) |
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