Thinking of getting a Lynx soon...

[Stevaside]

Hello, Lynx community

 

I currently collect for & plan to collect for multiple classic systems..Among my favorites is the 7800, which after on & off again collecting since the late 90s, I've just about built a complete collection for it. I've never owned a handheld & realized I need to change that. I was planning on a 3DS later this year, but for many reasons I've decided first I'm most likely gonna pick up the handheld I wanted the most when I was young, the Atari Lynx...

 

After doing some research I'm very happy to see that some of the arcade games that should have made it to the 7800 when I was a kid did in fact wind up on the Lynx around the same time, as well as planned 7800 titles & lots of others that I'm sure probably would have got releases had it stuck around & had better support. Not to forget some cool looking upgraded versions of 7800 games too. I've always thought of Lynx collecting one day & looks like the combination of it seeming like a spiritual continuation of the 7800 in a handheld and realizing how cheap the games can be found is gonna make that happen much sooner. & Since my recent focus on finishing up my 7800 is almost coming to an end, I really feel the Lynx should be the next step

 

Hoping within the next few months I'll be ready to begin & I have a couple questions... (More to come I'm sure haha)

 

Is it possible to still find a Lynx II new these days? Pretty sure it was a couple years back, but doesn't seem to be the case anymore

 

&One of the main things I'd like to know is, I see the terms "reconditioned" and "reconditioned/like new" being used when listing Lynx II systems for sale, particularly on Best + B&C's websites. What does this tend to mean? From what I understand it's common for the screen to degrade over time ??....Do these terms usually mean the screens were replaced or they're in good enough condition still? Never dealt with B&C yet, although I know they've been around a LONG time online..Best, I have & I would like to support him again when I'm ready to purchase my Lynx, but just figured I'd ask here as to what to expect from buying a used system

 

Thanks,

Steve

Edited September 19, 2014 by Stevaside

[Lost Dragon]

Here in UK i see Telegames seeing various Lynx MK II's on Amazon.co.uk but at a price:

£149.99+£4.81 UK Delivery and £139.99+£4.41 UK delivery.

As for people advertising handhelds in states 'like new' or 'reconditioned' from personal experience, unless you can contact seller directly and get photo's and they are happy to answer any/all questions you might have, i personally would'nt risk.

Had too many nasty experiences myself where my idea of like new differs greatly from the sellers...

:-)

Hope you do find a Lynx in great condition and at a sensible price as it's a great system to collect for.

[Stevaside]

 

Here in UK i see Telegames seeing various Lynx MK II's on Amazon.co.uk but at a price:

£149.99+£4.81 UK Delivery and £139.99+£4.41 UK delivery.

As for people advertising handhelds in states 'like new' or 'reconditioned' from personal experience, unless you can contact seller directly and get photo's and they are happy to answer any/all questions you might have, i personally would'nt risk.

Had too many nasty experiences myself where my idea of like new differs greatly from the sellers...

:-)

Hope you do find a Lynx in great condition and at a sensible price as it's a great system to collect for.

 

Yea that's kinda more than I'm wanting to pay for one, although there'd be nothing like getting a brand new in the box Lynx in 2014

I was pretty accurate guessing the US dollar equivalent, being I've ordered loads of Drum & Bass/ Dubstep records from the UK in my life haha

 

& Yep, I can imagine that..I'm kinda sketchy about the condition of some these used systems for sale. I feel Best Electronics here is a trusted name, guess I'll just wind up calling him when I'm ready & sure he'll be straightforward with me as to what exactly those terms mean coming from him. I was wondering if "reconditioned" could possibly mean a new screen or something like that, not sure if replacing them is a common/cost-effective thing since I don't have much knowledge about the Lynx world yet. Also was sure I'd hear from someone here who had ordered a Lynx from Best & could tell me what to expect

 

&thanks, hopefully in a couple months I'll begin my Lynx collecting journey. I really wanted one back when it was out...It does seem real fun to collect for & I know I will enjoy playing most of them as well

 

&as far as that sun visor!....

 

New entry added to bucket list:Spend a relaxing day at the beach playing an Atari Lynx lol

Edited September 19, 2014 by Stevaside

[108 Stars]

I think you will be better off buying a used one off eBay, chances are high it is in good condition. The Lynx doesn't tend to have problems as big as the Game Gear. Even if you have to buy two and build a Frankenlynx using the best parts of both you will still be better off.^^

[sirlynxalot]

I bought my Lynx 1 as a refurbished model from Best in the last 9 months. The cosmetic condition is excellent, looking virtually brand new except for a small plastic chip in the dpad that doesn't impact its usability. The screen has a portion which is darker than the rest, but this seems to be an issue that affects a lot of lynxs and may just be due to it being an early LCD screen. Although I've heard bad things about the screen not functioning well over time, I feel like the lynx (and the screen it came with) on my model are really good quality, there are literally no scuffs on the plastic case or the clear plastic over the screen, and I think it was very worthwhile to get this lynx from Best rather than a used model on ebay.

