A French modder has crushed the challenging task of working an Atari Lynx handheld console into a new mini shell, making an Atari Lynx Mini. (Spotted by TimeExtension)
For those familiar with the original – you know it was anything but pocketable. “Beefy” might be an appropriate descriptor.
And the Lynx also never really got the love it deserved during its short-lived time on the market. Which is a shame, because it was a pretty incredible machine.
Atari Lynx
I did a bit of research on the Atari Lynx in our article about all Atari consoles & handhelds and I learned that it was quite advanced at the time of its release.
The Lynx was a hybrid handheld that had both an 8 and 16 bit chip inside, had advanced graphics manipulation processing, and it featured a backlit color screen.
It was doing things that the Game Boy couldn’t even come close to in 1989.
And now nearly 35 years after its release, a clever console enthusiast has managed to bring new (miniature) life to the classic handheld.
Atari Lynx Mini Details
As you can see in the French language video by Retro Reliks, their Atari Lynx Mini is alive and playable.
Taking advantage of Youtube’s closed-caption translation, we got some details about Retro Reliks’ project.
The Atari Lynx Mini features the original Lynx buttons in a custom miniaturized shell and a new IPS screen upgrade.
Retro Reliks has some sort of game library loaded onto the Mini Lynx. Unclear if that’s a flash cart playing on original hardware inside that shell or if it’s some sort of mini computer like a Raspberry Pi.
Either way, nobody is gonna know by looking at his Mini Lynx.
As he explains, the project is at 99%, with that remainder being that it cannot be recharged through the original ports. So Retro Reliks simply removes the battery door for charging.
Seems like a small price to pay to have a tiny Lynx in your pocket without raising concerns as you walk around town.
Retro Reliks does say that he knows he could have made it even more compact, but he wanted to stay true to the original proportions.
Afterall, this project was done out of a love for the original Atari Lynx.
Retro Reliks even produced a box and manual for his Atari Lynx Mini, giving it that fresh from the store feeling.
He spends most of his 15 minute video actually playing the Mini Lynx, so you can tell he is a true fan of gaming and the retro titles that were available for the original console.
Impressions
Overall, Retro Reliks did an amazing job with this project.
In fact, when I look at his shell design I don’t see something that looks home made or 3d printed. So whatever he did to produce that shell – good job!
If we didn’t know any better and you showed us a photo of his Atari Lynx Mini, we wouldn’t think anything of it. It looks just like the original. Except, of course, it’s smaller.
Obviously, Retro Reliks didn’t work on this project to be rated by us. You can tell he’s got a true love for the Atari Lynx.
But if we had to give his work a rating: A+. The craftsmanship is flawless. It looks factory made.
And he accomplished his goal of taking a Lynx and making a miniature version that was true to the original.
We love these kinds of passion projects and they should be celebrated by the gaming community.
Awesome work Retro Reliks!
Anthony has been a video game lover ever since he can remember. He became a fulltime nomad in 2018, living throughout most of Asia. He focused his passion in retro gaming and began creating a game for the Game Boy Color while living in Nara, Japan during the 2020 pandemic. He is now in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he spends most of his time gaming, going on long walks and meeting as many stray dogs as possible.
