White_Pointer Gaming
White_Pointer Gaming
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Unleashing the strengths of the Lynx - How Atari's handheld worked | White_Pointer Gaming
The Atari Lynx was Atari's first and only foray into the world of portable gaming as they tried to take on Nintendo's Game Boy and Sega's Game Gear. The Lynx was arguably the most powerful of these and was capable of pretty cool stuff, but how did it actually work?
0:00 Intro
0:31 Hardware overview
4:35 How graphics worked and unique capabilities
7:56 Awesome ports, originals and 3D visuals
13:45 Homebrews and conclusion
Further reading: atarilynxdeveloper.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/programming-tutorial-part-1getting-started/
atarilynxdev.net/doku.php/lynx:doc:start
Purchase my book "Secrets of Video Game Consoles" directly from the publisher here: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Secrets-of-Video-Game-Consoles-Hardback/p/21804
Also available as an ebook!
Some other links:
www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-video-game-consoles-michael-hart/1141719061
www.booksamillion.com/p/Secrets-Video-Game-Consoles/Michael-Hart/9781399070898?id=8581812121026
www.angusrobertson.com.au/books/secrets-of-video-game-consoles-michael-hart/p/9781399070898
www.booktopia.com.au/secrets-of-video-game-consoles-michael-hart/ebook/9781399070904.html
www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/secrets-of-video-game-consoles/9781399070898-item.html
www.amazon.com/Secrets-Video-Game-Consoles-Michael-ebook/dp/B0B72B6JYR
Or check out your favourite book store, hopefully they have it in stock!
Переглядів: 25 027

