I highly recommend getting a gaming laptop. You can buy a 4070 lenovo laptop at Walmart for $1k (at least in the US.)
Otherwise, check out https://old.reddit.com/r/LaptopDeals/ until you find something that fits your needs and budget. (sorry for linking to the other site)
You should use bluetooth controllers instead of ones that take a dongle simply because the dongle is unnecessary. Playstation controllers work well, but they’re expensive and I haven’t been able to find a 3rd party variant that works properly.
I also recommend getting a wireless keyboard + mouse combo.
How come they don’t just use VLC?