> I still prefer programming the Z80 over the 6502 though :)
I really don't.
There are some few things you can fit into and get working fast in the Z80's A + 6 registers (IX and IY are not useful if speed is the aim), but for anything complicated the 6502's 256 Zero page locations — any pair of which can hold a pointer you can index off — is far superior.
The Z80 is awful at accessing memory for anything other than a simple absolute address or sequential access or push/pop of a register pair. It's better for manipulating 16 bit values, but not as much as you'd think especially once you run out of three register pairs plus ToS.
I really don't.
There are some few things you can fit into and get working fast in the Z80's A + 6 registers (IX and IY are not useful if speed is the aim), but for anything complicated the 6502's 256 Zero page locations — any pair of which can hold a pointer you can index off — is far superior.
The Z80 is awful at accessing memory for anything other than a simple absolute address or sequential access or push/pop of a register pair. It's better for manipulating 16 bit values, but not as much as you'd think especially once you run out of three register pairs plus ToS.