It is my speculation that some or all of these refurbished models might have been returns to Atari back in the day, under Atari's warranty, meaning that the lynx will not have had years of rough outside use by kids, and was likely refurbished/repaired with replacement atari parts.

Finally, Best gives you a 90 day warranty for a replacement/repair. That's a pretty good thing to have if you are worried about getting a lynx that might be in poor condition.

I'd buy games on ebay or other sites though. Best is a little on the high side compared to used/loose lynx games found elsewhere.

Edited September 19, 2014 by sirlynxalot

[108 Stars]

It's too bad you did not come 2 or 3 years earlier, Konsolenkost in Germany sold Lynx II models NEW for about 100 Euros then. Sold out now.

[Lost Dragon]

:-) On my part, hindsight is a wonderful thing, had i been armed with it, i'd of snapped up NEW Lynx II's (Batman Returns pack) when they were being sold here in UK for £35, mind you i'd also have bought a few spare Jaguar consoles when stores were off-loading them new, never had sold the 800XL and Disk drive with 100's of disks, with so many unreleased games etc....

 

 

Sigh, if only....

 

Now? if i ever wanted to start collecting for Lynx, i'd be looking at nightmare prices (i simply don't trust 2nd hand electronics, recently had a USED, LIKE NEW, PSP die on me after a few months of (steady) use.

[+SabertoothRetro]

IMHO, you can't go wrong with Best or B&C. I picked up a refurbished Lynx II, in box, with a comlynx cable, power supply and California Games for $79 last month. The box has some wear but everything else was pristine! By comparison, I grabbed a Lynx II lot off of Game Gavel last year with several games for $50. It worked fine for a few weeks and then had sound issues. This was fixable, but I'd much rather had gone through Best, with their service and warranty.

 

For common games, I've found GOAT Store beats eBay. B&C is good for the mid-rarity releases. For less common releases, like Battlezone 2000, Asteroids/Missile Command, Pacland, etc., I think that Best is good.

Edited September 20, 2014 by atariLBC

[sirlynxalot]

This is the deal I did from Best. Hard to beat the quality for the price, unless you want the packaging/box for collecting purposes


http://www.best-electronics-ca.com/lynx.htm
Lynx I or Lynx II Reconditioned Console, (No Box, No Owners Manual, No Power Supply) with FREE Lynx California Game Cartridge With the Normal Atari 90 day Warranty. $59.95

[Stevaside]

Yea think I'll probably still wind up going with Best, whatever's out there on Ebay now seems to be about the same price anyways..Whatever I do, I want to avoid getting one with a discolored screen or whatever. I don't think he really does returns unless something doesn't function period, but I would think he has a trusted enough reputation to not sell one with signifcant damage.

 

& yea his prices for the games themselves are a little higher, but I already discovered The Goat Store & looked at B&C, who both seem to have some pretty good ones..Very suprised how cheap some of these games go for NIB or CIB, on Ebay as well Video 61 on the other hand is a rip off just like I expected. lol...Apparently they still had some new systems a couple years back though, sucks I missed out

Edited September 20, 2014 by Stevaside

[+SabertoothRetro]

Speaking of game prices, here's a comparison I did last month on some CIB games that I was looking to add. (Note: this was after buying six or seven cheaper games from GOAT.) In no case was eBay the cheapest for these titles. If you get lucky on a lot buy you can do well on eBay - that's how I built my Jag and 7800 collections - but on individual titles it's much harder, especially with BIN.

Edited September 20, 2014 by atariLBC

[Stevaside]

Yea it might have been Amazon that I noticed a few good priced on new or boxed games, but think I did see a couple good deals on Ebay. What I really meant was I never imagined some of the NIB games for the Lynx would be going for $10-$15 anywhere....For all I knew the average loose cart would be around that or more, especially being how prices for retro games are getting kinda ridiculous...

 

As far as building my 7800 collection, def better prices on Amazon compared to Ebay, but I did get lucky & happen to spot & snatch up a couple newly listed rare games for cheap with buy it now.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Stevaside