Відео

The mysteries of Shadow and Highlight mode on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 8 тис.Місяць тому
The shadow and highlight mode of the Sega Mega Drive or Genesis was a unique feature of the hardware that was used pretty rarely. So how exactly did it work, what could it do and what couldn't it do? Let's find out! 0:00 Intro 0:55 Shadow and highlight mode overview 3:03 Applying it to backgrounds 7:43 Applying it to sprites 14:05 Making high quality images 14:45 Conclusion GameHut's Toy Story ...
Amazingly creative uses of Mode 7 on SNES | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 92 тис.2 місяці тому
Mode 7 is the Super Nintendo's most famous feature, and is often misunderstood. However some developers really thought outside the box and found some ingenious ways to use it, so it's time to dive into some of those games to find out exactly how they did it! 0:00 Intro and overview of Mode 7 1:48 Super Turrican 2 3:59 On the Ball / Cameltry 5:30 Axelay 7:01 Hyperzone 8:40 Terranigma 10:25 India...
How Sega enhanced the Mega Drive/Genesis - The SVP, 32X and Mega CD explained | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 18 тис.3 місяці тому
While Nintendo opted to use enhancement chips in cartridges, Sega decided to use add-ons to enhance the capabilities of the Mega Drive, or Genesis, instead - the Mega CD and the 32X. They occupy a somewhat infamous slot of video game history now, but let's take a look at exactly how they worked and what made them unique! 0:00 Intro 0:54 SVP chip 2:46 32X 9:28 Mega CD 15:02 What about Mega CD 32...
All SNES enhancement chips and what they did | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 82 тис.3 місяці тому
The Super Nintendo was designed so that enhancement chips could be built into cartridges to boost functionality. The Super FX is the most famous of these, but what were all of the others, what exactly did they do and what games used them? 0:00 Intro and background 1:00 Super FX and Super FX2 4:41 SA-1 5:21 DSP series 6:08 SDD-1 7:33 CX-4 8:17 ST series, OBC-1, SPC7110, S-RTC 9:37 Conclusion Pur...
Harnessing the power of the Neo Geo | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 10 тис.5 місяців тому
The Neo Geo was the most powerful (and expensive) console for its time, so how exactly did it work and how did it manage to do what it did? It's time to investigate SNK's powerhouse in this video! 0:00 Intro 0:26 History and innovations 4:07 Comparisons and how graphics were drawn 7:52 Sprite scaling and bank switching 12:59 Conclusion and Outro Purchase my book "Secrets of Video Game Consoles"...
Beating the limitations of the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 15 тис.5 місяців тому
The TurboGrafx-16 or PC Engine was a limited console in many ways, but developers pulled off some really neat tricks on it to really push it to its limit and compete with Sega and Nintendo. This video explores some techniques that were used to do so! 0:00 Intro 0:20 History 2:24 Comparisons with Sega and Nintendo 3:47 Faking background layers and parallax 7:05 Swapping memory locations on the b...
How 16-bit consoles constructed their graphics and what various terms mean | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 3,6 тис.7 місяців тому
Ever wondered what scanlines actually are? What terms like DMA, HDMA, HBlank and VBlank mean? What tiles are and why consoles used them? Then you've come to the right place. I've explored how some of these consoles achieved various effects previous videos but never really explained the basics of how they actually constructed their graphics, so time to fix that! Check out more about the real bla...
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: How to beat the Head Case VR Combat Challenge | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 1,9 тис.7 місяців тому
Having trouble beating the VR combat challenge "Head Case"? The one where you need to take down a Mindflayer before you take down two weaker enemies that can kamikaze on you? Here's a super easy setup that basically only requires weapon abilities! It worked for me so maybe it'll work for you too! This was done on NORMAL difficulty. This challenge first becomes available in chapter 9. 0:00 Setup...
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: How to beat pro level crunch-off | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 3,8 тис.8 місяців тому
The gym minigame is back in Rebirth and is probably more difficult than pull-ups from Remake. There's no trophy for it this time, but if you want to beat Jules and earn that champion belt, then this guide is for you! I mention in the video that Jules seems to finish on around 49 reps, but it seems he can finish in the 49-51 range. So 52 is more than likely your sweet spot for a guaranteed win. ...
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth: How to beat Fort Condor on hard mode (stage 4) | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 9568 місяців тому
Having some problems beating the final hard mode stage of the Fort Condor minigame in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth? No problem, I'm here to help! This is available in chapter 4. Hard mode unlocks once you have completed all 4 stages on normal mode. Unfortunately there's no real reward for doing this other than the satisfaction that you've done it. Oh well, it's still a really cool throwback to the...
Graphical tricks on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 14 тис.8 місяців тому
The Sega Mega Drive or Genesis was an impressive piece of hardware when it first launched, and was capable of pulling off some pretty interesting graphical effects. So let's take a closer look at them to see how Sega did what Nintendidn't. 0:00 Intro 0:41 Mega Drive vs Super Nintendo 2:30 Planes, scrolling and priorities 7:13 Dithering and colours 10:33 Raster effects 12:21 Outro Further resour...
How transparency effects were achieved on the SNES | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 9 тис.9 місяців тому
One of the unique features of the Super Nintendo that set it apart from its competition at the time was its ability to create transparency effects. So how exactly did they work? 0:00 Intro 0:19 Overview of background modes 3:14 Two screens and colour maths 7:10 High resolution and pseudo high resolution 10:01 Sprite transparency and colour palettes 12:15 Outro Further resources if you are inter...
3D Platform Fighters? Yes, they are a thing! | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 2 тис.10 місяців тому
Everyone knows about the popular 2D platform fighters, like Super Smash Bros, Rivals of Aether, Brawlhalla and Multiversus, but did you know 3D platform fighters are also a thing? Let's explore some examples of this under-represented subgenre. 0:00 Intro 01:07 3D platform fighters vs arena fighters 2:05 Power Stone & Power Stone 2 4:37 Kung Fu Chaos 6:26 Shrek Superslam 8:13 The Grim Adventures...
The origins of 2D Platformers | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 85811 місяців тому
2D platformers are one of the oldest game genres that is still going to this day, but have you ever wondered how the genre started and what game contributed to its creation? Wonder no more! Let's dive into video game history to find out what games came before Super Mario Bros! Purchase my book "Secrets of Video Game Consoles" directly from the publisher here: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Secrets-of-...
The game Shigeru Miyamoto made that was BANNED from North America | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 1,9 тис.Рік тому
The game Shigeru Miyamoto made that was BANNED from North America | White_Pointer Gaming
When Microsoft purchased Halo and made Steve Jobs angry | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 526Рік тому
When Microsoft purchased Halo and made Steve Jobs angry | White_Pointer Gaming
A big flaw in Tears of the Kingdom (and games like it) | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 2,1 тис.Рік тому
A big flaw in Tears of the Kingdom (and games like it) | White_Pointer Gaming
SNES games commonly thought to use Mode 7 that actually don't! | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 24 тис.Рік тому
SNES games commonly thought to use Mode 7 that actually don't! | White_Pointer Gaming
Mattel Intellivision vs Atari 2600 - The very first console war! | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 800Рік тому
Mattel Intellivision vs Atari 2600 - The very first console war! | White_Pointer Gaming
Investigating The X-Files FMV adventure game | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 342Рік тому
Investigating The X-Files FMV adventure game | White_Pointer Gaming
Super Nintendo games with mature themes! | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 868Рік тому
Super Nintendo games with mature themes! | White_Pointer Gaming
3D Metroidvanias that are not Metroid Prime - Part 2 | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 1,8 тис.Рік тому
3D Metroidvanias that are not Metroid Prime - Part 2 | White_Pointer Gaming
Was the Atari Jaguar actually 64-bit? | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 2,3 тис.Рік тому
Was the Atari Jaguar actually 64-bit? | White_Pointer Gaming
I wrote a book! | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 221Рік тому
I wrote a book! | White_Pointer Gaming
The best World Cup video game: World Cup 98 | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 3222 роки тому
The best World Cup video game: World Cup 98 | White_Pointer Gaming
World Cup 98 official video game intro | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 2382 роки тому
World Cup 98 official video game intro | White_Pointer Gaming
The forgotten F-Zero games on Game Boy Advance | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 7432 роки тому
The forgotten F-Zero games on Game Boy Advance | White_Pointer Gaming
Super Famicom games with a horror theme! | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 6552 роки тому
Super Famicom games with a horror theme! | White_Pointer Gaming
Super Nintendo games with a horror theme! | White_Pointer Gaming
Переглядів 1,8 тис.2 роки тому
Super Nintendo games with a horror theme! | White_Pointer Gaming

