Many LE's and CE's are just too nice to open! I have friends who've opened their CE's in the past, and looking back at the condition they're in now makes me want to cry! Many are missing components, whilst others are worn and dog-earred... Tragic
SteelBook's especially, where they are prone to scratches and dents. I hate seeing these things gutted on store shelves, and it's not as if retailers care about the items they sell (CEX in particular)
It's much better to keep these things sealed and admire them from the outside, whilst knowing what the contents look like via sites like this. Some CE's are so well-made quality pieces that you can see and feel this from just holding it (PAL Far Cry 2 CE, for example), whilst others look and feel cheap and nasty (PAL Transformers for X360)