Issue 97 Official Feedback

[HalcyonDaze00]

the zzap and cover tape articles are two of the best to have ever featured in rg, they more than make up for a machine as poor as the lynx getting so much coverage

[jdanddiet]

[DreamcastRIP]

To once more quote Darran's fine opening sentence from the "The Lynx Effect" article by way of reply,

"If there's one handheld that gets constantly derided by the uninformed, it is Atari Corporation's Lynx."

[joefish]

The Lynx was fine so long as your definition of 'portable' meant sitting in different places in your own bedroom. Processing and display wise it was miles ahead of SEGA and Nintendo. But if you weren't using it on a mains adaptor you'd get through your own weight in batteries each day, just like a Game Gear. And this was at a time when Ni-Cads with 8-hour charging times were the norm - about three times longer than they'd last in a Lynx.

It also had one awful defect. It seemed a pretty big rugged case, but in torsion it was quite weak. All too easy to crack something inside by twisting the ends a little too much. Don't try it on anything but an already dead one. Or just any otherwise rigid-looking rectangular plastic box. You might think your PC keyboard is fairly tough, but pick it up by the ends and give it a twist and see how much it gives.

If you genuinely wanted a portable machine that you could take anywhere and play at any time, there was only the GameBoy. Sure, massive marketing and a few choice simple games made it popular, but so did word-of-mouth of happy owners. Much as I enjoyed Toki on the Lynx, I was more grateful for being able to play Probotector on the Gameboy when stuck on a broken-down train in the middle of nowhere.

So yes, it still gets a bit of stick from people who actually had one, too.

[DreamcastRIP]

... It also had one awful defect. It seemed a pretty big rugged case, but in torsion it was quite weak. All too easy to crack something inside by twisting the ends a little too much. Don't try it on anything but an already dead one. Or just any otherwise rigid-looking rectangular plastic box. You might think your PC keyboard is fairly tough, but pick it up by the ends and give it a twist and see how much it gives.

No offence to you but I've seen this non-issue mentioned once or twice before over the years about the Lynx mk.I and quite frankly I find it retarded. Why on earth would anyone of sound mind try 'twisting' a handheld console in the first place? It just doesn't make sense. Anyone dumb enough to try exerting sufficient enough pressure to risk breaking such an expensive consumer electronics device needs their head seeing to and deserves all they get should their rank stupidity succeed in damaging it.

Anyway, the more commonly purchased Lynx mk.II didn't 'suffer' from this non-issue any more than, say, Game Gear or Nomad potentially did so that makes it even more of a non-issue than it already was.

[joefish]

No offence to you but I've seen this non-issue mentioned once or twice before over the years about the Lynx mk.I and quite frankly I find it retarded. Why on earth would anyone of sound mind try 'twisting' a handheld console in the first place? It just doesn't make sense. Anyone dumb enough to try exerting sufficient enough pressure to risk breaking such an expensive consumer electronics device needs their head seeing to and deserves all they get should their rank stupidity succeed in damaging it.

You could just as easily ask, "Why on earth would anyone of sound mind think that leaning over or tilting the SNES controller would help Mario corner any faster?". And then go off on a rant questioning their mental health.

When people are gripping the thing to try and hold it steady, but also apply pressure to various buttons at the same time, you're going to get different forces on each end of the case. It's made worse by the placement of buttons on the Lynx because you're pressing controls right at the top of the case, maximising the moment of torque at one end. If, say, you're pressing down on the D-pad at the other end at the same time (whilst simultaneously trying to grip the case itself), that's a large twisting moment being applied to a structure that's very badly designed for resisting it. And because of the internal supports, that twisting force is transferred directly to a single circuit board running the full width of the device. And it doesn't take much stress to fracture the tracks of such an intricate PCB.

Most people, once they start playing, aren't going to handle a handheld gaming system any more gently than they would the controller of a regular console. And that doesn't seem to have been accounted for in the structural design of the Lynx.

Anyway, the more commonly purchased Lynx mk.II didn't 'suffer' from this non-issue any more than, say, Game Gear or Nomad potentially did so that makes it even more of a non-issue than it already was.

The Mk II design isn't as bad because it isn't as long, but it's still largely just a box section. The Game Gear has more curves to its shell in various directions, which makes it slightly better at resisting torsional loads. Not much, but a little. But the placement of the buttons is still a big difference. Look at a Game Gear - the buttons are much closer to the centre-line of the console.

[DreamcastRIP]

You could just as easily ask, "Why on earth would anyone of sound mind think that leaning over or tilting the SNES controller would help Mario corner any faster?". And then go off on a rant questioning their mental health.