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @jediruss8249
    @jediruss8249 Годину тому

    loved the lynx still play calafornia games and chips chalange on steam deck. I always loved batman returns and kung food amazing graphics hard but i finiashed both

  • @gklinger
    @gklinger 3 години тому

    Thanks for reminding me how much I loved the Lynx. :)

  • @PeranMe
    @PeranMe 6 годин тому

    Superb video as always, and this time about one of absolute favorite consoles! Thank you! ❤

  • @BobHauk
    @BobHauk 8 годин тому

    Everything on the Lnyx just looks ugly and blocky. Even on Atari 50 with the Lynx games, they all look terrible.

    • @WhitePointerGaming
      @WhitePointerGaming 6 годин тому

      They don't look good when blown up on a modern HD TV, but viewing them on the Lynx's 3.5 inch screen that they were originally designed for they look fine.

  • @SuperGlobalKiller
    @SuperGlobalKiller 10 годин тому

    Interesting machine

  • @anthonykearney608
    @anthonykearney608 13 годин тому

    As a kid, I always wanted a lynx. I had a gb and gg. But never asked my parents for a lynx because I already had those 2. They prob would have said yes as I was a in and out of hospital alot. If I had known it had battlezone. I would have. Lol. Some of these games are really impressive for a handheld from 89

  • @Zebra66
    @Zebra66 13 годин тому

    The Lynx sucked... like everything Atari ever made. I had an Gamegear. Sucked as portable but was a great travel Master System (with the cart adapter). The PC engine GT was the best overall (excluding the PC Engine LT). The Gameboy was the only real portable back then though.

  • @ShamoaKrasieski-xm4ze
    @ShamoaKrasieski-xm4ze 14 годин тому

    Sadly, the resolution of the lynx is too low. The screen needs to be very small for it to look acceptable.

  • @Cwiiis
    @Cwiiis 16 годин тому

    The Lynx was an amazing console, and unlike a lot of other failed consoles, had a surprisingly high quality library too. It would've been really cool to see Atari release a home console based on the same tech - just scale everything up in it a little bit and give it a beefier CPU and it would've trounced the competition (at least technically), especially if they got the jump on them in terms of release date. Instead, we waited for ages and got the Jaguar - a massively disappointing machine given what came before it. If anyone's looking to try the Lynx, I highly recommend playing Xenophobe as an entry-point. It's by far the best version of the game, including the arcade original, and holds up pretty well even today!

  • @tsvtsvtsv
    @tsvtsvtsv 17 годин тому

    for people who are committed enough to collect for this console it probably won't be enough to discourage them from picking it up but it's unfortunate how badly the sound was mangled in that otherwise rock-solid port of ninja gaiden iii. the nes game, like the two before it, features some of the most excellent music in the system's library. an attempt was made to port the same compositions to the lynx version but they're out of tune, lifeless and barely recognizable

  • @iwachikakamino6609
    @iwachikakamino6609 19 годин тому

    Great video, really, but please can you speak a little slower and articulate cause without the subtitles, I am missing 60% of the speech which quite technical. Otherwise great contents.

  • @rossmonasweebro
    @rossmonasweebro 21 годину тому

    I was a little git and unhappy when my Mum got me a Lynx instead of a Gameboy. She was right that it was better, and I DID enjoy it. Stun Runner was awesome and the sound effects of Toki released a wave of nostalgia for me there. I kinda wanna play it again, even though I remeber it being hard as nails. 😅

  • @pheenmachine
    @pheenmachine День тому

    0:43 Flashback music? Nice!

