________ ________
/ \_________________/ A \
| |o L Y N X | B ( )|
| | ___________ | ( ) |
| __ |[]/ _________ \[]| ||| |
| __| |__| || || | ||||| |
||__ __|[]|| ||[]| ||||||| |
| |__| | ||_________|| | ||||| |
| |[]\___________/[]| ||| |
| | /|\ Atari | ( ) |
| |_________________| B ( )|
\\________/=================\______A_//
\________/ \________/
About the Atari Lynx
The Atari Lynx is noted for being the world's first color portable video
game system. It was first announced by Atari and Epyx at the Summer Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in June, 1989. Atari Corp. purchased the rights to
the Lynx from Epyx just before the show began. The creators of the Lynx,
RJ Mical and Dave Needle were years ahead of their time. The next color
portable with a price comparable to the Lynx was released two years later--
the Game Gear. The Game Gear, however, does not have the zoom, scaling, and
scrolling abilities of the Lynx. And the Game Gear also does not have the
price. The Lynx is selling at most places for just $30.00 more than the
monochrome GameBoy--$79.99!
The Lynx system can display 16 colors simultaneously out of a palette of
4,096 colors in a resolution of 160x102 pixels. The Lynx uses the 8-bit
65C02 microprocessor with 16-bit address space. It also uses a 16-bit
graphics processor and a 32-bit sound processor at the speed of 16 MHz.
The graphics processor chip, also called Suzie, allows for advanced graphics
features found on no other portable. This includes scaling, super zoom,
and scrolling. The Lynx has a powerful four channel sound chip or Mikey
that provides for excellent music during game play. It has 64k of RAM and
is capable of handling game cards up to 16 megabits of information. The
Lynx's screen is a backlit 3.5 inch color LCD screen (largest of any
portable). The system measures 9.25" x 4.25" x 2" and weighs less than
a pound. It's control is an eight-way joypad, two fire buttons, and three
option buttons that allow up to five different functions. By pressing the
"flip" button, the Lynx allows left handers to play as well as right handed
game players. A special sun shade snaps over its screen that allows a game
player to play the Lynx even in the bright sunshine. There are three jacks
on the backside of the handheld. One is for power (AC adaptor can be
purchased for the Lynx), another is for headphones, and the last one is a
comlynx port that can connect up to 16 Lynxs together. The ability for the
Lynx systems to connect and play multi-player games is probably its best
feature. No other portable game system on the market can use this feature
to the extent that the Lynx can. In fact, when the Lynx was first released,
it was the only portable on the market that could connect with more than
one other system. With the right game cards, the Lynx jumps into another
generation of video gaming--true multi-player games. The Lynx allows each
player to have a different perspective within the same game. Since the
Lynx was created with this purpose in mind, it may always lead in this area.
The Lynx can be played without the AC adaptor by using 6 AA batteries that
last a little over six hours. A cigarette lighter plug and long-play power
pack are also available for it.
The Lynx is sold either in a package with batteries, comlynx cable, pouch,
and the game card California Games at a suggested retail price of $129.99 or
by itself for $99.99. Some of the retailers that carry the Lynx sell the
base unit for $79.99.
In 1991, Atari announced a redesigned Lynx at the Winter Consumer Electronics
Show. This Lynx is lighter, smaller, and slicker looking than the original
Lynx. It has a slightly longer battery life and a screen that can be turned
off when paused to conserve battery power. The original Lynx shut itself off
after 5 minutes of non-use, the new Lynx does not. This is because the 5
minute auto shut-off was a pain to both, the user and Atari. The user could
not stop playing the game for 5 minutes for fear it would be lost and Atari
could not demonstrate the Lynx's graphics and sound abilities at toy stores.
The new Lynx also has rubber grasps on the back of the system so it can be
held better. A power LED has been added (which blinks when battery power is
low), and cartridges can be slipped in and out a little easier. There is a
special protective, magnifying screen over the LCD. In the past, people have
broken or scratched the original Lynx screen which is very hard to replace.
Atari has made the new Lynx screen so it snaps off easily for replacement if
necessary.
The new Lynx also has stereo with panning when used with earphones. The
speaker has also been replaced with a smaller speaker that doesn't offer the
volume as the original but still does an adequate job for all but the most
noisy situations. If the sound is still not adequate, small stereo speakers
can be connected to it through the headphone port. Atari's engineers also
combined a few chips together so it would be less expensive for you to
purchase.
