Let me tell you that it is a good thing!
If you all remember the GTS Celicas of 2000 and newer, with their 6-speed FWD platform, you'll remember just how much of a PITA that trans was.
I had one, number 261 to the states in fact. Problem is, the first 4000 or so were afflicted with so many problems in the trans and shifter, it was a worthless car to me. The point I'm getting to is that the 6 speed trans had a weak set of springs in it, and was loose like you are wishing it were. I can tell you that this is BAD. With an engine that wanted to rev right to redline, with a VVTLi valvetrain redlined at 7,800 and engine damage occured at 8300-8500, you had no room for error whatsoever. A large number of people (myself thankfully excluded) ended up bending valves and breaking other stuff and having it covered under warranty because the shifter springs were so weak. You'd shift from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to....2nd!!! This would be because the shifter wanted to go back to 2nd, and 4th was almost invisible to it, especially when you were really racing the thing. I got lucky the one time it happened to me, as I wasn't fully redlined in 3rd, I was about 500rpm shy. So when I missed, it went just slightly past red, and I caught it with the clutch in time.
Later on, Toyota released a recall/TSB that replaced the shifter springs with a different design, one that heavily centered the stick (and felt better for it as well.)
