Gaming has come a very long way in a short period of time. The gaming experience gets more realistic and more intricate with each new generation of consoles. The control of a game has also become more advanced. Only 10 years ago, you were limited to 2 action buttons and an eight way control pad. Today, there are 8 action buttons on the Sony Playstation 1 and 2, as well as 2 analog joysticks, but the PS2 offers a much more detailed control over the experience.

Button mashing doesn't always work on the Playstation 2, as it did on prior systems. Its dual-shock controller is setup for the buttons to be pressure sensitive, so game titles can react differently to how hard a player presses the button. Some developers have already programmed

this feature into many Playstation 2 titles, which gives players better and more realistic control over the action.

As an example, in Metal Gear Solid 2, when you press down the weapon button, your character draws his gun and aims. Releasing the button causes the character to fire. However, slowly releasing the button causes the character to holster the weapon without firing. If you've ever played this groundbreaking title, you know how important this can be. Other applications could include boxing games, where the pressure can affect how hard your fighter swings his fist.

Pressure sensitive buttons are a fantastic new concept for gamers and will most likely be standard on all future consoles. It is exciting to speculate on what new concepts will be introduced in future technologies.