I think the main thing that gets my goat is the concentration by the R&D people on utterly NON-musical features. There is nothing (on the musical side) in these VIMA things, that isn't surpassed by a G70 or E80. You only have to look at the dearth of control buttons for MUSICAL functions (video don't count) to recognize where this thing's entire focus is on.

Now, you know I am the LAST guy to sit around and crow that Roland's OS and controls are the absolute best..! I just find it worrying that Roland are spending vast amounts of their obviously limited resources, putting out this 'fluff' product, while essential, day-to-day aspects of their OS need long-overdue correction.

The whole idea is to make the perfect arranger FIRST, and then graft this stuff on later. NOT put it on now, and who cares if the OS is flawed. After all, it's target consumer (you DID watch the video, didn't you? Look like any REAL arranger players you know?) isn't exactly too worried about the playing aspects, given the emphasis on the karaoke player features.

This is a gussied up karaoke player with an arranger tacked on. NOT a full featured arranger with karoake stuff tacked on, which is what most arrangers have been doing, lately. Look at the video, and the aspects that it emphasizes. FAR more emphasis on the video and karaoke features than anything much about the arranger. It shows fairly accurately where their heart and mind is.

Now, I'm not saying there isn't a market for something like this... I was just (apparently forlornly) hoping that more of you would recognize that it isn't the product for US...