Another topic we've often discussed already... I agree that for studio use everyone goes VST, and that's most probably why Emulator had to stop manufacturing their hardware modules around 2000. But does a 'cheap' laptop really suffice? According to all I read you need a powerful, more expensive one for the good libraries. Then, I was thinking about using orchestral sounds live, and there I still consider hardware sound generators as both easier and less glitch-prone. In fact, there IS a reasonable demand for the Roland Integra, it's not one of Roland's total flops (like BK-9).
I even see one advantage of sound modules for live use which they didn't have in the late 1990s: with an iPAD (or other tablet) and a proper app (to be developed by the manufacturer preferably), even a module can be controlled very conveniently as if it had a large touchscreen of its own.