AES256 is indeed more complex than DES, but it's important to remember that both were designed partially with fast hardware implementations in mind. The difference is not as dramatic as you might initially think. 52 bits of an AES256 key are weeeell within "doable" in 2010.
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The EFF's Deep Crack could do 56-bit keys in a matter of days, and this was a long while ago:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Crack
AES256 is more complex than DES, but it's still in the ballpark of "possible".
AES256 is indeed more complex than DES, but it's important to remember that both were designed partially with fast hardware implementations in mind. The difference is not as dramatic as you might initially think. 52 bits of an AES256 key are weeeell within "doable" in 2010.