Nintendo Switch vs. Atari Lynx Which is Better

The Showdown

The Nintendo Switch has been in the hands of players for a couple of months now.  The gaming press has carried stories of shortages and stock flying off the shelves, but when you strip away the hype and marketing, how does it hold up against one of the best handhelds of all time, the Atari Lynx?

Don't let the fact that both machines feature horizontal orientation with controls on the sides fool you, these are very different devices.  We'll rank each system according to a series of 6 crucial criteria to see how they really stack up.

1. Size

Top: The Atari Lynx featuring ergonomic contouring, and ambidextrous controls. Bottom: The Nintendo Switch featuring a more stylish, but somewhat ergonomically compromised design exclusively for the right-handed. 

The Switch takes up a 9.5x4 inch surface area and is .55 inches thick, while the Lynx is 10.75x4.25 inches and 1.5 inches thick.  At first glance they are similar enough in size that it may seem like neither would enjoy a significant advantage but with a larger surface-to-screen ratio and nearly 3 times the thickness, the Lynx allows for a much sturdier and comfortable grip and more room to place your fingers while Switch players need to keep their digits much nearer the edge and pinched at a much more acute angle to grip the thinner handheld.

Advantage: Lynx

2. Erogonomics

The Lynx features a D-Pad and allows the screen to be inverted to accommodate left-handed players as well as right-handed players.  Sound volume is controlled with an analog potentiometer, allowing for an infinite range of adjustment.  The Switch also features multiple controller orientation options, but sadly none are designed with lefties in mind. The Switch tries to make up for its lack of a D-Pad with numerous buttons, analog control sticks.  The stick placement of the analog stick on the right joy-con was chosen to allow the right joy-con to operate as a standalone controller or as the right-side controls for the console when attached.  Some users find the right-analog stick placement to be an uncomfortable unwelcome compromise.  Volume control on the switch is digital, limiting the adjustment to a stair-step range of 30 different volume settings.

Advantage: Lynx

3. Screen

The Lynx sports a color 3.5 inch screen with a resolution of 160x102, while the Switch has a 6.2 inch color screen with a resolution of 1280x720.  If you do the math you'll notice pixels on the Lynx are 5x the size of pixels on the Switch!  This means more visible surface per pixel and better pixel definition.

As you can see from these direct comparison screenshots, the pixels are clearly visible on the Lynx screen, but basically impossible to see on the Switch.

With it's enormous pixel size, each individual pixel on the Lynx is clearly visible.

Shown at actual resolution, the Switch pixels are practically microscopic.

Technical details

Switch
pixel width 0.0042
pixel height 0.0042

Lynx
pixel width 0.0203
pixel height 0.0184

Advantage: Lynx

4. Power and Battery Life

The Lynx has its power socket on the top, so the unit can be placed flush on the table while it is connected to wall power.  Lynx average battery life is 4.5 hours.  The switch places its power socket on the bottom of the unit, so it cannot be placed flush on a table while connected to wall power.  Average battery life for the switch is 4.25 hours putting it nearly on-par with the Lynx, however the Lynx has changeable batteries making practical battery life infinite provided you bring enough spares.

Advantage: Lynx

5. Game Packaging

Left: Switch games come in a protective plastic clamshell for safe and easy storage. Right: Lynx games are shipped in fragile cardboard boxes which do not provide reusable protective storage.

While the game packages for both handhelds offer artwork of similar size and quality, the Switch packaging doubles as a somewhat durable and reusable storage case while Lynx owners are expected to provide an alternative means of storing games.

Advantage: Switch

5. Inside the Package - The Games

Lynx cartridges are 2.4x2.2 inches in size allowing for labels with artwork that don't require a magnifying glass to read, and they also taste pretty neutral.  While the Switch uses extremely easy to misplace cartridges 1.25 x .86 inches in size with microscopic artwork and they taste fantastically awful.  Lynx cartridges feature the pin connectors on the front side so it is very easy to tell when/if they have become dirty or need cleaning.  The pins on the Switch cartridge are hidden on the back side.  Nintendo's solution seems to have been recessing the pins to prevent surface dirt accumulation, but this also makes them extremely difficult to clean should the need arise.

Left: Switch cartridges are too small to read unassisted.  Center: Lynx Cartridges feature legible artwork and easy to inspect and clean pins.  Right: Lynx is the only one of the two to ship all of its games with helpful instruction manuals.

Also once we get into the package we discover another corner cut by the big N - switch games do not come with manuals.  In contrast every Lynx game ships with a manual.

Advantage: Lynx

6. Cartridge Selection

At present this is a no-contest category.  With it's massive selection of 74 game cartridges the Lynx completely eclipses Nintendo's plucky upstart which is still flagging behind with fewer than 10 titles available as of this writing.  It should be noted, however, that the number of titles offered for the Switch is expected to increase and may even eventually be on-par with the vast selection available to Lynx owners today.

Advantage: Lynx

Conclusion

After winning 5 out of 6 categories, it's no surprise that Atari's powerhouse comes out on top of this one.