The presence of L3 and R3 buttons, activated by pressing down on the analog sticks, was not a universal feature across all PlayStation 1 controllers. Original PlayStation controllers lacked analog sticks entirely, and thus, these buttons were absent. Their introduction came later with the Dual Analog Controller and then the DualShock controller, marking a significant shift in control schemes for certain games.
The integration of these buttons provided developers with additional input options, expanding the complexity and potential control schemes within their games. This allowed for more nuanced character control, camera manipulation, or the implementation of context-sensitive actions. While not every title utilized these buttons, their availability offered increased design flexibility. The use of L3 and R3 was more prevalent in later PS1 titles as developers became more familiar with the capabilities of the enhanced controllers.
