So my question boils down to: are cryptocurrency mining machines really real? I need answers. How do I know what to trust?!
It's real, cryptocurrency mining requires physical machine and electricity in order to run it. The cost depends on where you live and it might be not worth it for you if the rewards get spent for maintenance charge without leaving anymore profit for you. You don't need in front of your machine 24/7 to check the mining, it isn't going anywhere unlike the cloud mining where they went away with your money.
For most people it doesn't worth. Mining equipment is expensive, loses value and get damaged/obsolet relatively fast, requires a lot of room and a cold source to not overheat and damage everything even faster.
It means a lot of expenses with energy, besides the initial investment which also has to be a decent one. In the end, bitcoin may continue losing value, decreasing the profitability of the business more yet.
If you have enough funds and a big area, better to think about a more stable and guaranteed sector to invest in, while also thinking about the possibility of producing goods while you sleep.