It was Christmas, I think 1991 or 1992, Santa or my parents bought for me a Lynx after I required a Game Boy... I am happy that they choosed this machine cuz I have so many good memories.... Let' s see a bit more about Lynx:
(from WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Lynx)
Technical specifications
MOS 65SC02 processor running at up to 4 MHz (~3.6 MHz average)
8-bit CPU, 16-bit address space
Sound engine
4 channel sound (Lynx II with panning)
8-bit DAC for each channel (4 channels × 8-bits/channel = 32 bits commonly quoted)
Video DMA driver for liquid-crystal display
4,096 color (12-bit) palette
16 simultaneous colors (4 bits) from palette per scanline (more than 16 colors can be displayed by changing palettes after each scanline)
8 System timers (2 reserved for LCD timing, one for UART)
Interrupt controller
UART (for ComLynx) (fixed format 8E1, up to 62500Bd)
512 bytes of bootstrap and game-card loading ROM
Suzy (16-bit custom CMOS chip running at 16 MHz)
Graphics engine
Hardware drawing support
Unlimited number of high-speed sprites with collision detection
Hardware high-speed sprite scaling, distortion, and tilting effects
Hardware decoding of compressed sprite data
Hardware clipping and multi-directional scrolling
Variable frame rate (up to 75 frames/second)
160 x 102 standard resolution (16,320 addressable pixels)
Math co-processor
Hardware 16-bit × 16-bit → 32-bit multiply with optional accumulation; 32-bit ÷ 16-bit → 16-bit divide
Parallel processing of CPU and a single multiply or a divide instruction
RAM: 64 KB 120ns DRAM
Storage: Cartridge - 128, 256 and 512 KB exist, up to 2 MB is possible with bank-switching logic.
Some (homebrew) carts with EEPROM to save hi-scores.
Ports:
Headphone port (3.5 mm stereo; wired for mono on the original Lynx)
ComLynx (multiple unit communications, serial)
LCD Screen: 3.5" diagonal
Battery holder (six AA) ~4-5 hours
History
The Lynx was the second handheld game with the Atari name to actually be produced, the first was Atari Inc.'s handheld electronic game Touch Me. Atari Inc. had previously worked on several other handheld projects including the Breakout and Space Invaders, the Atari Cosmos portable/tabletop console. However, those projects were shut down during development - some just short of their intended commercial release.
The Lynx system was originally developed by Epyx as the Handy Game. Planning and design of the console began in 1986 and completed in 1987. Epyx first showed the Handy system at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 1989. Facing financial difficulties, Epyx sought out partners. Atari Corp. and Epyx eventually agreed that Atari Corp. would handle production and marketing, while Epyx would handle software development.
Atari Corp. changed the internal speaker and removed the thumb-stick on the control pad before releasing it as the Lynx, initially retailing in the US at US$189.95. Atari Corp. then showed the Lynx to the press at the Summer 1989 CES as the "Portable Color Entertainment System", which was changed to Lynx when actual consoles were distributed to resellers.
However, Nintendo's new Game Boy was also introduced at the 1989 CES. At $90, it was much less expensive than the Lynx, without the color or custom chips. Nintendo had no problems supplying retailers with the Game Boy for the Christmas season while Atari Corp. only managed limited distribution of their Lynx by year's end.
Drawbacks
Though technologically superior to the Game Boy, a number of factors thwarted success of the unit:
-Nintendo's marketing muscle, domination of 3rd party developers, and quality first party game releases (particularly Tetris), ensured the Game Boy always enjoyed vastly superior software support.
-Nintendo's clout with retailers gave plenty of shelf space for Game Boy. Atari struggled to convince retailers to sell the Lynx.
-The Lynx needed six batteries versus the four in the original Game Boy. The more powerful architecture of the Lynx, plus its backlit screen, would drain a set of six AA batteries in less than four hours (five to six hours in the Lynx II).
-The original Lynx was also physically large and cumbersome. Atari Corp. had followed the advice of focus groups who wanted a bigger unit because that gave them "more" for their money. While the system is considered comfortable to hold, its portability was limited, and proved to be much harder to carry around than the Game Boy (which easily fits in a large pocket), this was especially true when the Lynx was full of batteries making it quite heavy.
-The Lynx sold at a substantially higher price than the Game Boy, due to the cost of the screen and more elaborate custom chips.
-The original Lynx had problems with its cartridge slot. A cartridge was easy to insert but, because of their design, were difficult to remove from the system. The Lynx II remedied this problem.
-The developer's kit for the Lynx was expensive and required an Amiga computer (Atari Corp.'s own ST computers could not be used). The two creators of the system, RJ Mical and Dave Needle, were also members of the Amiga design team and much to the frustration of Atari Corp., the Amiga was used as the software development platform.
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LINKS
List of Atari Lynx Games
Atari Age: Lynx (info, Cartridges, Screenshots, Reviews, Cheats, Manuals, everything!)
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