Why It FAILED! The Atari Lynx.

[@chinnyvision2]

Is it because its was wider than two 464's end to end?

[@81632bit]

That could have had something to do with it... The Lynx (both models) was a rather girthy boy.....

[@SlippinnnJimmy]

We used these things called "backpacks" back then, which took care of portability. Imagine trying to stuff even the smallest portable console from that time (a DMG) in your pocket and walking around. Slacks still fit a person's body at that time; it's not happening.

[@FunPicard]

Good video. As an audio tip, you could benefit from reducing the gain on your mic. Audio is clipping, and the mic picks up slurping noises. I had the same issue myself with a video. A VU meter is helpful.

[@FurQ69]

I had one these I borrowed from a friend whilst I stayed in hospital, I put some admittedly cheap batteries in it expecting at least a few games but it lasted 12 seconds, I remember the game gear being an absolute battery killer too.

[@swarnski8uu]

Game gear... 8 double A's, lasted 4 hours

[@FurQ69]

@@swarnski8uu duracells mabey.

[@GregoryShtevensh]

That's really why the Gameboy won out. Battery life

[@81632bit]

At the time, battery technology wasn't really up to driving a colour screen and a cpu for any real length of time. Using a monochrome display was a deliberate (and smart) choice on Nintendo's part with the Game Boy.

[@FurQ69]

@@81632bit yep the one time they were actually vindicated sticking with old tech, unlike the n64 with it's 6 Meg cartridges.

[@mikewest6569]

The reason Atari failed so much was not because the product was bad, it was actually quite good. It failed because you cannot run a technology company on a lemonade stand budget. They had no money to produce, support, advertise and upgrade their products. They screwed their dealers and sold to everyone at different prices. There warranty program was rancid, there support for dealers was nonexistent. I was a certified reseller and warranty repair shop for Atari in the 80s and 90s, so I know what it was like. They came out with 15 different Atari St computers that were virtually variations of the same thing. Colossal waste of money. The Jaguar was a joke from day one, the portfolio was a useless device, the Stacy was too little too late, etc. etc. etc.

[@SlippinnnJimmy]

All true. Plus: third party software developers. Think about some Konami, Capcom, or even Hudson titles on the Lynx. There wasn't even an Activision title on the Lynx. They had 27 third-party developers, and the only big names among them were Atari and Epyx.

[@rogue-p1h]

i had this handheld and it was great! Much nicer than some black and white gameboy though it was quite big and the batteries didnt last too long so you had to really use the power cable

[@81632bit]

Yep. The friend of mine I mention never took his out with him because the batteries ran dry so quickly. First things he bought were a wall adapter and a car adapter. Hell, he used to run an extension cord into the garden to use it when we were playing outside.

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

The original plan was for the Panther to launch alongside the Lynx, but Atari lacked the resources to support 2 flagship consoles and the Panther was put on the backburner.

[@JayDee-iy5be]

Failed? I never considered it a failure, it wasn't as successful as the Gameboy or Gamegear but it sold well - over 2 million units and two revisions over 6 years. Had over 70 games and there was some really good ones. I had the Lynx and the Gamegear, I liked them both.

[@81632bit]

Compared to the Game Boy (118m units) and the Game Gear (10.6m units) it was a failure.

[@JayDee-iy5be]

@@81632bit I would still not call it a failure, the other two were just wildly popular. If it had sold 1,000 units, had two games and was cancelled in a few months of release - THAT would be a failure.

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

​@@81632bitSam Tramiel promised it would literally destroy the Nintendo GB, so yes, for Atari it was a monumental failure.

[@projectfanboy]

The problem was that all my friends had a gameboy, and that kind of dictated what system line you was going to follow so you could trade / swap games.

[@81632bit]

That was the same for most gamers. Nintendo had the right system, at the right price. Atari didn't.

[@inceptional]

The system was just too expensive at the time, far too big, the battery life far too short (given we were all using replaceable batteries back then), and the games library is far too small and underwhelming. You can't compete in the handheld market when all those things are an issue. Also, did you notice that was Tobey Maguire at 0:25.

[@SAM-ru4vx]

The myth is the battery usage. It had great software like blue thunder, x bots, xenophobe, rygar, ninja gaiden (arcade), etc. The Atari brand was in the negative because all they did was shrill 2600 and the same games from early 80s. of course this is the opinion from 🇺🇸. We never got over ET. Yeah grudges last forever.

[@SlippinnnJimmy]

The Lynx has never failed to entertain me. 🤷‍♂️

[@cacheslovakia]

Isn't that Tobey Maguire?

[@81632bit]

Yes it is.

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

Sam Tramiel was always very arrogant regarding the Lynx. He claimed Atari would sell a combined figure of 2 million Lynxes, Portfolio's and ST Laptops within 12 months and go onto dominate the handheld market and kill off Nintendo within 5 years... He was was happy with there only being 24 titles at that point being available on the Lynx.. because they were all quality games... The Lynx ended life never having an RPG game to it's name (Daemonsgate, Eye Of The Beholder etc never being released). He restricted cartridge sizes, which is why Dracula is half the size it was intended to be, Ninja Gaiden is missing the intro and a level from the arcade, APB lacks the prisoner confession sequence.. The hardware price was set in stone as The Tramiel's were unable to negotiate a lower price for the LCD screens used. Maybe if Atari had pushed ahead with development of titles such as:Cabal, Vindicators, Rolling Thunder, 720,AVP.... Paid John Carmack his first milestone payment on time for Lynx Wolfenstien 3D, so he didn't end up cancelling it... The system would of had better sales..

[@ThePeterCorne]

He even has it plugged in while in the toilet!

[@BrekMartin]

It’s plugged in to other Lynx consoles in adjacent toilet cubicles via Comlynx, to play multiplayer.

[@roscohaines8508]

Failure yes. But it is a great console with great games, although a small library.

[@Joey-The-Frog]

Calling modern Atari (SA) a shambling corpse is extremely disrespectful to everyone that works there today , ever since 2021 they have made a pretty big comeback both in hardware ( Atari VCS, 2600+, 400 mini etc ) and software ( Atari recharged series, Atari 50 Collection, new ips like Kombinera and Mr Run and Jump, new sequels like Neo Sprint, Food Fight Culinary Combat, the New Haunted House, Tempest 4000 etc ). If you take a look at they're products with an open mind you'll see that they are just as good if not better than the old Atari that died with the Jaguar.

[@JayDee-iy5be]

And the original Atari founder has been involved with the current company longer than he was with the original.

[@rogue-p1h]

@@JayDee-iy5be isnt is just a raspberry pi inside some sort of atari case? Im not too familiar with the new systems?

[@81632bit]

No. It's a heavily cut back AMD Zen dual core CPU and Vega 3 GPU based system. Specifically the R1606G, a 4 year old design intended for embedded systems.

[@JayDee-iy5be]

@@rogue-p1h No, it's a regular mini PC-compatible. Pre-installed with a custom Linux called AtariOS, but you can install Windows or anything else you like - I've got a couple of them, use one as a mini desktop and one as a home media PC. You can upgrade the storage and RAM too.

[@JayDee-iy5be]

It is a mobile Ryzen chip designed for laptops and mini PCs - which the VCS is. A 4-year old design because in 2019 when they were designing it, they dropped the A10 in favour for the latest AMD chip designed for mini PC use, which was the R1606G.

[@FriendlyNeighborhoodGeek99]

Third!