At that point, just buy a steamdeck, take out the pcb and you already have a much better sbc. Only half joking here, because 120€ really is a joke. I cant even imagine the profit margines they have on these things now.
I don't understand why people get their knickers in a twist over those prices. The Pi5 is still pretty cheap for a fully functional computer. Plus, they have a wide variety of products at different price points, so if that one's too expensive for you, get something else.
Unfortunately you can't run home assistant on an esp32. I'm using an old laptop for it, waiting for a minipc with better specs than it to be under $50 before buying.
Fair point, but I see a whole category of things with a RP slapped on it that a simple microcontroller could do (don't get me wrong, its great people are innovating, it's just a little overkill).