So, why isn't the Lynx more popular?

[Flojomojo]

And THAT's why people like you and me buy all sorts of stupid $hit now that we can, even when we don't need to.

[GadgetUK]

I've noticed, over the years, that the Lynx tends to get the least attention than any other Atari system. Despite the fact that it sold better than the Jaguar (if Atari's sales numbers are to be believed), it's last place in terms of popularity compared to all the other Atari consoles. Just look at the forum post count for each Atari sub forum. The Lynx has the least.

 

Which I have always found odd. I get the 2600/Atari 8-bit lines being the most popular, they had the most market penetration and popularity (and therefore, nostalgia). Yet, the Lynx never gets the attention even the 5200 or the Jaguar get.

 

I've always found this strange. They Lynx library is excellent, and it has *vastly* more good titles than the Jaguar library has, and the 5200, due to basically being a dressed up Atari 400 with wonky 1st gen analogue controls, plays poorly even if it has some great 8-bit games.

 

I mean, the Lynx is *really* fun. It's got the best home ports of all of Atari's late 80s Arcade titles (Xenophobe, Rygar, Klax, Xybots, Roadblasters, Paperboy...) and a bunch of really good original games. It beats the pants of the 7800's original library too (not counting the amazing homebrew selection, and I'm saying this as a huge 7800 fan). It gets a lot of positive press from retro articles on major game websites as well.

 

So... why isn't it more popular among Atari fans?

I think it's kind of the hidden gem of consoles / systems to be honest! Many systems have games that are hidden gems, but the Lynx itself is a hidden gem. Often overlooked due to the GameGear and GameBoy!

[Serguei2]

But Lynx is not remembered as the first color portable in the world?

[keepdreamin]

As a kid in the early 90s, a main selling point for the lynx and game gear for me was that you could game in the dark with them, like, in your bed after your parents thought you were asleep.

 

 

Didn't need a lynx or gg for that.

 

[Video]

In the day, mostly price, both original purchase, and battery life.

 

Also, lack of availability, I sure as heck never saw one in stores.

 

As a result of both these, few people had one back in the day (comparitively speaking) little nostalgia exists for it unlike gg or gb.

 

Lynx isn't a weak system, especially if you consider it's an 89 handheld. Neither is gamegear, which IS just a portable mastersystem. Idk if turbo express came out then, but it's just a handheld turbo grafx,(90,I think) so pretty good too. People that say their weak often forget they predate the consoles their often compared to.

 

It's really more a price thing, especially bitd. Now, well it still is. Game boy is readily available in working condition, gamegear and lynx not so much, but even rebuilt the gamegear is quite a bit cheaper.

 

Games are good? Eh, if your into that type of game, their great, if not, there is simply to little choice to attract people to it. Most curious people likely just emulate, which most modern handhelds can do, but the Lynx is REALLY low res and looks bad any way you play it to be honest at what,104 lines? (Even dmg was 144)

 

Handheld in general is looked down as not real gaming anyways. Combined with expense, back in the day, and currently, a small library, and limited exposure and it just doesn't do to good.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Video

[chiark]

FWIW, the thing that drew me to the lynx is the Amiga luminaries involved in its creation - that's why I'm here . The games seem less instantly "pick up and go"-able than those on the Gameboy in my limited experience, however there's a good depth to them. The physical size is undoubtedly a bit of a challenge, as is the battery life, but I must admit I'm enjoying learning more about this, and will try to fire up a tool chain to see if I can write something for it, which will be the first time in years I've done so.

[louisg]

I think it's just because the Lynx in general isn't that popular, right? It's an amazing system, but I think what goes wrong is so many people get it and say, "OK! What's a really good platformer?" and.. well, there sort of isn't one. There are amazing arcade ports, there are wonderful deathmatch games that are even fun single player, but the genres that are good on it are just different from what was big on NES, GB and even Game Gear. As far as Atari systems go, I think it's my #2 after the 2600 (not counting the 8-bit home computer).

EDIT: Wait, 7800 might be tied with the Lynx. I mean, Food Fight, 'nuff said.

 

TBH I didn't find the battery life all that terrible on the model 2; not worse than my GG at least.

 

Favorite hidden gem portable though? Neo Geo Pocket That game library is too killer. Lynx is my second place fave though. Way ahead of its time.

Edited June 15, 2018 by louisg

[DracIsBack]

Back in 1990s, only few stores in Canada where I live sells Atari Lynx. The only store I know is Compucentre.

 

And I don't remember which stores sell Jaguar.

 

The problem with Lynx is there are minimal 3rd party for the system.

 

Game gear was more popular. It was selling in Sears Canada, Canadian Tire, Walmart, Toys-R-Us, ...

 

I remember a few other places having it as well. One of the game stores that sold pool tables and board games also had it. If I remember right, Toys R Us did as well.

