Released in 1989, the Atari Lynx was a portable gaming device way ahead of its time. As the world’s first portable gaming device to boast a color display, the Lynx packed a host of other innovative features — including the ability to be held with the D-pad on the left or right for ambidextrous gameplay. The 16-bit gaming system packed  a 3.5-inch display which supported 4,096 colors, a 4MHz processor, 64KB of RAM, a 3.5mm headphone jack, ComLynx port, and was powered by six AA batteries. The ComLynx port could be used to daisy-chain multiple Lynx players together — up to eighteen total — for collaborative multiplayer gaming. The Lynx had the misfortune of being released in the same year as Nintendo’s Game Boy, which was priced $100 cheaper and viewed as less bulky. An updated Lynx handheld — the Lynx II — was released in 1991, but, thanks to Sega’s newly launched Game Gear and continued pressure from Nintendo, it didn’t fair much better. Any gaming pioneers out there buck the Nintendo and Sega trend and own an Atari Lynx?

We’d like to thank @mikewewerka for this week’s Throwback Thursday suggestion.

BGR’s Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.

A report Monday morning offers new unconfirmed details on the upcoming next iteration of Sony’s popular PSP gaming console. In what is expected to be the most significant hardware revision since the PSP was first released in 2004, the PSP2 picture seems to take a clearer shape with each passing week. Now, Kotaku claims to have confirmed some important details surrounding the highly anticipated handheld. The blog has apparently confirmed rumors with several sources that Sony’s PSP2 will sport a rear-facing touch panel. The panel is described as a “big mouse trackpad,” though details on exactly how it will be implemented are still unclear. The report goes on to state that the display on the PSP2 will be sharper than the screen on the current PSP, and it will also be 1-inch larger. Sony is reportedly describing the display as “HD” in private meetings. In slightly more troubling news, the company may be having overheating problems with its current prototype hardware, but release delays are not expected. Sony is said to be targeting a release date some time in fall 2011 for the PSP2.

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Just a few days before Sony’s upcoming E3 press conference, the company’s next generation handheld gaming device, the PSP Go, has been given some unofficial specifications, starred in a hands-on preview video courtesy of Qore and previewed in some leaked press photos. The upcoming PSP Go will be a UMD-less slider that features the following specs:

• 3.8-inch display of unknown resolution
• 43 percent lighter than the current PSP-3000
• 16GB of flash memory
• Integrated Bluetooth with mobile phone tethering and BT headset support
• Memory Stick Micro slot
• New Gran Turismo, Little Big Planet and Metal Gear Solid games
• Full PlayStation Network support (TV and movie rentals/purchases) and integration with the PlayStation 3

The PSP Go is expected to be available this fall and will be sold alongside the current PSP-3000. Hit the jump for some more close-ups of this Mylo 2 look alike along with the Qore video.

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According to multiple sources close to Nintendo, the company is planning to launch the DSi earlier than expected. How does a ship date of April 4th and a retail price of $179 sound? The DSi represents a modest improvement over the still popular Nintendo DS lite, offering a 0.3MP camera, larger 3.25″ displays, access to the DSiWare game catalog, an SD card slot, improved user interface and new software including photo manipulation software and built-in web browser. The DSi launched in November in Japan and sales of the portable gaming handheld have been brisk to say the least – Nintendo sold over a million units through the end of December 2008. In the US, Nintendo is expected to sell the DSi side-by-side with the DS lite, marketing the DSi as the machine for the gamer and the DS Lite for the casual user.

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Hot off the press in China, a few pictures are currently working their way west that supposedly depict what will eventually be a new PlayStation Portable. There hasn’t been a huge amount of information about Sony’s upcoming third generation PSP, but these pics are actually pretty telling. Apart from the fact that the unit pictured is silver and pretty damn sexy, the top picture is of particular interest. To the left of the volume buttons is a restyled home button with the PlayStation logo on it. More interesting however, is what appears to be a built in microphone opening to the right of the volume buttons. Skype calls? Yes please. In-game audio chat? Sounds like a plan. The PSP 3000 case is also reportedly a bit thinner than the current model and includes some more restyled controls beyond the home key. According to the original source of the pics, Sony already has the new PSP in production and is shooting for a holiday release this year. Sony hasn’t commented yet and we’re pretty sure it won’t respond to leak-related inquiries. All the same, if we are looking at a holiday release then an official announcement should be coming up pretty soon.

[Via Electronista]

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