If you own a Playstation 2, as do I, then there is a great chance you share my pain when it comes to the PS2 controller… especially one aspect of it: the horrid L2/R2 buttons on the top. Those buttons were poorly designed; it is as simple as that. They constantly stick and jam, making it darn near impossible to perform some critical tasks in games that rely on them. It seems as if I am constantly trying to pop them or push them exactly the right way to nudge them out once they jam; it is not easy to fix them when they stick. If controller buttons could hear me talk, I would say three words to the L2/R2 buttons on the PS2 controller: I hate you.

As a result of my PS2 controller rage, when I first laid hands on a work in progress Playstation 3 controller at E3, the very first thing I noticed about it was the much needed redesign of the L2/R2 buttons on the back of the controller (Yes, even before the thought of the not yet complete motion sensing even crossed my mind). Boy, what a relief to have a controller in my hands that actually functioned correctly! The difference they made was quite noticeable to an experienced PS2 gamer like me; the L2/R2 buttons were far easier to push… their motion felt far smoother than the old PS2 jam-a-lots. It may seem a bit odd to some of you that I would be so overjoyed by a couple of new buttons on a controller, but believe me, if you had experienced the horrors I have endured, you would understand. The most talked about advancement of the controller may be its motion sensing abilities, but in reality it’s those redesigned L2/R2 buttons that are the true champions of this device. Way to go Sony, you actually fixed a problem!