Among Valve’s portfolio, Portal 2 is considered one of the best games, along with Half-Life 2. The game was released back in 2011 and, since then, has been made available for a number of platforms, including the Nintendo Switch. Furthermore, with the release of Valve’s own PC handheld, the Steam Deck, many have been enjoying the game on it. However, it seems like Portal 2 suffers from a controls-related issue from time to time on the handheld. So, if you are encountering an issue where Portal 2’s controls are not working on the Steam Deck, consider reading this guide until the end.
Most of the issue here seems to stem from the controls layout menu, which for some appears empty, resulting in the game being unplayable for many. Then there’s another issue where the controller configuration options just disappear. So, is there a fix for this? Well, continue reading to find out!
Portal 2 Steam Deck controls not working: How to fix it?
Since there’s no official fix for this issue, players will have to make do with the following workarounds. Try these and see if any one of them is of help to you.
Update –
The very first thing that we recommend you do is update both the Deck and the game. So, go check if there’s an update available. If there’s one, download it. Once the update is installed, launch the game and see if the issue continues. If it does, switch to a different workaround.
Use Big Picture Mode –
Players can try fixing this issue by simply using the Big Picture Mode. Essentially, what you need to do is first switch to Desktop Mode and then open Steam. Next, click on the monitor icon located at the top right corner of the screen. This will now enable Big Picture Mode. All you have to do next is just launch Portal 2 and find out if the issue persists. If it does, try another method.
Repair files while in Big Picture Mode –
This particular workaround comes courtesy of u/RockNRollPyro. Basically, what you need to do in this one is to first follow the previous method until the Deck is in Big Picture Mode. Next, load up Portal 2 game page, and head over to the Installed Files tab inside the Properties menu. Here, you will find the verify integrity of game files option. Once the process is over, launch the game. Additionally, after launching the game in Big Picture Mode, select Options > Controller. Wait for the Controller Configuration screen to load. When it does, quit the game and Big Picture Mode. Switch back to Gaming Mode, find Portal 2, and load up the controller configuration screen.
Clear Selected Controller Layout –
This is a unique workaround suggested by u/Ketho. In this one, first, you need to switch to Desktop Mode on your Steam Deck and then open the page for Portal 2. Next, select it and click on Developer > Clear Selected Controller Layout.
Enable Controller Input –
If you’ve been playing Portal 2 on your PC, then that might be causing a conflict with the Steam Deck version due to Steam Cloud synchronization. So, what you need to do is launch Portal 2 on your PC and then head to Settings. Next, switch to the Controller tab and set Controller Input to enabled.
Reinstall –
If none of the aforementioned workarounds are of help to you, we recommend that you reinstall the game. Now, we can’t give you a guarantee that this will completely work, but nonetheless, try it once and see if that helps.
Well, that’s all the information we have on this issue. Additionally, if TF2 is crashing on your Deck, check out this guide. And, for more such interesting guides, keep following DigiStatement. Also read: Hitman 3 crashing on Steam Deck: How to fix it?
