And for someone renting it’s that or nothing, so 10 years to break even vs never breaking even seems like a decent deal

Is there any repository of the data and methods for getting it? It will have to be re-eone via open source now

I don’t understand what you’re saying here, can you expand on those points?

People will do it when there isn’t an alternative: if the cost of hardware stays high forever, and that requires configuration and upkeep (solid source of stable power aka a house or building access) then people without those things will find it more convenient to log into and use their phone/tablet as a terminal for a desktop as a service…

Look at gamedate.org, or for immediate context search it on YouTube, you may be able to implement a copycat tool with more general lists of common events than the games list the site uses.