Atari Lynx
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handheld game console developed by Atari Corporation and Epyx
Key facts
- Developer
- Epyx
- Manufacturer
- Atari Corporation
- Type
- Handheld game console
- Generation
- Fourth
- Released
- September 1, 1989 ( 1989-09-01 )
- Lifespan
- 1989–1995
- Introductory price
- US$179.99 (equivalent to $470 in 2025)
- Units sold
- 2 million
- Media
- ROM cartridge
- Cpu
- "Mikey" ( VLSI VL65NC02 8-bit CPU + Sound processor + LCD driver)
- Memory
- 64 KB RAM
- Display
- Backlit 3.5" color LCD; 160 × 102 standard resolution (16,320 addressable pixels)
- Graphics
- "Suzy" (16-bit custom CMOS)
- Sound
- 4 channels, 8-bit DAC or PSG sound
- Best selling game
- RoadBlasters
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Atari-Lynx-I-Handheld.png
Show 7 more facts
- units sold
- 5000000
- publication date
- 1990-00-00
- discontinuation date
- 1996-00-00
- price
- 179.99
- title
- Atari Lynx
- Commons category
- Atari Lynx (Original)
- working title
- Handy
via Wikidata · CC0
~13 min read
Article
The Atari Lynx is a fourth-generation handheld game console released by Atari Corporation in September 1989 in North America and 1990 in Europe and Japan. It was the first handheld game console with a color liquid-crystal display. Powered by a 4 MHz 65C02 8-bit CPU and a custom 16-bit blitter, the Lynx was more advanced than Nintendo's monochrome Game Boy, released five months earlier. It also competed with Sega's Game Gear and NEC's TurboExpress, released the following year.
The system was developed at Epyx by two former designers of the Amiga personal computers. The project was called the Handy Game or simply Handy. In 1991, Atari replaced the Lynx with a smaller model internally referred to as the Lynx II. Atari published a total of 73 games for the Lynx before it was discontinued in 1995.