What people seem to miss is that a Role Playing Game is not a Wargame. It may have simulation elements, but it's - at its roots - a narrative game.
The direction Wizards of the Coast have been taking D&D in for several years now is one of intergration with the miniatures game (and to a lesser extent, the MMORPG) with traditional roleplaying falling increasingly by the wayside. The story no longer matters to a significant portion of the current generation of gamers.
On a more personal note, when I first saw the Surface demoed, my initial instinct was that this would be perfect for Battletech or other miniature based games, but would need some work when it came to RPGs. As far as the DM 'fudging' rolls for the story, we didnt see enough of how the DM station works to assume that is not built in. I am sure there is an override roll button built into the rolling interface on that station.