 

The Jaguar was sold at Electronics Boutique (EB Games)

Edited June 16, 2018 by DracIsBack

[Greg2600]

Battery life was critical back in those days. That being said, when I was like 12 or 13, I had my parents get me a bunch of Radio Shack rechargeable batteries and a charger for my RC cars. These came in handy with portables too. As for what's gone on since then, the Lynx library is just too paltry. I loved all the arcade ports, but there's a serious void in true console games on there. The GB and GG had so many full games, ones developed for home systems, and from licenses that people love.

[UGB]

Long time lurker, here.

 

I only recently picked up my Lynx again after nearly a decade... I tried one out as a kid when they were first released and thought it was neat, but nobody owned one. Then I found one with 8 games in a Value Village for $24.99, played it for a while and then put it down. About 6 months ago I bought a set of Panasonic Eneloop rechargeable batteries for my McWill Game Gear, then recently decided to break out the Lynx and give it a go. I think I'm hooked! I've been playing Toke pretty regularly on the subway to work and a lot of the pick-up-and-play puzzle games are perfect for me. I'm on the hunt to find a McWill Lynx Model II screen so I can upgrade my system.

Now for a newb question: any good homebrews out there?

[christo930]

Gameboy

Over 1000 games

Fits in your (big) pocket

Works in bright sunlight

Runs for days on 4 AA batteries

Wide variety of games, including arcade ports, many licenses

Battery backups for long-form games like RPGs

"good enough"

 

Atari Lynx

73 games

Too big for pockets

Can't see screen well outdoors

Runs for a few hours on 6 AA batteries

Lots of arcade-type games. Few "known characters" outside arcade ports

Mostly quick-play type games

"better, but not the ways that mattered"

 

Lynx fans also tend to overstate the technical specs too. I got one of these for Christmas around 1990 or 1991 and I was jealous that my little sister got a gameboy! Though it was better technically than a Gameboy, it was not as good as a Game Gear. The Game Gear was basically a portable SMS and had lots of good games. The Lynx didn't have that many good games either. A lot of the games for the Lynx were terrible. The Game Boy just blew both of them out of the water with better battery life and all those games.

 

Also, during its best days it limped along. I'm pretty sure my parents got the Lynx and 4 games for $69 when I got one for Christmas (I really can't remember what year. I think I was in college at the time) and I think it might have still been early in its life. Atari never regained the steam it lost in 1983/84. They were never really able to generate the kind of hype and excitement they created with the 2600.

 

ETA.. I think the main reasons portables are less hyped is because they tended to be yesterday's technology. Like the GB was very similar to the NES, the GG was essentially a SMS and the GBA was similar to the SNES, all of which were well behind the current technology at the time of release. At the time of the Lynx release, 16 bit consoles were already on the market. At the time of the GBA, the SNES was like 10 years old.

Edited June 22, 2018 by christo930

[MrMaddog]

When the Lynx first came out it was very advance for a handheld as far as graphics goes. but when the Gameboy debut not long afterwards, the industry decided that handhelds should play second fiddle to the main consoles (ie NES/SNES, Genesis & TG-16 to GB, GG & TG Express).

 

Atari never had that "main console" after they discontinued the 7800, there were plans for the Panther but they got scrapped for the Jaguar...which took a couple more years to develop.

 

And by the time the Jag was released, no one cared about the Lynx anymore including Atari Corp...

[leech]

I always loved the Lynx, but I think the magic is in the games that can link, unfortunately there just are not enough of those. Would be amazing to get a huge group together and have Lynx tournaments.

[80s_Atari_Guy]

As a owner of a lovely Mk1, I managed to get mine a few years ago, boxed and in lovely condition, before all the prices started to go up. I had one back in the early 90s, but sold it due to lack of interest.

I recently started using mine, along with one of SainT's amazing multi carts, and it's a great machine.

 

I personally think it failed, like a few have said, because the screen was bad, the battery life was terrible and costly, lack of decent AAA games, and it's massive.

The Gameboy, was cheap, loads of great games, and everyone had one. Gameboys linked with a friend, was awesome, and plenty of games supported this.

 

Thing is, today you can still get a cheap Gameboy DMG01. Mod it cheaply with a backlit mod kit, headphone mod, case and screen cover mods, Bivert mods, and you have a whole new Gameboy - But still the same great screen, no need for a expensive new screen. I mean, who knew the Gameboy screen wasn't really green ? After modding mine with a White Backlight mod, and a Bivert mod, the screen was a sort of purple.

 

Now take the Lynx. You really need a whole new screen, hence the Mcwill mod - it's lovely, but not cheap. It's also not easy to do if you're not semi-decent with a soldering iron. Then you really need to re-cap the Lynx. And even then, you're still tied to the 4 AA batteries and poor battery life. The Gameboy suffers a bit from the backlight mod, but the battery life is still decent.

 

I think the Lynx, today, is very unique and interesting handheld. It's becoming more collectible, and more valuable.

