This is exactly how I feel. I was happy with my HD500. Still am. Didn't even want the 500X. When I saw the Helix my jaw dropped because of the sounds, but more so because of the ease of use - the editing on the fly. I'm single, have extra income so I thought yes - this is actually what I wanted when the HD500 came out. But now I'm faced with midi crap? That goes against my main reason for wanting it, and at that price, I'll stick to my HD500.
I'll add a further note - Line 6 was a little devious here. The inclusion of an L6 cable, preamp only versions of amps, and endorsing the use of a DT amp in the Helix manual WITHOUT any confession that Helix will not control topography would make anyone think that Helix and DT amps work together the way HD and DT do. They certainly fooled me! I'm bringing mine back.