When I say "play" I don't mean to imply it is loose and rattling about. It has one natural resting position (probably the wrong one), and the platter weight tends to keep it in that position. However it is not rigid like a tonarm bearing and can move.
I will probably have to take it apart eventually, but I am a little nervous as this is a critical component that up to now I have been careful not to disturb or even invert. I remember the first time Jon assembled it he did it in such a way as to suggest "don't mess with this" and there was an audible sigh from both of them that indicated a critical assembly milestone has been reached and it was plain sailing from there.
Or they could just have been messing with my head
I wouldn't put it past them.