My experience has been that (for the most part) Yamaha know what it is doing... although we may not understand why they do what they do. There is always room for improvement. Yes there are some shortcomings on the Genos. For instance... standard pots instead of encoders for the Live Control. If I didn't own a Motif Rack XS I wouldn't understand the importance of encoders.
Another shortcoming is the limited selection of options for the foot controller. There ought to be an option to assign ANY MIDI continuous controller to a foot pedal.
I think the issue here is Yamaha's history of creating 2 distinct high-end electronic keyboards..IE; the Performance keyboard (Motif /Montage) and the arranger keyboard PSR S series / Tyros / Genos (as well as many lower-priced models).
Yamaha has always had Performance keyboards that went back many years even before the Motif. CS series, S series, SY, FM, and the analog ANx1, etc. Then there is the digital piano line. I get how Yamaha designers perceive that there are different kinds of players with different needs, so they design instruments for these differing needs.
But... a handful of people (including myself) would like to have a hybrid instrument that combines the digital piano, a synthesizer, and an arranger capabilities all in one instrument. Plus lots of memory for expansion Voice packs or software synths like FM and Analog. I suppose IF the market grows significantly for such a hybrid instrument, then Yamaha will respond to the market and produce an all-in-one instrument.
I think that is happening in incremental stages now. And IF the Genos has newly written firmware code (time will tell) then we will see new features and capabilities added to the instrument over time.
First come the legitimate bug fixes (which all new instruments have). If you have ever written code; all it takes is one bad line of code or even a single byte syntax error to make things go wrong.
Gerald has the right attitude. Genos meets his needs but it may fall short for others.
For those of us who want the "hybrid" instrument... we are just a little ahead of our time. In my case I bought a Motif Rack XS to compliment my S970. I am learning how to integrate the two instruments to work as one instrument. I'm getting there. I have the best of both worlds. I have a synth and an arranger in my MIDI studio. Getting them to work together is a challenge that gives me a sense of accomplishment. It keeps me from going brain-dead at 70 years old.
As several people have said here already... we should enjoy what we have. I pushed the S910 to it's limits. I am very happy with the S970, which also has some shortcomings, but I find workarounds to accomplish the things I want to do. And one day I will have pushed the S970 to it's limits. The free software and commercial software also has shortcomings... so I find workarounds for that too.
For those who don't want to find workarounds.. I say... you are just lazy or lack creative thinking skills. Either way... I hope you learn to be happy with what you have. As I have said before... "
It ain't what you got, but how you use it"
Be happy!
Joe H