It sounds like you might be misinformed - a YouTube Premium subscriber watching your YouTube videos is worth, IIRC, 5 to 10 times more than an ad supported view for the content creator. I know a number of content creators have indicated as much for years - I wish I could cite a specific WAN Show episode from Linus Tech Tips who I’m certain has talked about it many times.

It’s a handheld gaming PC a la the Nintendo Switch that runs a custom Linux distro.

They’re a fund raising tool for the troop, which is very transparent. Nobody is forcing you to buy them, but people love them and do so voluntarily. Where’s the scam?