History Main / PressureSensitiveInterface

* In ''GoldDigger,'' defunct 1970's super hero team the Wonder Friends had a base full of hi-tech vehicles [[{{Expy}} based on]] the {{Thunderbirds}}. The old members, now part of [[TheMenInBlack Agency Zero]], still have access to them, and they still work... but the on-board AIs will only oblige to work if they are approached ''dramatically.'' Just pushing the launch button won't do. You have to SLAM it down while saying a battle cry!

* In ''GoldDigger,'' defunct 1970's super hero team the Wonder Friends had a base full of hi-tech vehicles [[{{Expy}} based on]] the {{Thunderbirds}}. The old members, now part of [[TheMenInBlack Agency Zero]], still have access to them, and they still work... but the on-board AI's will only oblige to work if they are approached ''dramatically.'' Just pushing the launch button won't do. You have to SLAM it down while saying a battle cry!

* From StargateAtlantis, the last season, where an abandoned ship that autonomusly travels through parallel universes carrying the heros meets a universe full of hostile aliens, facing them to attack. Needless to say, Ronan is jamming on the rail gun button, then Seppard says,"Take it easy,Chewy."

** ''RhythmHeaven'' deserves a special mention here, as it can have you hold the stylus on the screen and flick. It also tells the difference between light and hard taps. Moai Doo Wop especally. It has you using light and hard taps within the same game.

** Taken ''UpToEleven''in the April 19, 2005 strip, by way of a character's prank. "Then maybe if I turn the button another 47.5 degrees, caress the button and tell it what a good little button I think it is... Then I'll turn the button 63.2 degrees with my left hand, sneeze on it lightly, and push it all the way down again." It works.
*** Immeadeatly ''lampshaded''. "Sheesh Dr. Light, It's only one button."

** Taken ''UpToEleven''in the April 19, 2005 strip. "Then maybe if I turn the button another 47.5 degrees, caress the button and tell it what a good little button I think it is... Then I'll turn the button 63.2 degrees with my left hand, sneeze on it lightly, and push it all the way down again." It works.

* There's an episode of ''BattleOfThePlanets'' where the guy pounds the firing button with his fist, full strength. The missile practically explodes its way out of the launcher.

* ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' has a kind of psycho {{Gonk}} called Attenborough who appears to be in charge of using the giant mechs' cannons. He [[BeamSpam never does any aiming or anything]], mind you. And he often acts so rash that he puts the whole team in danger. Presumably he's only in this position because [[TriggerHappy he pushes those buttons very enthusiastically]], and ''really damn hard''.

* In ''{{WALL-E}}'', the BigBad pushes a button to turn off the Holo-Detector and lower it back into the floor, but WALL-E holds it up. So, the BigBad takes out an electric prod and pushes the button with that, and the Holo-Detector ''lowers faster and overpowers WALL-E.''

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]

* Every button on the PS2 controller worked like this. ''MetalGearSolid'' 2 and 3 were practically the only games that did anything with it, though. If you push the fire button and let go, you shoot, but if you push the button and ''lightly'' let go, you'll holster your gun without firing a shot. It was tricky as hell.

** Taken ''UpToEleven''in the April 19, 2005 strip. "Then maybe if I turn the button another 47.5 degrees, caress the button and tell it what a good little button I think it is... Then I'll turn the button 63.2 degrees with my left hand, sneeze on it lightly, and push it all the way down again." It works.

** ''RhythmHeaven'' deserves a special mention here, as it can have you hold the stylus on the screen and flick. It also tells the difference between light and hard taps. Moai Doo Wop especally.

** ''RhythemHeaven'' deserves a special mention here, as it can have you hold the stylus on the screen and flick. It also tells the difference between light and hard taps. Moai Doo Wop especally.

** ''RhythemHeavenFeaver'' deserves a special mention here, as it can have you hold the stylus on the screen and flick. It also tells the difference between light and hard taps. Moai Doo Wop especally.

** Taken ''UpToEleven''. "

** ''Luigi's Mansion'' used this function to control the Poltergust, pressing the button hard increased suction power, and pressing it all the way down makes Luigi stationary.

** ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' also used this function. The shoulder buttons were used for shielding: lightly pushing the button made a larger but more translucent, and likely weaker, shield; pushing the button harder made the shield more compact as well as more durable and opaque.

** In ''Morrowind'', when using the white/black buttons to raise/lower price offers with vendors, how hard you push them determines how fast the figure changes.

** In the ''Metroid Prime: Hunters'' demo (First Hunt), light presses on the menu screen options would give tooltips, while harder presses would actually select things.

