So price isn't an issue but the two most popular and common options are are too expensive, ha ha.
Have you looked at the used tablet/phone market? You'll get a better picture than a new device of the same price and the older tech won't matter for emulating old games.
Just dig a hole in a subduction zone and let tectonics reclaim the materials.
Almost 10 percent of the entire planet's GDP isn't that much.
Nothing is deleted, just slightly obscured, and some apps don't even do that. Child porn, illegal revenge porn, hate speech, everything is stored forever.
So price IS an issue! Then probably a Steam Deck.
Racing in VR is such a great experience, I'd love to see more of it. Simulation and arcade style. But you're right, we need one with a robust, slow paced progression system. I remember really enjoying unlocking everything in NFS Porsche Unleashed, going through the eras, starting slow but getting slowly faster. Then NFS Underground 2 came out and still stands alone as the best example of racing progression by a large margin. Then it's like the gameplay design has been going further back in time since then. I am using the same simple progression mechanics in new racers that I used in Sega GT 2002, and they were old then.
As to why, it feels like they don't have AAA budgets anymore. The high quality simulator games like the Dirt series have to spend their whole wad getting the physics and performance right, there's not much left for anything else, so it's just menus and a simple money system. That's just my guess, it could just be they need to hire a couple RPG designers among the gear head ones.
If not a Steam Deck then I'd say a large phone or small tablet with one of those controllers that the device clips into.
I wasn't debating you, I don't disagree with anything you said. You posted a thought provoking comment and I shared my thoughts.
Waxing romantic.
Too much aural.
Have you heard of Retroid Pocket? I've never used one, but they have a range of products that seem to do what you want, and for a fraction of the price of a Steam Deck.