Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Controller Disconnecting/Not Working Issue: Is there any fix yet

With the release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on PC, a lot of fans are jumping in to try out the game. Among those, a good chunk of players have decided to play with a controller, and rightfully so! Swinging through New York City and slinging the web feels a lot more intuitive and fun when done via a controller. However, this itself has become an issue for many. The issue is that controllers, particularly the Switch Pro Controllers, have been reported to get disconnected or stop working for no reason when playing the game! So, if you too have encountered the issue, this

Some players have reported that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 stops recognizing their controller after restarting the game, even though it initially worked fine. The issue seems to be game-specific, as the controller continues to function properly in other games. Also, it does not matter what controller you are using. If you are unlucky, you will fall on the radar of this bug. Well, there are a few workarounds worth trying to fix it. We have mentioned all of them below.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Controller Disconnecting/Not Working Issue: Is there any fix yet

Although multiple hotfixes have been released for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the issue with the controller has not been addressed yet. But do not lose hope! Many players who have been experiencing this problem have suggested some potential workarounds that you can try to restore functionality.

First things first

There are a few basic workarounds you can try before diving into more complex fixes. First, restart your PC to make sure there are no conflicting applications running in the background. Next, try reconnecting the controller, whether by USB or Bluetooth, and see if it’s properly synced. If the controller is still unresponsive, try changing the layout in the Steam controller settings to a different configuration.

Steam Input

A potential workaround is to disable Steam Input. This can allow the game to recognize the controller again, though it may still result in some in-game issues, such as unresponsive buttons or incorrect mapping. To disable Steam Input, first open Steam and go to your Library. Right-click on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, select Properties, and under the Controller tab, change the Override for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 setting to Disable Steam Input.

2nd Preset

Talking about Steam Input, one possible fix is to go to the Steam Input menu and select the second official preset for the controller. Although it’s unclear why this works, several players have reported that it resolves the problem, allowing the game to recognize the controller properly. If the option is available, try selecting the second preset and see if it fixes the issue for you.

Config file fix

The problem might be related to a configuration bug within the Steam input settings. The fix involves manually editing the game’s configuration file to ensure it properly recognizes the controller. Here’s how to do it:

• Navigate to your Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 installation folder. This is typically located in the Steam library folder inside steamapps\common\Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
• In this folder, you should find a file named steaminput_manifest.vdf alongside the game’s executable (.exe) file.
• Open the steaminput_manifest.vdf file via a text editor (like Notepad).
• Scroll towards the bottom of the file where you’ll see a section related to the Switch Pro Controller. It should look something like this:
  • “controller_switch_pro”
    {
    “0”
    {
    “path” “steaminput_config_switch_pro.vdf”
    }
    }
• The issue here is that the file, steaminput_config_switch_pro.vdf, doesn’t exist in the folder. However, you will find a file named steaminput_config_switchpro.vdf in the same folder.
• To fix this, simply rename the file steaminput_config_switchpro.vdf to steaminput_config_switch_pro.vdf.
• After renaming, save the changes and restart the game.

If renaming the file didn’t work for you, another solution involves directly modifying the steaminput_manifest.vdf file. Instead of renaming the file itself, you can change the reference in the manifest to match the actual file name that exists. Here’s how:

• Open the steaminput_manifest.vdf file with a text editor like Notepad.
• Look for the section referencing the Switch Pro Controller, which will look like this:
  • “controller_switch_pro”
    {
    “0”
    {
    “path” “steaminput_config_switch_pro.vdf”
    }
    }
• Change the path to match the existing file name. Modify it to:
  • “path” “steaminput_config_switchpro.vdf”.
• Save the file and restart the game.

Well, for now, these are the most effective workarounds we have to fix the controller not working issue in the game. That said, we hope that you will be able to enjoy the game without any more hassle, at least related to controllers. If you find this guide informative, make sure to bookmark DigiStatement for more such interesting reads! And since we are on the topic of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, click here to find out how to fix the Character Model bugs in the game.