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website/content/museum/atari-lynx-lynx-ii.md
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yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 3eeabe9649 Full content from the completed page crawl (media download still running)
6,654 pages: 1,289 machines, 702 software, 460 companies, 64 history, 17 articles, 59 fun.
4,336 media files so far; references to files not downloaded yet are left out.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
2026-10-12 07:55:22 +02:00

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Markdown

---
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.
<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>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.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>