  • @ScottDuensing
    @ScottDuensing День тому

    Other than when you have to find the @%&! bullet, which you showed, I really enjoyed this game. Showed what FMV could have been.

    • @WhitePointerGaming
      @WhitePointerGaming День тому

      I actually show finding a cigarette butt, which is a red herring and not really important. I didn't want to reveal the location of the bullet in the video lol, wanted to leave that for the viewer to try to find on their own :)

  • @Tossphate
    @Tossphate День тому

    With it's sprite scaling, could the lynx pull off a competent port of outrun?

    • @WhitePointerGaming
      @WhitePointerGaming День тому

      Looking at a similar games like Roadblasters and Checkered Flag, it's quite possible it could have handled Outrun, yeah. Guess we won't really know for sure though, and it's not like Sega would have been willing to work with Atari back then anyway.

  • @SomeBlokeOrWhatever
    @SomeBlokeOrWhatever День тому

    Now I don't KNOW the reason for the chip names per se But Atari's tradition was to name their chipsets after partners. Like spouses or girl/boyfriends of the engineers. So the chips would carry on their person names into the production version. Like Stella for the original 70s VCS. The Amiga was designed by former Atari engineers, so all _its_ chips had person names too. Agnes, Paula, and Denise. That way they "could talk about their project in public without fearing corporate espionage"

  • @antoinegx
    @antoinegx День тому

    Such a great, beautiful and polished game. The end sequence could have been a little more rewarding with more eye candy instead of a text … but I loved every moment of it, thanks for the memories

  • @CFWhitman
    @CFWhitman День тому

    I had a Lynx II back in the day. I had a lot of fun with it, but I did have an issue where perspiration would get in the function buttons (not the action buttons) and short them, so they seemed pressed all the time, and then I would spray it with electrical cleaner, and/or let it dry for a long time to get the buttons to work right again. I read that the Lynx was actually quite profitable for Atari, and they were determined to use the money they made from it to become successful in the home console market again with the Jaguar. Some feel that if they had concentrated on the Lynx, and perhaps a successor, they might have stuck around longer. I did have a Jaguar also, though, and I had a lot of fun with some of the games on that as well.

  • @UnseenMenace
    @UnseenMenace День тому

    Just to add some more confusion it's also not fair to call the 68000 a 16-bit processor as it's 32-bit internally. So if you can call the CPU in the SNES 16-bit then the 68000 is 32-bit, or the CPU in the SNES is 8-bit and the 68000 is 16-bit. In other words you could argue that the Megadrive is a 32-bit console ;)

  • @marsoblivi0n945
    @marsoblivi0n945 День тому

    Always loved my lynx more than my gameboy.

  • @luxuryhomes8889
    @luxuryhomes8889 День тому

    pfff Lynx was for the rich kids bro

  • @allissondiego1989
    @allissondiego1989 День тому

    I wish I could hear the songs playing in the games too

  • @NTI_Productions
    @NTI_Productions День тому

    I have the impression this series' video titles doesn't satisfy CrappyTube's algorithm, because it's DAMN good and funny, but it ain't got the nice views and likes it deserves Thank Goku I'm marathoning your channel, otherwise I wouldn't have seen this gorgeous lost gem!!!

  • @alanfinch8763
    @alanfinch8763 День тому

    Screen choice killed the Lynx

  • @udance4ever
    @udance4ever День тому

    wow - this whole time I only thought California Games was the showcase title - boy was i wrong!

  • @suvetar
    @suvetar День тому

    That mock FPS mode in Gauntlet 3 is actually rather good!

  • @alienbishop
    @alienbishop День тому

    Wow, Lynx rocks

  • @itchyisvegeta
    @itchyisvegeta День тому

    I always assumed the Turtles throwing soldiers on the screen was Mode 7 because the Genesis game didn't have anything like that. Now Im even more disappointed with the Genesis game that it didn't do that effect in some way

  • @nathandaniels4823
    @nathandaniels4823 День тому

    Such an interesting and unique system. A buddy of mine had both versions. It’s a shame it never took off

  • @DDRmails
    @DDRmails День тому

    3D/pseudo 3D looks amazing, and that sprite scaling, that wasnt even on smd and snes... oof

  • @RobbCochran-l2u
    @RobbCochran-l2u День тому

    I got a Brand New Model2 Lynx for $20 when they denigrated Atari when I was a kid and it was the First Console I Ever Owned... asside from my Commodore... I wish I still had it if only for the Nestalgia since they're pretty impossible to get ahold of these days... I wanted to buy two of them so I could hack one one day (i was that kid) but them days I was lucky to have one at all...

