That said, 68000 interrupt responsiveness wasn't great at all when compared the 8-bit systems it was replacing. An Atari ST is positively insane in the # of cyc

That said, 68000 interrupt responsiveness wasn't great at all when compared the 8-bit systems it was replacing. An Atari ST is positively insane in the # of cycles it took to respond to an interrupt vs e.g. the C64 which was designed by some of the same people. Wider bus, more registers, different design constraints. The 68000 was great for doing what you mention: bringing VAX-like tech to the masses. Looking back I don't think it was a great "home computer" processor, and not great for games and the like, either. In anyways, I'd say by the mid-90s the 68k architecture could not keep up with x86 because Motorola just stopped investing in it.