How does the Lynx compare to other systems? Even though the Turbo-Express
and Sega Game Gear have been released much later than the Lynx, the Lynx
still seems to be the best deal.
The Nintendo GameBoy costs $49.95. Since you can purchase a Lynx for just
a little more, there is no comparison. The Lynx is in color. The GameBoy
is in monochrome. The Lynx has arcade-like graphics, the GameBoy does not.
The Lynx can comlynx with 8-players in some games, the GameBoy was not made
for this. The Lynx is very fast, the GameBoy is very slow. Most GameBoy
owners recommend a special magnifying light that places over the screen.
This, however, costs as much as $30.00 more.
The Sega Game Gear costs $99.95. This price was most likely lowered
in response to the Lynx's suggested retail price of $99.95. But since most
retailers sell the Lynx for a lot less, the Lynx is again the better choice.
The Game Gear was released two years later than the Lynx. The graphics and
sound are nearly equal to that of the Lynx. The screen is sharper but also
smaller. The graphics speed is 8 MHz compared to the Lynx's 16 MHz. There
are no special graphics features such as scaling. The Game Gear's main
advantage over the Lynx is Sega's strong developers support. This will bring
more games to the Game Gear. However, most of these games are already on
the Sega Genesis. The Lynx has a huge lead in multi-player games and arcade
game conversions.
The Turbo-Express costs $199.95. Even though it plays all Turbo-Graphix 16
games, it costs $100 more than the Lynx.
For the price, the Lynx is the overall best deal. What is the main draw-back
of the Lynx? The lack of advertising and promotion of the Lynx by Atari
Corporation making it difficult to find it at retail stores. Many people
are hoping this will change in the next few months.
As of the end of 1993, the Lynx has close to 70 game cards available for it.
Half of those are multi-player games.
Expect to see these titles now:
TAKEN FROM: Lynx Frequently Asked Questions -- Maintained by Robert Jung.
==============================================================================
Title Stereo? Players Description
----------------- ------- ------- -----------------------------------
A.P.B. no 1 Patrol the city and look for felons
Awesome Golf no 1-4 Go for par on three 18-hole courses
Baseball Heroes no 1-2 The all-American sport for one or two
Basketbrawl no 1-2 Shoot hoops and slash opponents
Batman Returns no 1 The Dark Knight Returns again
BattleWheels yes 1-6 Car wars -- fast and furious!
Block Out no 1 Three-dimensional Tetris
Blue Lightning no 1 High-speed jet combat
Bill & Ted's no 1-2 A non-heinous adventure through time
Excellent Adventure
California Games no 1-4(1) Harmless fun in the sun and sand
Checkered Flag yes 1-6 High-performance Indy auto racing
Chip's Challenge no 1 144 block-pushing puzzles
Crystal Mines II no 1 180 dirt-digging mining puzzles
| Desert Strike no 1 Wage an Apache attack in the desert
Dinolympics no 1 Prehistoric puzzles with cavemen
Dirty Larry: yes 1 Blow away the punks and scum
Renegade Cop
Double Dragon no 1-2 Fight the street thugs
Dracula the Undead no 1 Escape from the Count's castle
Electrocop no 1 3-D rescue adventure
European Soccer no 1-2 Enter the Tournament with 130 teams
Challenge
Fidelity Ultimate no 1-2(2) Kings, queens, and pawns on the go
Chess Challenge
Gates of Zendocon no 1 Side scrolling space shooter
Gauntlet: The no 1-4 Fight through dungeons for a gem
Third Encounter
Gordo 106 no 1 Help the lab monkey escape!
