They come in a lot cheaper than those new MBPs, too

That is simply not true.

Configured approximately the same as the cheaper Retina MBP, the verix cost $200 more than the retina macbook pros.

I say approximately because the mbp has 1600MHz ram vs 1333 in the verix, but I had to choose a 300GB SSD in the verix vs 256 in the mbp. As well, the verix option was for a 2.2GHz vs 2.3GHz of the MBP.

That was the cheaper MBP. Configuring the verix to match the costlier Retina MBP puts the Verix at $500 more.