diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.cpp b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.cpp
index e1383efc9d..61057c8162 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@
 #include <sstream>
 #include <string>
 
+// For InputGateOn()
+// This is a really bad layering violation, but it's the cleanest
+// place I could find to put it.
+#include "Core/ConfigManager.h"
+#include "Core/Host.h"
+
 #include "InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.h"
 
 namespace ciface
@@ -74,6 +80,16 @@ void Device::ClearInputState()
 	// kinda slow but, w/e, should only happen when user unplugs a device while playing
 }
 
+bool Device::Control::InputGateOn()
+{
+	if (SConfig::GetInstance().m_BackgroundInput)
+		return true;
+	else if (Host_RendererHasFocus())
+		return true;
+	else
+		return false;
+}
+
 //
 // DeviceQualifier :: ToString
 //
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.h b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.h
index a096bcb8b9..6e1868a4ba 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.h
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Device.h
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ public:
 		virtual std::string GetName() const = 0;
 		virtual ~Control() {}
 
+		bool InputGateOn();
+
 		virtual Input* ToInput() { return nullptr; }
 		virtual Output* ToOutput() { return nullptr; }
 	};
@@ -59,6 +61,16 @@ public:
 
 		virtual ControlState GetState() const = 0;
 
+		bool ShouldHaveInput();
+
+		ControlState GetGatedState()
+		{
+			if (InputGateOn())
+				return GetState();
+			else
+				return 0.0;
+		}
+
 		Input* ToInput() override { return this; }
 	};
 
@@ -74,6 +86,12 @@ public:
 
 		virtual void SetState(ControlState state) = 0;
 
+		void SetGatedState(ControlState state)
+		{
+			if (InputGateOn())
+				SetState(state);
+		}
+
 		Output* ToOutput() override { return this; }
 	};
 
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ExpressionParser.cpp b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ExpressionParser.cpp
index 2261a5df98..da740bbb7e 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ExpressionParser.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ExpressionParser.cpp
@@ -228,12 +228,12 @@ public:
 
 	virtual ControlState GetValue() override
 	{
-		return control->ToInput()->GetState();
+		return control->ToInput()->GetGatedState();
 	}
 
 	virtual void SetValue(ControlState value) override
 	{
-		control->ToOutput()->SetState(value);
+		control->ToOutput()->SetGatedState(value);
 	}
 
 	virtual int CountNumControls() override