is there a Linux… idk what to call it, type? OS? Thing??? that runs out of the box without me having to install additional software manually or at least automatic setup wizards

The word you are looking for is called a distribution, or distro for short.

I’m surprised no one else has mentioned Bazzite, which should be exactly what you’re looking for.

is there any specific hardware that works easier with Linux

An AMD GPU for sure. Nvidia drivers have come a long way, but they don’t generally behave as well out of the box like AMD.

It was so disappointing, it would have been so easy to make it work with couch co-op and online multiplayer with just a little bit more effort. I was so excited when it was first announced, and then I don’t think I played it beyond the first day it released after trying online play with my brother.

The original was a masterpiece of couch co-op, but it’s increasingly difficult and expensive to play it on original hardware anymore. Fortunately you can get away with connecting multiple instances of m-gba and dolphin to recreate the experience on emulator for couch co-op at least.

Tim Cook is on the board of Directors BTW: https://www.apple.com/leadership/