I love my Lynx, thanks for the interesting information. I also have almost all commercially released games for it and programmed a few demos on it. The name 'blitter' is short for 'block image transferer', it copies rectangular image data, usually to the screen and can often do some operations on it. The Amiga's blitter can use up to three image sources (often an image, the graphics already on the destination part of the screen and a mask. It can also draw lines and fill polygons. Sprites on the Lynx are more like bobs (blitter objects), you give Suzy a linked list of these sprites (only limited by memory and performance) and it will draw them in that order, with, like you mention, scaling, sheering, tapering and even data decompression (RLE). In fact all graphics you see on the Lynx, even the backgrounds, are made out of these sprites. They are placed within a 32768 x 32768 pixel 'world' and then you position the display area somewhere within that world. Suzy then draws the correct view for that position. Because it can distort sprites it is possible to draw lines and even polygons using single (or two for polygons) distorted pixels. A blitter is not used for doing calculations. However, Suzy can asynchronously do multiply and divide calculations, combined with addition or substraction, on 16 bit numbers. This is great for calculating 3D graphics. It is really impressive that the Lynx, being a 1989 handheld, has 3D filled-vector games (Hard Drivin' and Steel Talons). Their frame-rate is not great, which was pretty normal at the time for 3D games. Mikey does not only generate audio (with full stereo panning per channel only on the Lynx II), but contains the 65C02 8-bit CPU as well, hence its name. The generated audio is similar to that used on the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers, but more advanced.
I think that the process of getting to where you are has filled me with contempt for it. It would be better to forget about programming for the thing, and be happy with the vague memories of it I have when much younger.
i LOVED my Lynx II. I LOVED Slime World, Warbirds, Batman Returns, Klaxx, Crystal Mines II, Rygar, STUN runner, California Games, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Gauntlet: The Third Encounter. I remember sitting in the back of my family's car, playing the Lynx in the dark for hours on end. Batteries needed though, oh my!
There's also Zaku, released by Super Fighter Team on 2009. I have that one. I have several of the Songbird releases for the Jaguar and Lynx. My Lynx is a Model 2. A lot of cool features for the Lynx. The Model 2 was designed for easier removal of game cards over the Model 1.
Zaku is a great game, if a bit hard. I own all 72 games CIB as well as a number of unreleased prototypes and homebrews. Plus both models of the Lynx of course, as it's my favourite system ever.
I've done a separate video on that comparing it to the other handheld versions if you haven't seen it: ua-cam.com/video/3c96h7lvWnM/v-deo.html&ab_channel=TheLaird%27sLair
Critics: "It's too big!" Testers: "That's what she said!" The one thing I never got to do on both my Lynx's was play through link up. I knew a couple of other kids who had them but we always had different games.
It’s a Comlynx cable, and you can see another surfer on the screen. There is a longer cut of this add, even if not on UA-cam, that reveals there are other kids who got out of other classes to meet up, and they are in other stalls. Bug I guess the long version is too complicated! What I think is hilarious is the pocket in his jacket he pulls the Lynx out of. That’s crazy! No way. That had to be sewn in there just to make the add for sure. You could fit the whole jacket in that pocket.
It took batteries as well...They didn't last very long, I think like 3 or so hours, but it was still completely portable and thus usable anywhere...Just not for a very long time! LOL
Another fact was that the Lynx development system was based on the Amiga, so Atari had to purchase some. As both an Amiga and Lynx owner, I had divided loyalties! I bought mine some time after its initial release, when it had a price drop. I bought Shanghai for it | (which I'd had on the Amiga before). I later got and adored Slime World and Chip's Challenge. Of all the consoles and computers I've bought or had as presents up until 'retro' became a thing, it's the only example where I still have 'my' original.
It's a bummer we didn't get to see all the games and have a library to collect for today. The creative development for the linx games was the best for this time period. My lynx stopped working in the early ninteys and I tried to fix it as a kid, hearing someone say the backlight bulb goes out. I destroyed that lynx trying to get it opened
Great video! I’ve played a lot of both game gear and game boy in the past, but as a fan of arcade and old computer games the Lynx is my favorite handheld.
I'm still trying to get a Lynx for a good price. It speaks a lot about how much people love the Lynx for the fact they're so pricey now. Nobody is rushing to buy a Game Gear, but Lynxes come and go so quickly. I'm way younger than the Lynx, but it's such a fascinating piece of hardware that was years ahead of its time.
