Whenever I walk up to one, I feel like someone punched the backbox and the DMD and translite got angled in oddly. Then I play it, and it's readily apparent why it was done. Works for me.
It's far more functional than the old design, it takes a bit of getting used to. I am really happy that I own 'original' Metallica and Iron Man, but I will have no problem owning any other 'new style' machines in the future. I think ST looks really sweet with it.