If you look at the VIMA concept, other than the karaoke features, it's OS is almost identical to a current Roland arranger...

There are no multipads, there is no sampler, there is the same number of intros, endings, variations and fills, the voices sound the same... It's a great big yawn.

I have simply no idea why this concept doesn't just bring a laugh to us all here... It's just a revamped KR series, with some karaoke bells and whistles. BTW, it isn't exactly setting the market on fire, either, so only a suicidal Roland would take this as a vision of the future (wouldn't put it past them, though... they do seem to be trying hard to play Russian Roulette with six bullets )

Only a home organ player could love this boondoggle, and I have a feeling it's because they seem to prize furniture over musical instruments It's big enough, for sure!

The karaoke stuff, or at least, MP3 players, have ALREADY been integrated into current Roland arranger OS... V2 for the E80 adds this feature almost for free. It doesn't require a wholesale shift in function, even if it is early days and could use several improvements (tempo and pitch change, for sure!).