Am I backwards, or is it Atari?

[Hakogame 箱亀]

Well, after recieving my shiny new Atari Lynx, I thought it was broken, but it turned out I had the game in backwards. Virtually every game system I've ever owned has the game label facing out to where the user can see which game is in the system. The 2600 also is set up like this, when I was a kid, I never understood why the carts faced away from you. It never made sense to me then, and it still dosen't make sense now. So, am I backards, or is Atari backwards?

[Ze_ro]

This confused me too when I first got my Lynx... but none of my cartridges will fit in backwards, so it didn't last long. How do you manage to get them far enough into the slot so that they connect?

 

--Zero

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Let confuse it further by noting that while the while the 2600 had the cart labels facing away...the 5200 had them facing towards you. Then of course the 7800 comes out..and Atari once again decides to start facing the labels away from you once again. But then comes the Lynx where you can't see the label at all since it faces toward you...but is covered by the unit itself once inserted. And then of course there is the Jaguar where Atari goes back to the 5200 roots and the labels are facing towards you once again where they can be seen.

 

Moral?

 

There isn't one...only that Atari apparently couldn't make up their minds as to how they really wanted the carts to face. My suspicion is that the 7800 is reversed like it's related older brother the 2600 simply to make it easier for those who got the 7800 to use it if they were prior using a 2600 before that. After all the marketing back in 86 was more towards getting the 2600 user to upgrade to the 7800 for it backward compatibility.

 

Okay, enough speculation for now...anyone else have any other ideas?

[AtariDude]

Wow! I had the same problem when I got my Atari Lynx. I never owned one before and I thought that I had bidded on and received a damaged Lynx. Luckily the person had sent the Lynx manual with the system and then I read how the game cartridges were supposed to fit. Now I spend a lot of time with the Lynx and I can't believe how good it is and how did Nintendo ever beat them with only a monocrome gameboy is beyond me.

 

It is a bit weird as to how cartridges are entered into the machine. I am not sure why Atari did that (Maybe to keep the cartridges from cracking when someone closed the door?)but it is confusing.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

W1ly...actualy that does make some sense.

 

Intinially that could have been the reason for having them face the way they did on the Lynx1. When the Lynx II came out...all Atari did was add a stereo Headphone jack, tweak the power light to indicate low battery, and or course add the backlight switch. Otherwise I suspect most of the internal layout between the two are pretty similar. So that would explain why the carts still face inward to the Lynx even if the original reason for doing so no longer exists. Namely that of protection for the carts from the door.

[Genki]

I don't think that's the reason. With the newer style Lynx II, there are no door to hide the card game. And the game still goes in label facing into the system.

[Harry_Dodgson]

> Intinially that could have been the reason for having them face the way they did on the Lynx1. When the Lynx II came out...all Atari did was add a stereo Headphone jack,

 

Actually, they added stereo circuits and

reduced the amplifier power output.

 

> tweak the power light to indicate low battery,

 

Actually, they redesigned the power supply for longer battery life.

 

> and or course add the backlight switch

 

Actually, the backlight switch turns off the entire LCD display for significant power savings.

 

Harry

[Wntermute]

Actually, the original 2600's cartridge slot WAS vertical-oriented...from the circuit board. The circuit board itself was at an angle in the case (most of the forward deck portion was empty)

[Albert]

quote:

---

Originally posted by -^Cro§Bow^-:

Otherwise I suspect most of the internal layout between the two are pretty similar. So that would explain why the carts still face inward to the Lynx even if the original reason for doing so no longer exists. Namely that of protection for the carts from the door.

---

 

I wouldn't be too sure of this. The cartridge slots between the Lynx and Lynx II are in very different positions (90 degrees from each other), so unless the cartridge connector isn't soldered directly to the board I'm guessing the board layout is fairly different. I'm sure someone will post links to some pictures soon to enlighten us.

 

Even if Atari wanted to reverse the cart connector on the Lynx II, they wouldn't have been able to do so. Except for very early Lynx titles, Lynx carts have a raised lip of some style at the top of the cart. This would have made reversing the cartridge very difficult without the cart somehow protruding from the Lynx.

 

..Al

[Jetboot Jack]

The carts HAVE to face the way they do because the curved or knobbly grip to pull them out would be backwards - its the opposite side to the label!!!!

 

sTeVE