How to use ANY controller in Sonic Adventure™ 2 [Updated as of February 2020]

This game only supports Xinput controllers, but Steam allows you to configure a wide variety of controllers. This guide will show you how you can use your PS4, Switch, Steam, or generic controllers in Sonic Adventure™ 2.

Introduction

Sonic Adventure 2 is a really weird game with controllers. A lot of people are forced to use a keyboard because they may not know how to set up a controller. Well, what if your controller actually does work? Actually, the problem may not be your controller. The problem is actually the launcher this game comes with. It is very similar to the launcher from NiGHTS Into Dreams..., except that if you launch Sonic Adventure 2 from Steam, you have to configure the game every time. Luckily, there is a way to fix every problem without downloading anything (though you may need to install the controller drivers if you haven't used it yet).

Here are some controllers that you can use in Sonic Adventure™ 2 and other Steam games:

Steam Controller
Xbox 360 Controller
PS3 Controller [driver installation required]
Xbox One Controller
PS4 Controller
Switch Pro Controller [wired]
Nvidia Shield Controller


Even if your controller is not on this list, you may still be able to use it so you can still continue this guide. However, you will most likely need to map the buttons correctly.

Before I begin, this is NOT the only way to use your controller. This is the "universal" way, and this guide is meant to help people that want to use their preferred controller since it is safe to say that this game is no longer supported by the developers. Please do not comment ways to use specific controllers, as that is not the intention of this guide. If you have another solution, you are welcome to make your own guide.

Initial Setup

Before you do anything, you must run the game at least once. Set up the configuration through the launcher. I assume there isn't an option for using a controller (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this guide), so use a keyboard for now. Once you get to the title screen, exit the game.

Setting up your controller

So you first need to set up your controller with Steam. On the top right of Steam, go to Steam→Settings. Navigate to In-Game and make sure that the box next to Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game is checked.
Next, connect your controller to your computer and navigate to Controller and press GENERAL CONTROLLER SETTINGS. A screen should come up with some options. Make sure you tick the controller support for your desired controller (or just tick all of them, there isn't really any reason not to).Under Detected Controllers:, press the controller you want to add and register it. If you do not see any controllers, check to see if the drivers for your controller have fully installed, or if your device is bluetooth, check if your device is connected. If your controller still doesn't appear, then I recommend you purchase an Xbox One controller or a Steam Controller before continuing this guide. If your controller has registered, proceed to the next step.

Configuring your controller with Sonic Adventure™ 2

If you made it to this step, congratulations! You will be able to play Sonic Adventure 2 with your controller!
Connect your controller and navigate back to Library→Games→Sonic Adventure™ 2. If you take a look at the gear icon on the right side of the page, you should see a new option called Controller Configuration under Manage.

The fastest way to do this is to select BROWSE CONFIGS→Templates→and either Gamepad or Gamepad with Camera Controls (Steam Controller)→APPLY CONFIGURATION.
This is going to be your controller configuration for this game. If you are using a Nintendo Wii U or Switch controller, you may want to change the button configuration because their buttons are in different locations than other controllers.
Your screen should look something like this.

Skipping the Launcher

Before continuing, make sure you run the launcher at least once as stated in the beginning of he guide.
You are almost done with setting up the game. This is the easy part of the guide. Back to Library, right-click Sonic Adventure™ 2 and navigate to Properties→LOCAL FILES→BROWSE LOCAL FILES.... Now navigate to Config→Keyboard.cfg and open it with Notepad. On Line 4, you should see
<Player InputWay="0" Vibrate="0">. Change 0 to 1 and Save.

At this point, you have multiple options, so you can do whichever method you prefer. Do not do more than one method.

Method 1: Change the Launch Options

In your Library, right click on the Sonic Adventure™ 2 tab and select Properties. Select SET LAUNCH OPTIONS..., type -q and press OK. Simple!

Method 2: Replace the Launcher with the game itself

Rename Launcher.exe to LauncherOld.exe. Now rename sonic2app.exe to Launcher.exe

Tip: On File Explorer, go to View on the top bar, and check File Name Extensions.

Method 3: Create a shortcut on Steam

Now go back to Steam and on the bottom right, press ADD A GAME...→Add a Non-Steam Game...→BROWSE→C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sonic Adventure 2 and press sonic2app.exe and then ADD SELECTED PROGRAMS.

Now in Steam, right-click sonic2app and navigate to properties and rename sonic2app to Sonic Adventure™ 2 (No Launcher).

Method 3: Creating a Desktop Shortcut

If you have a desktop shortcut already, delete it. Now copy sonic2app.exe and PASTE AS A SHORTCUT to your Desktop. Rename it if you like, and you must use this shortcut every time you want to play the game.

Conclusion

You are finally done! All you need to do is run the game without the launcher and you should be good to go.
If you are using a DualShock Controller, there are other guides showing how to replace the Xinput buttons in-game with DualShock buttons.
If you can, please rate this guide. It will help other people come to this guide.
Have fun playing Sonic Adventure™ 2!

[Maxolo2020]

whenever I boot up the game, my switch pro controller's home button lights up blue?? help

[Midnight197]

Amazing, thank you very much for your help! Now if we just could figure out how to change the sensitivity of the joysticks lmao

[Dingus]

hello! SA2 input mod exists, and may help with these problems now if you don't want to use steam input for whatever reason. It may also help joystick movement.

[FlyingDragon]

Thank you so much! You're a life saver!

[mattharesign]

i can use switch joycons but i think better joy makes my pc its a xbox controller

[sansisreal86]

Uhm this won't work and will rather put a gun to my head than play sa2 with no controller for another 8 hours

[AlyIsRandom]

doesnt seem to work anymore on my switch pro controller.

[eyesack1337]

ps5 controller did everything perfectly and it doesnt work, update guide pls????

[Terios]

I did everything listed and it's still not sensing, what's weirder is that I'm using an Xbox 1 Controller and yet it doesn't work.

[japanman]

im having trouble with my dualsense controller but the controls are perfect and everything works perfectly myy only issue is the camera and it not working very reliably everytime i use the trigger my camera will repetitively spin without stopping any help?