  • @coppermutant
    @coppermutant День тому

    Weird thing, I lived in Japan from 1989 through the late 90s and while interested when coming back to the states about once a year, the cat name thing confused me and between it and the Jaguar I was not sure which was which when hearing about the consoles casually. I thought the Lynx was like a Sega Nomad, capable of playing the same games and didn't know until today that the Lynx was actually first!

  • @RetroTuna
    @RetroTuna День тому

    Loved the lynx back in the day it did look fantastic on that screen, intresting video mad it could scale sprites bigger and smaller like you were saying not even neogeo or system 16 could do that they all scaled the size down.

  • @seebarry4068
    @seebarry4068 2 дні тому

    Another selling point that doesn't get brought up is that you don't need reading glasses to play these systems. It looks the same with your glasses on or off.

  • @jeremysart
    @jeremysart 2 дні тому

    I’ve been aware of the Lynx since the 90’s, but never actually knew it was so powerful. Impressive to see all that parallax and polygons!

  • @ClaudioGomboli
    @ClaudioGomboli 2 дні тому

    Underrated platform, glad to see some video talking about the Lynx. Best home version of Toky, too.

  • @tomstorm255
    @tomstorm255 2 дні тому

    Epyx - a name I've loved since Pitstop 2 and Jumpman on my C64!

  • @MitchellAzevedo-e3x
    @MitchellAzevedo-e3x 2 дні тому

    I own a model 1 and a model 2 and one major difference is the D-Pad. most model 1 atari Lynxs have a thin cross pattern D-Pad that makes performing diagonal movement much less accurate on most model 1 consoles. There are a few later model 1 units that do not have the thin cross pattern D-Pad and have a wider circular designed D-Pad more like the model 1

  • @mitchelkennedy4108
    @mitchelkennedy4108 3 дні тому

    Awesome video!

  • @NoobixCube
    @NoobixCube 3 дні тому

    If I recall my history of the era correctly, some of the engineers who designed the Lynx at I think it was Epyx were originally Commodore engineers. Commodore engineers had this habit of giving their chips human names (Paula, Denise, Agnus), so I'm sure the connection has to be there.

  • @Meteotrance
    @Meteotrance 3 дні тому

    So much potential ruined by a poor quality early LCD color screen, if only they build a 16 bit home console or made a better support for the Jaguar like most of the cool game of the Lynx was not on a Deluxe Jaguar version especialy the 3D racing game.

  • @supakusuta
    @supakusuta 3 дні тому

    I bought an original Lynx for around $200AUD back in 2022. It's a very cool system, only game I own is Rygar tho. I'd like to get a flashcart for the sustem someday.

  • @OldsXCool
    @OldsXCool 3 дні тому

    Very interesting information not commonly talked about. My favorite Sega CD game is Battlecorps hands down. It's still one of the best mech games ever made.

  • @robertdanker6193
    @robertdanker6193 3 дні тому

    Great video!! I had a Lynx back in the day. Picked it up with the Batman Returns bundle. Really enjoyed Ninja Gaiden, Blue Lighting, and California games. It was a shame it didn't catch on would have loved to see what it could have done pushing it to limit.

  • @blufudgecrispyrice8528
    @blufudgecrispyrice8528 3 дні тому

    Perhaps it would have been a great home console but Atari made so many baffling decisions back then I doubt it. 2 to 3 hrs battery doesn't sound too bad but I haven't really had to keep on buying 6 AA batteries each time.

  • @ExtremeWreck
    @ExtremeWreck 3 дні тому

    12:11 Considering that the game stars some dead spirit haunting houses, it actually works as a way to differentiate him from the alive unfortunate folks inside the house, basically the shadow & highlight modes are used to cleverly show that Poltergeist is a ghost.

  • @FleshToDust
    @FleshToDust 3 дні тому

    If I took a drink every time a youtuber said the word "honestly", I would be a drunkard every day of my life.

  • @SuperXzm
    @SuperXzm 3 дні тому

    10:54 Hiding the whole 3d game under a cheat. Absolute mad lads!

  • @geminielectro
    @geminielectro 4 дні тому

    Wow! I never knew about Battlezone 2000. I found a hack that reveal the secret game. Great vid!

  • @DavidSarma
    @DavidSarma 4 дні тому

    interesting video! i got a lynx, because the graphics were so good for that era, but i had no idea why. so this helped understand some of what was going on. i was also really into the look of amiga games, even though i never had one, so that's interesting to hear that connection. and that battlezone story is kind of wild. both cause i really liked battlezone as a kid, and cause i eventually worked in the VFX industry, and it reminds me of all the work that never actually makes it into the finished show, that's sometimes pretty interesting, but for the most part will never get seen