When people are gripping the thing to try and hold it steady, but also apply pressure to various buttons at the same time, you're going to get different forces on each end of the case. It's made worse by the placement of buttons on the Lynx because you're pressing controls right at the top of the case, maximising the moment of torque at one end. If, say, you're pressing down on the D-pad at the other end at the same time (whilst simultaneously trying to grip the case itself), that's a large twisting moment being applied to a structure that's very badly designed for resisting it. And because of the internal supports, that twisting force is transferred directly to a single circuit board running the full width of the device. And it doesn't take much stress to fracture the tracks of such an intricate PCB.

Most people, once they start playing, aren't going to handle a handheld gaming system any more gently than they would the controller of a regular console. And that doesn't seem to have been accounted for in the structural design of the Lynx.

The Mk II design isn't as bad because it isn't as long, but it's still largely just a box section. The Game Gear has more curves to its shell in various directions, which makes it slightly better at resisting torsional loads. Not much, but a little. But the placement of the buttons is still a big difference. Look at a Game Gear - the buttons are much closer to the centre-line of the console.

Not at all. It's far more 'normal' and widespread for folk to tilt a gamepad in the way you described than it is to exert such massive forces to 'twist' a handheld games console to the point of destruction.

I appreciate the 'technical' points you're putting forward. Lynx mk.I's case wasn't perhaps the sturdiest of designs but if used at all sensibly there's no reason it should break from normal play. So in theory your argument is sound but in practice it's a moot point for all but the most ham-fisted of gamers.

Your assertion that "most people" handle handhelds with the same care as they would gamepads is deeply suspect too... but to avoid tediously dismantling the assertion piece by piece I'll at least agree with your more general point that Lynx mk.I should have been a little sturdier in its construction. The problem I have with that though is that if, say, one were to accidentally drop a handheld of that era on to the floor then I suspect there wouldn't be much more or less damage suffered to a Lynx mk.I than there would be to a Game Gear, Nomad or TurboExpress/PC Engine GT. Sturdiness (and low power consumption) and size were just about the only thing good about the GameBoy hardware which was smart of Nintendo.

I sincerely hope there aren't any prospective Lynx buyers reading your final paragraph as the way you make it sound it's as if because Lynx mk.II has buttons towards the outer edges the console will therefore buckle in two at the slightest bit of pressure. I repeat, your points regarding this non-issue are fine in theory but pretty much irrelevant in practice.

I can't help but suspect you may have clumsily damaged a Lynx yourself this way when a child and still harbour a seething resentment over it and want to blame Atari even though deep down you know it was your own fault!

[The Laird]

Let me just say that I have had probably around 100 different Lynxs pass through my hands over the years in various states, many of which I have repaired/reconditioned and sold on. In all that time I have NEVER seen any damage to any type of Lynx caused by what is being suggested here. There are a few common faults with Lynx units like the PSU sockets breaking, pads wearing and screen issues but this is not one I have even heard of let alone encountered.

[Szczepaniak]

Can we all just agree that it's best to be on the safe when handling a lynx?

[DreamcastRIP]

Deal!

[thevulture]

Owned Lynx Mk 1 and Mk 2 never had any issues with either in my humble exp.usually the AC socket wears out over time, rather ironic given amount of time it needs to be plugged into mains.

Had a speaker go on my Game Gear back in the day, sent it in for repair, well packaged, original box, lots of bubble wrap etc, it came back to me, very damaged, clearly been dropped on 1 corner, repair people said it arrived that way, so must have been Royal Mail.

My GB? Never used anywhere near enough to risk being damaged, portable it may well be, but that screen? gwad...wretched.

[Freespirit]

Loved the Zzap article. Any chance of an interview with Gary Liddon?

[DRS]

Loved the Zzap article. Any chance of an interview with Gary Liddon?

Nice piece wasn't it - i think Daz did it. Good stuff. As for Liddon, he was my Desert Island Disks castaway way back in issue 22 if you can dig that out. Good value he was. Always gets his round in... and there are always a lot of rounds :s

Paul

PS> Meant to add, there's a picture of Gary in the David Leitch DID piece in RG96... in a Notts boozer called the Lincolnshire Poacher (it's a good un if you're ever near...) Note that whenever anyone points a camera at him, he reverts to Zzap! mode and the thumb goes aloft... sweet

[slacey1070]

The Lynx was fine so long as your definition of 'portable' meant sitting in different places in your own bedroom.

Now that, Sir, is funny

[HalcyonDaze00]

Just read the antiriad article, another very good piece.