Lynx

The same year that Nintendo launched their Game Boy, Atari launched the Lynx. A handheld console, superior to the Game Boy in most areas, but it still failed miserably - primarily on the grounds of Nintendos effective marketing and better library of games. The Lynx was originally called 'Handy', and was developed by Epyx - better known for Summer Games and Winter Games - but in 1987 Atari bought the rights to the Lynx. An interesting fact is that the development platform for the Lynx was an Amiga, at the time Atari's biggest competitor.

The console is built around two 16 MHz 8-bit processors, a coprocessor for heavier mathematical calculations, 64 kilobytes of RAM and a 16-bit graphics chip, capable of delivering a resolution of up to 160x102 pixels in 16 colours. Technically this made the Lynx the most powerful handheld of its time, and it would take many years before its power was topped.

The Lynx had two very innovative functions, which were first adapted by Nintendo many years later with the Game Boy Advance: a lit screen and the possibility to connect it to the Jaguar, in the same way a Game Boy Advance can be linked with a GameCube. Another interesting feature is that the lynx can be used both by right and left-handed users.

The games on the Lynx was less impressive than its raw power, but non the less features a couple of known franchises. Examples are California Games, Lemmings and Ninja Gaiden. And of course the Lynx had its share of Atari arcade conversions, such as Rygar, Klax and Paperboy.