* TruthInTelevision. A common way of expressing frustration. Say you're in a hurry and you're trying to cross the street, and you pushed the button to cross, but the crosswalk light isn't changing. It's not uncommon in this circumstance to futilely press the button over and over. Similarly, if you click/double-click something on a computer and nothing happens, you'll be sorely tempted to do it again, even though this may just slow the action down further. I've also seen people playing fighting games start mashing the buttons harder as they get more desperate, even when it's just an ordinary digital button and they're only destroying the controller.
** Heh, the crosswalk thing: I press it repeatedly (generally four times, 'cuz I like the number 4) because I'm never sure that the first one took, and I don't want to be stuck waiting for a long time before I realize that I need to press it again. In some places, they've fixed this by having a place where you put your thumb (not a button, a scanner sort of thing), and when it registers that you're "pressing" it, it beeps. No more doubt.

* Pressing a road crossing button more times means that the time between the last button press and the change in lights is shorter...[[YouFailLogicForever I fail at logic]].

* If your computer is going slowly, pressing buttons repeatedly will make it realize that you're impatient, and it will speed up. Doesn't everyone know this?
** On at least one system, this actually worked. The system was designed to give programs that interacted with the user a higher priority than background processes that didn't. Pressing random keys during a long calculation would make it treat the task as interactive, so the calculation finished sooner.

* In ''{{WALL-E}}'', the BigBad pushes a button to turn off the Holo-Detector and lower it back into the floor, but WALL-E holds it up. So, the BigBad takes out an electric prod and pushes the button with that, and the Holo-Detector ''lowers faster and overpowers WALL-E.''

* Averted in the IsaacAsimov short story ''Risk'', in which an experimental hyperdrive failed to work because the robot at the controls, having been ordered to pull the activation level "firmly", pulled it so hard that it bent out of shape.

* In ''BobAndGeorge'' the time travel suit is controlled by one button on the belt buckle. You have to practically type out a command in Morse Code with it to actually do anything. The duration and pressure of the press is important.

* In ''GoldDigger,'' defunct 1970's super hero team the Wonder Friends had a base full of hi-tech vehicles [[{{Expy}} based on]] the {{Thunderbirds}}. The old members, now part of [[{{MIB}} Agency Zero]], still have access to them, and they still work... but the on-board AI's will only oblige to work if they are approached ''dramatically.'' Just pushing the launch button won't do. You have to SLAM it down while saying a battle cry!

* From StargateAtlantis, the last season, where an abandoned ship that autonomusly travels through parallel universes carrying the heros meets a universe full of hostile aliens, facing them to attack. Needless to say, Ronan is jamming on the rail gun button, then Seppard says,"Take it easy,Chewy.

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<<|AppliedPhlebotinum|>>

** ''Luigi's Mansion'' used this function to control the Poltergust, pressing the button hard increased suction power, and pressing it all the way down makes Luigi stationary

*** Beg pardon? This troper has holstered his gun in MGS: Twin Snakes with the pressure sensitive shoulder buttons before. It takes a little bit of a knack, but it can be done.

** Interestingly enough, the idea was reused for the ''[[UpdatedRerelease EO]]'' versions of ''CapcomVsSNK 2''. The strengths of punches and kicks are determined by the pressure exerted on the L and R buttons in an attempt to simplify the controls for the GameCube and XBox.

* In ''GoldDigger,'' defunct 1970's super hero team the Wonder Friends had a base full of hi-tech vehicles [[{{Expy}} based on]] the {{Thunderbirds}}. The old members, now part of [[MenInBlack Agency Zero]], still have access to them, and they still work... but the on-board AI's will only oblige to work if they are approached ''dramatically.'' Just pushing the launch button won't do. You have to SLAM it down while saying a battle cry!

* The difficult-but-rewarding "Second-Stage Quickboost" tactic in ArmoredCore 4/for Answer relies on the 360/PS3's pressure sensitive buttons. Specifically, pressing the quickboost button ordinarily will unleash the ordinary burst. However, by pressing the button to the point such that it ''almost'' activates, and then activating it with a light pressure will trigger this. Quick Boost is intended to be an emergency get-out-of-the-way burst of speed; properly applied, Second Stage boosting can and will outrun enemies using their supposedly faster Overed Boost.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* In ''{{WALL-E}}'', the BigBad pushes a button to turn off the Holo-Detector and lower it back into the floor, but WALL-E holds it up. So, the BigBad takes out an electric prod and pushes the button with that, and the Holo-Detector ''lowers faster and overpowers WALL-E.''
** Also averted earlier in the movie, when WALL-E, trapped in an escape pod about to blow up, presses the button for self-destruct to try and turn it off, then repeatedly presses it.

* From StagateAtlantis, the last season, where an abandoned ship that autonomusly travels through parallel universes carrying the heros meets a universe full of hostile aliens, facing them to attack. Needless to say, Ronan is jamming on the rail gun button, then Seppard says,"Take it easy,Chewy.

** They are, but unless you're in operator mode, they don't do much. In an elevator running in operator mode, the buttons give you total control. The doors will remain open until you select a floor or close them. you can even overside the doors and leave them open as you travel.