Atari Lynx 2 Portable Handheld Video Game System

by Atari

Product Features

• World's First Portable Color Entertainment System

Product Details

• ASIN: B000O52X56
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,513 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

In 1989, Atari released a second version of the Lynx with a number of improvements including an extra hour of battery life, a sharper LCD screen, a button to switch off the backlight (to save on battery power when games are paused), a Power LED (it blinked when the battery was low) and rubber grips on the back, all encased in a smaller more rectangle-looking black casing. The Lynx II was backward-compatible with all Lynx games and was later advertised as being able to communicate directly with the upcoming 64-bit Jaguar. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TECHNICAL SPECS: CPU: Dual 16-bit custom CMOS-Mikey and Suzy (16MHZ/custom CPU on its own is 8-bit) RAM: 64KB DRAM Colors: 4096 (16 simultaneous per scan line) Resolution: 160x102 pixels Screen: LCD 82.55mm x 47.75mm (88.9mm/3.5" diagonal) Sound: 8-bit 4 channel (mono for Lynx, stereo for Lynx II) Game Media: 2MB (16Mbit) cartridge Power: 4 hours for Lynx/5 hours for Lynx II (6 AA batteries)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Lynx, September 6, 2007

By 

Michael Allard "atariunderground" (Harrison, AR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Atari Lynx 2 Portable Handheld Video Game System (Video Game)

The Lynx was Atari's answer to the handheld gaming craze. Originally set to compete against Nintendo's GameBoy, the system utilized a 16-bit processor and offered a backlit color display. However, the system kept getting the same games that Atari released on all of its previous systems...and these games were quickly losing ground.

While it was by far the best handheld system for its time (as far as technical sheets were concerned), the Lynx was in fact designed and created for Atari by EPYX...creators of a lot of old school computer games but will probably be better known for the NES version of DRAGON WARRIOR.

This system offers great gameplay reguardless and comes in second on the battery usage (GameBoy wins this hands down). The machine is very durable and a majority of the games are kid friendly. There's a wide range of games to play and even some hobby programmers are creating home-brewed games for the system to help "keep it alive". (check out www.atarisales.com)

First & foremost...the system uses 6 "AA" size batteries, but has an AC Adapter jack for home use. Accessories released (that are known to exsist) are:

Carry Pouch (hold Lynx & 2 games, can be attatched to your belt)
AC Adapter (Duh)
Carry Case (Soft case, but holds a lot more games & accessories)
Screen Magnifier

to name a few. Other are out there, just haven't seen them myself. There are 2 different kinds of Lynx systems. The original release was very long and very uncomfortable to hold. The second, redesign is known as LYNX II. It's a more compact form of the original, is a lot more comfortable to hold, but has the same guts as the original.

The system offers a unique feature...the screen can be flipped by holding down the PAUSE & OPTION 2 buttons simultaneously...making it enjoyable by both left & right-handed players. There's even a button to turn off the backlight (??? found this one puzzling, you can't see anything with backlight off, not even in sunlight). Don't play it in direct sunlight...the screen goes black instantly no matter what!

The graphics are some of the best that Atari had. The colors are brilliant and the system is capable of showing 32 colors out of a choice library of 32,000! It was ahead of its time.

The sounds are good too...but only one speaker. For stereo sound, you have to use headphones. Although I haven't tried many of its games, I did try A.P.B. and couldn't tell it apart from the actual arcade unit. Yes...the sounds were that good.

The game library has lots of titles to choose from. Some exclusive only titles as well as the familiar mix of arcade classics like Joust & Ms. Pac-Man just to name a few.

Originally set at a $200 price when introduced, the system has now become a collectors item among video gamers and Atari fans young and old. Overall, the system impresses me and is worth having around. It could be said that this is the last American-made handheld ever made. If you wish your old Atari console was portable...then you will enjoy this system.