I actually agree with you as a consumer but it is definitely not the way the commercial world works these days.
In every industry the current business model seems to be to make the full all singing all dancing version at the start of the project then release models with different limitation sets to maximise profit extraction from the development costs. Kemper have actually been very good at going against this market startegy for many years . Maybe they will change going forward (paid upgrades) due to commercial requirements or maybe they will decide to stay with their traditional model and increase the Player’s capabilities as free updates at some point. The reality is none of know what discussions are taking place inside the business and we will just need to wait and see how things pan out.
Consumers orientate commercial and design decisions....
For once, i won't agree with you...
I won't do a generality cause following the products, the business model seem to go in a different way ( i've learnt sometime ago that some car manufacturers put all the options in the car now days (like resistors in their seats) and you have to pay monthly to keep this heat option, it just drives me mad 
For modelers, things have evolved in another way.
Before, if we wanted to have a better/newer device, we had to buy the newest one, no choice.... The number of models was fixed.
If you had the L6 HD 400, you had to buy the HD500/X to improve your rig....
When the Helix was launched it was 3/4 times the price.... But the updates are FREE.
Every brands purpose the same business model now (except maybe Fractal 
) and i don't know how a brand could do something else today ?!
The Player is a question of compromise and deliberated limitations (beyond the hardware's ones), i don't know how Kemper will purpose to unlock features, but independently the updates will stay free IMO...
