Jamie,
maybe I am guilty of introducing you to this Forum; I saw your question re. the PSR 2000 on the Yamaha Forum and suggested you to ask the same question here.
First of all, let me tell you that nobody is attacking you; like in every other environment, some of us are more "hot tempered" and others are more "cold blooded". Since we all play arranger keyboards (otherwise we wouldn't have joined this Forum) your question was resented by some.
I will try to answer your initial question in a simple way: playing an arranger kb or a synth has nothing to do with one's skills; a good player will be always a good player and a lousy player will play always lousy music. I think that the choice between the two comes from another consideration: if you play most of the time with other musicians, you don't need an arranger KB; a synth will give you a greater possibility to create your sounds or sounds that are very close to the "trendy" sounds you can hear on records. If, on the other hand, you play at home for your own pleasure (or the pleasure of your family and friends) an arranger will save you a lot of time.
Today I play 90% of the time a a Roland VA7, even if I also own a Roland XV 3080 and a couple of samplers (Akai 2800 and Ensoniq ASR10rack). I used to be a major gear addict and in the past I have owned all the top synths (and I mean ALL) until a decade ago, when I got sick of programming my own sequences to have a decent backing of some kind. The problem is that I play mostly at home for my own pleasure and only sometimes (like in these days) play for friends who give a party and ask me to join the group.
If I were a classic pianist maybe I would buy a digital piano instead of an arranger, but I am afraid that nobody would invite me to hear classic stuff all the time; on the other hand, even if I could play the piano the way Elton John can, I would always need a backing band to play songs other than ballads (and I would need Elton's voice too). Another consideration: unless you can hire a rock band, a jazz trio, a latin combo and a swing orchestra all in one evening, an arranger keyboard will offer you the greatest variety of musical choices to entertain yourself or your audience.
I have a feeling that your question stems from the fear of being criticized by your friends or peers; under this respect I have to say that those of us who hinted to your age are right: when you will be a little less younger you will care less for other people's opinions and more for what comes from yourself: if you are happy playing your PSR 2000, nobody is entitled to criticize you, your music or your talent.
Friendly,
Andrea