After 1983 in the US Atari just couldn't catch a break despite having some good hardware. The 7800 was a system with a lot of potential, as were the Lynx & Jaguar...but all of the systems just got the crap kicked out of their potential by Nintendo, Sega & Jack Tremmel.
Great stuff, as always! Thanks for yet another informative video. I didn't realise that the Lynx used a 6502C. For some reason I'd always assumed that it had a Motorola 68K like the Amiga. One minor detail that you forgot is that the Lynx II has a stereo audio jack whilst the original machine only had a mono one. Is it just me or did the "Handy" name actually sound cute and apt? 🙂
Not strictly true, only the original revision of the Lynx 1 had mono, later ones were stereo. My own Lynx 1 that I bought in 1990 has stereo sound in fact.
@@TheLairdsLair I knew you were the martin Luther king Jr. Of the lynx revolution. Thanks. After hearing all the crap Atari has done I figured that they would have done something stupid like make them incompatible. Glad to see they took the high road. Judging by your review and like of the system I may just pick one up, but it's gonna have to be 2 because no way my son's gonna learn to share lol....now all I need to find is a 100 foot link cable
Handy is the only one out there really, but it's far from perfect. I wish Digital Eclipse would release the one they used for Atari 50, like they have with the Jaguar.
The Lynx is such an incredible console with so many amazing stories about it!
I love my Lynx, thanks for the interesting information. I also have almost all commercially released games for it and programmed a few demos on it.
The name 'blitter' is short for 'block image transferer', it copies rectangular image data, usually to the screen and can often do some operations on it. The Amiga's blitter can use up to three image sources (often an image, the graphics already on the destination part of the screen and a mask. It can also draw lines and fill polygons.
Sprites on the Lynx are more like bobs (blitter objects), you give Suzy a linked list of these sprites (only limited by memory and performance) and it will draw them in that order, with, like you mention, scaling, sheering, tapering and even data decompression (RLE). In fact all graphics you see on the Lynx, even the backgrounds, are made out of these sprites. They are placed within a 32768 x 32768 pixel 'world' and then you position the display area somewhere within that world. Suzy then draws the correct view for that position.
Because it can distort sprites it is possible to draw lines and even polygons using single (or two for polygons) distorted pixels.
A blitter is not used for doing calculations. However, Suzy can asynchronously do multiply and divide calculations, combined with addition or substraction, on 16 bit numbers. This is great for calculating 3D graphics. It is really impressive that the Lynx, being a 1989 handheld, has 3D filled-vector games (Hard Drivin' and Steel Talons). Their frame-rate is not great, which was pretty normal at the time for 3D games.
Mikey does not only generate audio (with full stereo panning per channel only on the Lynx II), but contains the 65C02 8-bit CPU as well, hence its name. The generated audio is similar to that used on the Atari 2600 and Atari 8-bit computers, but more advanced.
I think that the process of getting to where you are has filled me with contempt for it. It would be better to forget about programming for the thing, and be happy with the vague memories of it I have when much younger.
i LOVED my Lynx II. I LOVED Slime World, Warbirds, Batman Returns, Klaxx, Crystal Mines II, Rygar, STUN runner, California Games, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Gauntlet: The Third Encounter. I remember sitting in the back of my family's car, playing the Lynx in the dark for hours on end. Batteries needed though, oh my!
There's also Zaku, released by Super Fighter Team on 2009. I have that one. I have several of the Songbird releases for the Jaguar and Lynx. My Lynx is a Model 2. A lot of cool features for the Lynx. The Model 2 was designed for easier removal of game cards over the Model 1.
Zaku is a great game, if a bit hard. I own all 72 games CIB as well as a number of unreleased prototypes and homebrews. Plus both models of the Lynx of course, as it's my favourite system ever.
Amazing console. What killed the Lynx (and the Sega Nomad) was the battery life.
I think my favorite part was featuring the homebrew Mortal Kombat port. Great video! 👏🏻👏🏻💪🏻💪🏻
I've done a separate video on that comparing it to the other handheld versions if you haven't seen it:
ua-cam.com/video/3c96h7lvWnM/v-deo.html&ab_channel=TheLaird%27sLair
@@TheLairdsLair I have not, thanks for the heads-up! 😊
Critics: "It's too big!"
Testers: "That's what she said!"
