You noticed that too, hm? For one thing, the video I saw of it made it seem like it behaves something like one of those products from Roland's stagnation periods (mid-90s-ish). Plus, if Korg was on the ball here, they SHOULD HAVE made a reissue of the ARP 1604 sequencer to pair with the KARP 2600 and/or Odyssey (and a bunch of other things besides...similar to the 2600, the 1604 is ANOTHER highly-coveted ARP device). I guess they were busy budgeting for goofy-colored paint for the MS-20, or maybe they DID create one and then lost it in the same closet where they keep the KR-55 Pro's missing sync connections.
-- Lugia
About the user interface, first I would have gone with something slightly wider to use a somewhat bigger screen, as it looks like the workflow makes it essential to almost always look at it when editing. If the target users would have been "laptop only producers" that wanted to carry a small controller in their backpack I'd have understood the smaller footprint.
Another interesting solution could have used a smaller additional screen per row maybe, or any other eye-catching solution that would give instant feedback about what's going on with the grid, which in some modes kind of looks cryptic.
Not quite sure the grey background with white text on the screen will make things easily readable in any environment.
It still looks very capable, and it's interesting to see new hardware sequencers with generous amounts of I/Os, yet it would have been great that unlike the BSP they put output jacks for all of the drum triggers...
The LEDs above the output jacks is a clever idea and would be a nice addition to some other sequencers.
About the release of an analog sequencer instead, I'd say things usually can take time within Japanese companies, this is a cultural thing, and with the release of the miniKORG 700FS announced earlier this year, even though in limited edition for now, I'd say Korg might keep on going with these reissues vibe that started a couple of years ago. Let's hope so.