--- title: Atari Lynx/Lynx II categories: - Consoles params: name: Lynx/Lynx II image: /media/museum/photos/atari_lynx_double_1s.jpg company: /companies/atari company_name: Atari tabs: - photos - software - emulators - videos photos: - title: ATARI LYNX & LYNX II subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/atari_lynx_double_1.jpg - title: ATARI LYNX & LYNX II subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/atari_lynx_double_2.jpg - title: ATARI LYNX "1" subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/atari_lynx_1.jpg - title: LYNX II subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/atari_lynx2_1.jpg emulators: - title: Handy url: http://sourceforge.net/projects/handy platform: Windows text: Probably the best Lynx emulator available videos: - title: Atari Lynx TV commercial url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB6ux--w4S4 text: 'Length: 29s' comments: - author: The Kobold King (United States) date: Wednesday 25th August 2021 text: '"How did you begin smoking?" "The Lynx."' - author: Johnathan Malachi Rivera (United States) date: Monday 30th July 2018 text: Easy with the language, sailor. - author: Joop date: Friday 8th November 2013 text: Fuck you John - author: John date: Saturday 1st October 2011 text: I found one of these in my room while my dad and I were unpacking (Someone left it? My dad had one?) It had two cartridges, California Games and Baseball. I regret selling it at Play n'' Trade. Reading this brough back a memory of finding it. It was a LYNX 1. I love Atari, They allways know how to make history! - author: John date: Saturday 1st October 2011 text: I found one of these in my room while my dad and I were unpacking (Someone left it? My dad had one?) It had two cartridges, California Games and Baseball. I regret selling it at Play n'' Trade. Reading this brough back a memory of finding it. It was a LYNX 1. I love Atari, They allways know how to make history! - author: John date: Saturday 1st October 2011 text: I found one of these in my room while my dad and I were unpacking (Someone left it? My dad had one?) It had two cartridges, California Games and Baseball. I regret selling it at Play n'' Trade. Reading this brough back a memory of finding it. It was a LYNX 1. I love Atari, They allways know how to make history! - author: John date: Saturday 1st October 2011 text: I found one of these in my room while my dad and I were unpacking (Someone left it? My dad had one?) It had two cartridges, California Games and Baseball. I regret selling it at Play n'' Trade. Reading this brough back a memory of finding it. It was a LYNX 1. I love Atari, They allways know how to make history! - author: Wim (Oz) date: Tuesday 30th August 2011 text: |- I had one of these and later I bought 5 Lynx2''s when they were liquidated at $10 each. I still have my original Lynx somewhere. The battery life wasn''t a big deal as I used mine mostly with an AC adapter anyway. An excellent hand-held with not enough market share and 3rd party developer attention, (sadly). There were a few really good titles that showed what the Lynx could do$ Lemmings, Double Dragon, Shadow of the Beast, Toki and Dracula The link cable could daisy chain up to 16 Lynx''s!!! ie: Todd''s Adventures in Slime World (iirc). - author: Robert date: Wednesday 14th May 2008 text: this was a color handheld which these failed back then for one reason or another - author: Thomsonicus date: Monday 7th April 2008 text: Man! I wish they would make this console today! Guess it would be incredibly cheap when made as "lynx-compatible" by a third party manufacturer; batteries would probably last a nice couple of DAYS considering the smaller manufacturing processes that we use today. And all those games! - author: Brian Johnson (Earth) date: Monday 24th September 2007 text: I had one of these when they were out - I remember that one of the selling features was a small cable that could be used to connect 2 Lynx systems together - a few games took advantage of this to offer 2 player modes. software: - /software/alien-vs-predator-prototype - /software/apb-all-points-bulletin - /software/awesome-golf - /software/basketbrawl - /software/batman-returns - /software/battle-wheels - /software/battlezone-2000 - /software/bill-ted-s-excellent-adventure - /software/block-out - /software/blue-lightning - /software/bubble-trouble - /software/california-games - /software/centipede-prototype - /software/checkered-flag-235 - /software/chip-s-challenge - /software/crystal-mines-ii - /software/desert-strike-return-to-the-gulf - /software/dinolympics - /software/dirty-larry-renegade-cop - /software/double-dragon - /software/dracula-the-undead - /software/electrocop - /software/european-soccer-challenge - /software/eye-of-the-beholder-prototype - /software/fat-bobby-prototype - /software/gates-of-zendocon - /software/gauntlet-the-third-encounter - /software/gordo-no-106-the-mutated-lab-monkey - /software/hard-drivin - /software/hockey-267 - /software/hydra - /software/ishido-the-way-of-stones - /software/jimmy-connors-tennis - /software/joust - /software/klax - /software/krazy-ace-minature-golf - /software/kung-food - /software/lemmings - /software/lexis - /software/lode-runner-318 - /software/lynx-casino - /software/malibu-bikini-volleyball - /software/ms-pac-man - /software/nfl-football - /software/ninja-gaiden - /software/ninja-gaiden-episode-iii-the-ancient-ship-of-doom - /software/pac-land - /software/paperboy - /software/pinball-jam-featuring-police-force-and-elvira-and-the-party-monsters - /software/pit-fighter - /software/power-factor - /software/qix - /software/raiden-374 - /software/rampage - /software/rampart - /software/road-riot-4wd - /software/roadblasters - /software/robo-squash - /software/robotron-2084 - /software/rygar - /software/s-t-u-n-runner - /software/scrapyard-dog - /software/shadow-of-the-beast - /software/shanghai - /software/steel-talons - /software/super-asteroids-and-super-missile-command - /software/super-off-road - /software/super-skweek oc_id: 1241 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230603214125/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1241 date: '2023-06-03' --- Atari's first (and only) handheld console was released in 1989. Unfortunately for Atari though, Nintendo had recently released their all conquering Game Boy. Despite being technologically superior, the Lynx just couldn't compete. Originally developed by software publisher Epyx and named Handy (which is also the name of one of the machines best emulators), financial difficulties meant a development partner was needed. A deal was agreed which would see Atari manufacture and market the machine while Epyx handled software development. The Lynx was far more powerful than the Game Boy, using custom chips and benefiting from a 3.5" colour screen. It also had a duplicate set of buttons and the ability to flip the screen which meant it could be used left handed. However, the better specs meant that the Lynx could drain its batteries in just 4 hours! Sales were steady, but nothing like those of the cheaper Game Boy. In 1991 a redesigned Lynx II arrived, featuring a backlit screen and stereo sound output. Battery life improved 25% to around 5 hours and a price drop to $99 helped sales but by this time the Lynx was already a long way behind. With Atari's popularity on the slide and the release of Sega's [Game Gear](/museum/sega-game-gear/) in America and Europe the same year, which received numerous games already popular on Sega's home consoles, the Lynx was relegated to a distant third in the handheld battle.
We need more info about this console ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.