I recently purchased the short shifter and I'm currently inspecting it. There appears to be some play on the unit.
The enclosed photo above is an attempt at depicting the issue.
The yellow arrow indicates the direction in which the play is occurring. The shifter is able to wobble back and forth along that plane within the corresponding hinge.
The red arrow indicates the location in which there is a 1.5 mm gap.
Is this how the shifter is intended to be?