Atari Lynx emulators

Atari Lynx

Developer	Atari, Epyx
Type	Handheld game console
Generation	Fourth generation
Release date	1989
Discontinued	1995
Emulated	✓

For emulators that run on the Atari Lynx, see Emulators on Atari Lynx.

The Atari Lynx was a fourth-generation handheld game console released by Atari on September 1, 1989 and it retailed for $179.99 ($468 in 2026). It has a WDC 65SC02 CPU. Notably, it was the world's first handheld system that used a color LCD screen, as well as having fairly advanced graphics for the time.

Unlike contemporaneous machines, its architecture is based upon a frame buffer and a scaling blitter, providing both 2D sprite and background scaling and hardware support for lines and filled triangles. Because it has no inherent concept of a tile map or any sprite-specific hardware, the drawing budget is per frame rather than per line; there is no enforced limit in terms of the number of sprites or sprites per line other than that implied by the amount of drawing that can be achieved within an acceptable frame rate.

Emulators

Before editing, review the Getting involved and Recommended pages. See system requirements page for performance demand of the emulators.
See tables for hardware variants, enhancements, hardware features and peripherals.
For more details such as licensing, programming language, emulation method, visit each emulator’s dedicated page.

Name	Platform(s)	Latest version	Netplay	RetroAchievements	libretro	License	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
Mednafen mednafen_lynx_libretro		1.32.1 libretro core	~	~	✓	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
MAME		0.289	✗	✗	✓	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	✓
Felix		0.6.3	✗	✗	✗	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Pantheon		16.458	?	?	?	Proprietary	✓	?
OpenEmu		2.4.1	✗	✗	✗	?	✓	✓
Handy Handy_libretro		libretro core 0.971	~	~	✓	zlib License (Permissive)	~	✗
Gearlynx		libretro core 1.2.31	?	?	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Mobile / ARM
Handy_libretro		libretro core	✓	✓	✓	zlib License (Permissive)	~	✓
Lynx.emu		1.5.85git	✗	✗	✗	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Provenance		3.3.0 git	?	?	?	?	✓	?
Gearlynx		libretro core 1.2.31	?	?	✓	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
Consoles
Handy Handy_libretro		libretro core Handypsp Handy VITA WiiHandy Handy-3DS 06/03/23 Saturn git	~	~	✓	zlib License (Permissive)	~	✓
PLynx		0.9	✗	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	~

Comparison

Mednafen

Based upon Handy, but unlike other forked cores, its emulation only improves upon the original. Despite having the .lnx extension, No-Intro ROMs aren’t directly compatible with Mednafen nor Handy and must be converted with make_lnx, which is bundled with Handy.

Felix

Inspired by Handy. Created in C++20 using DirectX. Under MIT License. It's a cycle-exact Atari Lynx Emulator with good compatibility. It has a simple GUI and can load roms in .lnx, .lyx and .o format, change rotation and EEPROM properties, has Xinput Gamepad support and redefinable key mapping.

Handy

Hasn't been updated since 2007. Only included here for reference.

Enhancements

Name		Mednafen	MAME	Felix	OpenEmu

Hardware features and peripherals

Name		Mednafen	MAME	Felix	OpenEmu
Hardware features
Peripherals	Comlynx cable	✗	✗	✗	✗
Misc.	Atari Jaguar connectivity	✗	✗	✗	✗
	Switch between Lynx I and Lynx II emulation	?	?	?	?

BIOS

All emulators require a dump of the 512-byte BIOS named lynxboot.img. On Mednafen, put it on the root folder.

LLeny made HLE BIOS for Handy's libretro core, it can run Lynx games directly

Atari(edit)

• Consoles: Atari 2600 • Atari 5200 • Atari 7800 • Atari XEGS • Atari Jaguar • Atari VCS
• Handhelds: Atari Lynx
• Arcade: CoJag
• Home computers: Atari 8-bit • Atari ST