The one thing I never got to do on both my Lynx's was play through link up. I knew a couple of other kids who had them but we always had different games.
I still wanna know how the kid had AC power in the crapper
It’s a Comlynx cable, and you can see another surfer on the screen. There is a longer cut of this add, even if not on UA-cam, that reveals there are other kids who got out of other classes to meet up, and they are in other stalls. Bug I guess the long version is too complicated! What I think is hilarious is the pocket in his jacket he pulls the Lynx out of. That’s crazy! No way. That had to be sewn in there just to make the add for sure. You could fit the whole jacket in that pocket.
My Lynx 1 fitted in the inside blazer pocket of my school uniform, I kept it there all day!
It took batteries as well...They didn't last very long, I think like 3 or so hours, but it was still completely portable and thus usable anywhere...Just not for a very long time! LOL
Another fact was that the Lynx development system was based on the Amiga, so Atari had to purchase some. As both an Amiga and Lynx owner, I had divided loyalties! I bought mine some time after its initial release, when it had a price drop. I bought Shanghai for it | (which I'd had on the Amiga before). I later got and adored Slime World and Chip's Challenge. Of all the consoles and computers I've bought or had as presents up until 'retro' became a thing, it's the only example where I still have 'my' original.
It's a bummer we didn't get to see all the games and have a library to collect for today. The creative development for the linx games was the best for this time period. My lynx stopped working in the early ninteys and I tried to fix it as a kid, hearing someone say the backlight bulb goes out. I destroyed that lynx trying to get it opened
wait a minute, that kid in the ad at the beginning of this video, is that tobey maguire?
Correct!!!
@@TheLairdsLair holy crap
Warbirds was amazing
Great video! I’ve played a lot of both game gear and game boy in the past, but as a fan of arcade and old computer games the Lynx is my favorite handheld.
I'm still trying to get a Lynx for a good price. It speaks a lot about how much people love the Lynx for the fact they're so pricey now. Nobody is rushing to buy a Game Gear, but Lynxes come and go so quickly. I'm way younger than the Lynx, but it's such a fascinating piece of hardware that was years ahead of its time.
Saved my money to buy my Lynx and sadly it was stolen in a move, it was so much fun. And kicked the crap out of anything else out at the time.
Ah bummer, I still have my original Lynx.
wasnt it possible to flip the lynx to make it work for left handed users?
Yep!
After 1983 in the US Atari just couldn't catch a break despite having some good hardware. The 7800 was a system with a lot of potential, as were the Lynx & Jaguar...but all of the systems just got the crap kicked out of their potential by Nintendo, Sega & Jack Tremmel.
i picked one up before travelling accross uk and europe with a bundle games. great console and a saviour
Great Video as usual
Great stuff, as always! Thanks for yet another informative video. I didn't realise that the Lynx used a 6502C. For some reason I'd always assumed that it had a Motorola 68K like the Amiga. One minor detail that you forgot is that the Lynx II has a stereo audio jack whilst the original machine only had a mono one. Is it just me or did the "Handy" name actually sound cute and apt? 🙂
Not strictly true, only the original revision of the Lynx 1 had mono, later ones were stereo. My own Lynx 1 that I bought in 1990 has stereo sound in fact.
@@TheLairdsLair Appreciate the clarification. It's widespread across the Net that all Lynx 1 models had mono headphone jacks.
Thanks!
No, thank you for your support!!!
When u link multiple units do they all have to be the same unit type meaning can lynx 1 and 2 be used multiplayer
You can link up all units, it doesn't discriminate.
@@TheLairdsLair I knew you were the martin Luther king Jr. Of the lynx revolution. Thanks. After hearing all the crap Atari has done I figured that they would have done something stupid like make them incompatible. Glad to see they took the high road. Judging by your review and like of the system I may just pick one up, but it's gonna have to be 2 because no way my son's gonna learn to share lol....now all I need to find is a 100 foot link cable
The Comlynx cables are surprisingly long actually.
Do you have a favorite emulator for the Lynx?
Handy is the only one out there really, but it's far from perfect. I wish Digital Eclipse would release the one they used for Atari 50, like they have with the Jaguar.
I find it distracting when you're discussing one game while footage plays of another game which you never end mentioning.
I'm not discussing games in this video though, it's facts about the system, so I find this criticism a bit strange.
They should have made an adapter add on for 2600/7800 carts.