Hard Drivin' no 1 Stunt and speed driving simulator
Hockey no 1-2 Hot action on the cold ice
Hydra no 1 Pilot a flying boat over the seas
Ishido: The Way of no 1-n(4) Place colored tiles in matching sets
the Stones
Jimmy Connors Tennis no 1-4 Team tennis and Connors' comments
Joust no 1-2 Air warfare on the back of an ostrich
Klax yes 1 Catch and position color tiles
Kung Food no 1 Bouts and routs in the refrigerator
Lemmings no 1 Save the little green haired rodents
Lynx Casino no 1-2 Try to beat the odds the safe way
Ms. Pac-Man no 1 Run the mazes and eat the dots
NFL Football no 1-2 Pigskin action with real teams
Ninja Gaiden no 1 Martial arts in the big city
Pac-Land no 1-2(2) Run and jump through Pac-Land
Paperboy no 1 Deliver newspapers to keep your job
Pinball Jam no 2 Two real-life pinballs on one card
Pit-Fighter no 1-2 Fight and brawl in underworld arenas
Power Factor no 1 Run and blast the Sinledo aliens
Qix no 1-2(2) Draw lines and trap the helix
Rampage no 1-4 Ravage cities as a giant monster
Rampart no 1-2 Build a castle and defend it
Road Blasters yes 1 Auto racing with guns and rockets
Robo-Squash yes(3) 1-2 3D racquetball
Robotron:2084 yes 1 Save the humans from robots
Rygar no 1 Run and battle beasts of the land
Scrapyard Dog no 1 Run and jump to rescue your pet
Shadow of the Beast no 1 Explore and fight the Beast Lord
Shanghai no 1-2 Remove all of the tiles
Steel Talons no 1 Helicopter combat flight simulator
S.T.U.N. Runner no 1 3-D tunnel warfare at 700mph
Super Skweek no 1-2 Paint tiles to save the day
Switchblade II no 1 Slash through Havok's forces of evil
Todd's Adventures no 1-8 Explore slimy caves for treasure
in Slime World
Toki no 1 A spitting monkey saves the day?
Tournament no 1-4 Futuristic robot football
Cyberball 2072
Turbo Sub no 1-2(4) 3-D shooter in the sea and air
Viking Child no 1 Jump and fight to save your family
Warbirds no 1-4 WWI biplane flight/combat simulator
World Class Soccer no 1-2 Soccer with 100 international teams
Xenophobe yes 1-4 Destroy aliens in the space stations
Xybots no 1-2 Destroy robots in a 3-D maze
Zarlor Mercenary no 1-4 Shoot enemies for big bucks
Footnotes:
(1) Manual says 1-2 players, 1-4 is possible
(2) Multiple players on one Lynx, alternating turns.
(3) Stereo sound does not match game action.
(4) Players can compare scores, but not interact directly
Possible games in the future:
TAKEN FROM: Lynx Frequently Asked Questions -- Maintained by Robert Jung.
==============================================================================
Title Players Description
----------------- ------- ------------------------------------------
Aliens v. Predator 1? Two mean monsters, head-to-head!
Battlezone 2000 1-2 Update of the classic tank battle
Blood & Guts Hockey 1-2 Hockey with the violence knob turned up
Cabal 1-2 Shoot for your country and your freedom
Cybervirus 1 Stop the berserk robots invading the base
Daemonsgate 1? Fantasy role-playing
Defender/Stargate/ 1? The arcade classics from Williams
Defender II
Eye of the Beholder 1 First-person dungeon-exploring adventure
Full Court Press 1-2 Fast action basketball
Basketball
The Guardians:
Storms Over Doria 1-4 Large scale role playing-type game
Heavyweight 1-2 First-person boxing action
Contender
Krazy Ace Minature 1-4 Putt for par against zany obstacles. Comes
Golf with course construction kit
Malibu Beach 1-2 Ball-bouncing fun on the beach
Volleyball
Mechtiles 1-4 Giant robots meet big guns
Ninja Gaiden III: 1-2? Sequel to the martial arts game
Ancient Ship of Doom (port from the Nintendo)
Ninja Nerd 1 Time-travelling, nerds, and ninjas
Operation Desert 1 The UN vs. Saddam!
Storm
R.C. Destruction 1-4 Radio-controlled car-blasting
Derby
Relief Pitcher 1-2 Realistic baseball action from the arcade
Rai-Den 1-2 You vs. the aliens in a scrolling shooter
Road Riot 4WD 1-2 Off-roading mania with a stun gun!
Rolling Thunder 1 One agent against the evil empire
720 1 Skateboarding for fame and profit
Spacewar 1-2? Warfare in the final frontier
Super Asteroids & 1? Two updated classics on one game-card
Missile Command
Super Off-Road 1-4 Off-road racing on the Lynx
Ultra Star Raiders 1? Enhanced version of the computer classic
| Ultra Vortex 1-2 One-on-one fighting on the go
Vindicators 1-2 Use your tank to destroy space stations
==============================================================================
Updated: 01-12-94
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