They look pretty good to me, the leather is relatively soft for what it is and they fit pretty comfortably. It might be just a photo, in person they look really similar at least to me. Here are some better pics of them.
The lighting isn't great as I just snapped a few pics with my phone. In all honesty they do look a little darker than the pair I had in 1989. I remember them being a bit lighter in color but that was a long time ago so I can't be 100% positive. I will take a pic next to the previous release and...