Then I remembered... I had a black, unopened VMU sitting in one of my console boxes.
Usually I'm of the train of thought of "It was meant to be used, not sat in a box all its life", but then I wondered what if everyone did this? Then there would be no examples of untouched hardware. I know black, unopened VMUs aren't hard to come by, but what if everyone opened their unopened VMUs? Then there would be none left

I struggled with the problem for a little while before giving in and opening the box. (I still kept the box. Its always worth keeping)
To be honest it doesn't bother me all that much. Its not as if I'd opened something particularly rare. But it did make me want to ask the question - If anyone here has something factory sealed, would you open the box? Does it depend on what it is? Is a sealed Limited edition Dreamcast worth keeping sealed, and a standard controller worth ripping open? Are you from the school of "Its meant to be played dammit!!" or "We must preserve all hardware for future generations, brothers!!"
Just curious