I also love the Game Gear. But, like the Lynx, the screen is terrible - even after a re-cap.

[Austin]

I can't speak for Atari fans specifically, but classic handheld systems in general simply aren't popular these days. You see the same general lack of interest with Sega's Game Gear, a system that also has a great library. Also, going by threads and forum posts in the Classic Gaming General section here, even Nintendo's classic Game Boy gets very little mention.

[Lost Dragon]

The lynx suffered from delays reaching the market place, issues sourcing LCD screens etc, which meant the GB had a head start on it.

 

One of the team behind Rampage on Lynx had this to say about the hardware:

 

 

"The main problem is fairly low contrast. It does well on brighter scenes,so the basic game type stuff looks pretty good, but dimmer more subtle shadings get washed out easily since the screen is backlit.

 

RJ and I brought up a sample Distant Suns screen on the Lynx about a year

ago. The sharpness and colors were fine, but the black sky was more of a

purple, and ruined the effect. Although if they can improve the display,

I'll seriously consider doing a Lynx port of my software."

 

So maybe the screen issues put a number of potential developers off?.

Edited August 11, 2018 by Lost Dragon

[pacman000]

A looooong time ago Leonard Tramiel said Atari Corp successfully sued their screen provider, but by then the Game Boy had cornered the market.

[Lost Dragon]

A looooong time ago Leonard Tramiel said Atari Corp successfully sued their screen provider, but by then the Game Boy had cornered the market.

I remember reading that.

 

By time it had been settled it was too late for Atari to reduce price of Lynx hardware.

[Lost Dragon]

Talking of screens..as an avid reader of UK magazines back then..rumours were doing the rounds of a TV Adaptor in the works for the Lynx (mind you with that low resolution screen... )

 

Atari supposedly saying their market research had showed too few lynx owners would buy such a device to make it commercially viable.

 

All utter cobblers

 

Epyx never designed the original Lynx to take a TV tuner and adding the ability to the redesigned Lynx would of pushed the price of the hardware up..The exact opposite of what Atari wanted to achieve with the redesign.

[Lost Dragon]

Last bits..just throwing random stuff across to Atarimania for their WIP LYNX section:

 

For anyone not keen on Gauntlet on Lynx having to be played in a vertical orientation. .blame Epyx experimenting with the hardware..they needed to design 1 game to be played in vertical orientation, but by the time they realised it didn't make for a great gaming experience, it was too late to change the orientation to the horizontal.

 

And why no Midi Maze on Lynx, despite it being the ideal system and even Leonard Tramiel thinking it'd be great?

 

Atari's head of marketing hated the idea.

 

Atari not even wanting a very similar style game Epyx were developing for the Lynx...

[empsolo]

What’s the story on why Atari went with the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden over a more tailored experience like Ninja Gaiden for Gameboy, which is a more straightforward action platformer?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pacman000]

Last bits..just throwing random stuff across to Atarimania for their WIP LYNX section:

 

For anyone not keen on Gauntlet on Lynx having to be played in a vertical orientation. .blame Epyx experimenting with the hardware..they needed to design 1 game to be played in vertical orientation, but by the time they realised it didn't make for a great gaming experience, it was too late to change the orientation to the horizontal.

 

And why no Midi Maze on Lynx, despite it being the ideal system and even Leonard Tramiel thinking it'd be great?

 

Atari's head of marketing hated the idea.

 

Atari not even wanting a very similar style game Epyx were developing for the Lynx...

Can you imagine a side by side commercial with Lynx MIDI Maze & Game Boy Faceball 2000?

 

Of course, Atari Corp probably wouldn't have paid for it...

[atarilovesyou]

Why it wasn't popular back then? Simple: it was hard to find, expensive, didn't have as many games and chewed through batteries (with only NiCad batts as an option, did it even come with an AC adapter?)

 

The portable demographic back then was largely kids and thus was neither aimed at kids or was popular with them...meaning if you had one, chances are your friends didn't. That was a big factor for parents when choosing a system for their kids, when portable games weren't available for rental on a large scale.

 

Why it's not popular now? See all previous posts. As much as I love it, I would rather work on my GBA collection.

[Lost Dragon]

I know one of the original Lynx team has spoken of what an uphill struggle it was to convince people it was ok to develop on the Lynx with it now being an Atari console...

 

Atari's track record prior to taking the Lynx did it no favours.

[Lost Dragon]

Jeff Minter was asked if he was doing Lynx DEFENDER / STARGATE / DEFENDER II (three games on one card!) , which had been on Atari's "coming for the Lynx" list for months, his reply:

 

Jeff Oh, that must have come from Atari UK - I did Def/Starg/DefII on the ST

 

and Amiga a few years ago. They never asked me to do a Lynx version

> tho', shame, 'coz I'd've done it...

> \

> (:-)

> /

 

He also said Atari UK marketed Defender 2 so poorly, he might as well of released the game as shareware.