I am actually quite impressed with VX Ace, and have been since its release. The map editor is probably the most lackluster thing about it, and perhaps a transition to 3D or porting to consoles would be a wonderful feature that none of them have had. The map editor means nothing to me for my current game anywway.
If there is going to be a new RPG Maker within the next three years, I hope it is a considerable IMPROVEMENT over VX Ace, rather than taking baby steps upward like Enterbrain did from VX ==> VXA. (XP to VX was actually... kind of a downgrade)