Atari Lynx Programming Tutorials

Programming for the Atari Lynx is simple to learn compared to some of the other retro 16-bit consoles. There are two different routes to take - Assembly or using C for your code. There are a number of supporting tools available to make tasks like image to sprite conversion and MIDI to Lynx sound conversion easier. This page will provide links to resources that are both created by Atari Gamer and those available elsewhere on the Internet to help you get started writing your first games on the Lynx.

Before jumping into Atari Lynx programming it's essential to learn how to code in C and/or 6502 Assembly. It's possible to create your games completely in one or the other, but understanding both has great advantages.

• Introduction to C
• C Language Introduction
• Learn C - Free Interactive C Tutorial
• Reverse Engineering the MOS 6502 CPU
• Assembly In One Step
• Easy 6502 - Introduction

Alex Thissen (LX.net) has created an excellent series of tutorials that will get you coding on the Lynx in no time. This should be your #1 starting point once you're familiar with C/Assembly.

1. Getting started
2. Development on Windows
3. Analyzing Hello World
4. Creating a project
5. Exploring TGI
6. Colors
7. Basics of sprites
8. Changing appearances
9. Advanced sprites
10. Collisions
11. Pens and more collisions
12. Memory management
13. UART
14. Timers
15. Memory and segments
16. Cartridges
17. Interrupts
18. Files

If you use macOS skip Part 2 above and read this article instead - Setting up development tools for Atari Lynx programming on macOS.

ChibiAkumas has created an excellent tutorial series, Learn Multi platform 6502 Assembly Programming... For Monsters! If you want to get the most performance out of a Lynx, this is where you should head on over.

1. Getting started with 6502
2. Addressing modes on the 6502
3. Loops and Conditions
4. Stacks and Math
5. Bits and Shifts
6. Defined data, Aligned data... Lookup Tables, Vector Tables, and Self-modifying code!

• 65c02 Assembly programming for the Atari Lynx
• 6502 Assembly Language Cheat Sheet
• Bitmap Functions on the Atari Lynx