Even back in the PlayStation 1 era, the question was often heard: “Where is the R3 button?” There are only 2 shoulder buttons per side.” But what was intuitive back then is no longer so intuitive today with Pro controllers with additional buttons on the back, touchpads and add-ons – especially because L3 and R3 don't are labeled on the gamepad. You can read here where you can find the two buttons on the controller.
Where are L3 and R3 on PS4, PS5 & Co?
No matter which standard controller you use for the PlayStation, from the first DualShock for the PS1 to the DualShock 4 for the PS4 as well as the DualSense for the PS5 are included L3 and R3 always pressing in the respective analog stick meant. The R3 button is therefore the clickable button when you click on the press the right stick as well as the L3 button the same thing on the left stick is.
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L3 & R3 on other consoles
In some cases L3 and R3 are also used for Xbox and Switch. Here it is then also pressing in the left or right stick meant, even if the keys are not officially called that. Usually, on the consoles from Nintendo and Microsoft, the term “pressing the stick” is used directly – you can also rarely find the terms “LSB” (Left Stick Button) and “RSB” (Right Stick Button). Since the shoulder buttons on both manufacturers are not called L1, L2, R1 and R2 like on Sony, L3 and R3 wouldn't make any sense either. Nevertheless, many guides and occasionally game developers use the names naturalized by the PlayStation.
L3 & R3 on special gamepads
At steering wheels, Arcade sticksfighting pads or general Controllers without analog sticks are L3 and R3 partly as labeled button can be found directly on the controller. Depending on the application and the infrequent use of the buttons in a certain genre, they can also completely missing from a controller. If you need the keys and can't find them on the special input device, you should take a look Instructions throw – there may also be a key combination to trigger the functions of L3 and R3.