Can any of these work without some idiotic third-party account?
If you're just talking about WMR devices (and not VR in general), then no, they don't require an account. The Reverb G2 is the most supported by Monado (and has the best hardware), but I'd try to get the V2 revision. And the cable is a common failure point, so could be an issue with a used purchase.
That's worse than just not maintaining code. They could stop maintaining it, but keep the current version active. Instead, they remove it entirely, and now a physical object that was purchased becomes ewaste.
That’s why there are less and less early adopters overall. Big tech cut the branch they were sitting on years ago and we’ve been in a free fall ever since.
Depends, did you invest in stock or products.
If stock you are probably fine, Microsoft is very good at making money.
If products, you are one of the people they make money on. And they couldn't care less if you lose out.