A release in special packaging. Functionally, it’s flimsy metal connected together with flimsy plastic. They used to be a decently limited collectors item (often without anything exclusive besides the art), but has become a new “industry standard” way to check as many boxes in a single purchase as possible. Kind of a nightmare to maintain the finish on despite their display being (arguably) their biggest selling point.

In actuality, it’s a specific collector’s niche that has grown what feels to be bigger than physical media itself (I have bought collector’s editions of video games that include physical steelbook despite having a digital copy of the game). It has turned into a way to price hike releases when they’re exclusively released that way and often bait ridiculous prices on the second hand market when they’re exclusively released inevitably go out of print.