It was only unpopular because the 6502 was built by the same engineers and came out relatively soon after at a much lower price point. In fact, the 6501 (archi

It was only unpopular because the 6502 was built by the same engineers and came out relatively soon after at a much lower price point. In fact, the 6501 (architecturally the same as a 6502) was pin compatible with the 6800 and was discontinued after a lawsuit. I actually preferred aspects of the 6800 series, particularly the addressing options.