I don't think the "shift your vision" part is a big deal, since it's right next to the screen. I do think there is a disadvantage in not having tactile feedback all the same, and it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. As it stands currently, the presence of tactile feedback for those keys doesn't do me any good, because I don't use them. If the touch bar ends up being useful for me, it'll be a net gain even if the experience of locating the controls is worse.

For people who actually use the function keys, I sympathize and I can totally understand how this is likely to be a huge step backwards. But "developers" does not equate to "uses function keys regularly."