Atari - Lynx (Beetle Handy)¶
Background¶
Beetle Lynx is an Atari Lynx video game system emulator that can be used as a libretro core. Specifically it's a port of Mednafen Lynx which is a fork of Handy.
Author/License¶
The Beetle Handy core has been authored by
- K. Wilkins
- Mednafen Team
The Beetle Handy core is licensed under
A summary of the licenses behind RetroArch and its cores have found here.
Extensions¶
Content that can be loaded by the Beetle Handy core have the following file extensions:
- .lnx
- .o
Databases¶
RetroArch database(s) that are associated with the Beetle Handy core:
BIOS¶
Required or optional firmware files go in the frontend's system directory.
| Filename | Description | md5sum |
|---|---|---|
| lynxboot.img | Lynx Boot Image - Required | fcd403db69f54290b51035d82f835e7b |
Features¶
Frontend-level settings or features that the Beetle Handy core respects.
| Feature | Supported |
|---|---|
| Restart | ✔ |
| Screenshots | ✔ |
| Saves | ✕ |
| States | ✔ |
| Rewind | ✔ |
| Netplay (State based) | ✔ (not link-cable emulation) |
| Core Options | ✔ |
| RetroAchievements | ✔ |
| Cheats (Cheats menu) | ✔ |
| Native Cheats | ✕ |
| Controls | ✔ |
| Remapping | ✔ |
| Multi-Mouse | ✕ |
| Rumble | ✕ |
| Sensors | ✕ |
| Camera | ✕ |
| Location | ✕ |
| Subsystem | ✕ |
| Softpatching | ✔ |
| Disk Control | ✕ |
| Username | ✕ |
| Language | ✕ |
| Crop Overscan | ✔ |
| LEDs | ✕ |
Directories¶
The Beetle Handy core's directory name is 'Beetle Lynx'
The Beetle Handy core saves/loads to/from these directories.
Frontend's State directory
- 'content-name'.state# (State)
Geometry and timing¶
- The Beetle Handy core's core provided FPS is 75
- The Beetle Handy core's core provided sample rate is 44100 Hz
- The Beetle Handy core's core provided aspect ratio is 80/51
Loading content¶
Beetle Handy supports Lynx headered roms and non-headered roms. It also supports homebrews in *.o extensions.
Core options¶
The Beetle Handy core has the following option(s) that can be tweaked from the core options menu. The default setting is bolded.
Settings with (Restart) means that core has to be closed for the new setting to be applied on next launch.
-
Auto-rotate Screen [lynx_rot_screen] (enabled/disabled)
Virtually rotates the screen orientation and keymaps automatically for known games.
When disabled, screen rotation is manually adjusted by pressing the SELECT button.
Controllers¶
The Beetle Handy core supports the following device type(s) in the controls menu, bolded device types are the default for the specified user(s):
User 1 device types¶
- None - Doesn't disable input.
- RetroPad - Joypad
- RetroPad w/Analog - Joypad - There's no reason to switch to this.
Controller tables¶

Joypad¶
| User 1 Remap descriptors | RetroPad Inputs | Beetle Handy core inputs |
|---|---|---|
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B | |
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Pause | |
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D-Pad Up | |
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D-Pad Down | |
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D-Pad Left | |
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D-Pad Right | |
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A | |
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Option 1 | |
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Option 2 |
Supported combinations
- Option 1 + Pause = Flips Screen
- Option 2 + Pause = Restarts game
Compatibility¶
| Game | Issue |
|---|---|
| RoadBlasters | Graphics glitches. Minor flickering and glitches after starting a race. |
External Links¶
- Official Mednafen Website
- Official Mednafen Downloads
- Libretro Beetle Handy Core info file
- Libretro Beetle Handy Github Repository
- Report Libretro Beetle Handy Core Issues Here








