diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ControllerInterface.cpp b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ControllerInterface.cpp
index 6eeb41e8b8..3a4f374c9d 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ControllerInterface.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/ControllerInterface.cpp
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ void ControllerInterface::Initialize(const WindowSystemInfo& wsi)
   m_is_populating_devices = true;
 
 #ifdef CIFACE_USE_WIN32
-  ciface::Win32::Init();
+  ciface::Win32::Init(wsi.render_surface);
 #endif
 #ifdef CIFACE_USE_XLIB
 // nothing needed
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ void ControllerInterface::Shutdown()
   ciface::Win32::DeInit();
 #endif
 #ifdef CIFACE_USE_XLIB
-  // nothing needed
+// nothing needed
 #endif
 #ifdef CIFACE_USE_OSX
   ciface::OSX::DeInit();
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/DInput/DInput.cpp b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/DInput/DInput.cpp
index aacbcd55f8..e65da0eb78 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/DInput/DInput.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/DInput/DInput.cpp
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ std::string GetDeviceName(const LPDIRECTINPUTDEVICE8 device)
 
 void PopulateDevices(HWND hwnd)
 {
+  g_controller_interface.RemoveDevice([](const auto* dev) { return dev->GetSource() == "DInput"; });
+
   IDirectInput8* idi8;
   if (FAILED(DirectInput8Create(GetModuleHandle(nullptr), DIRECTINPUT_VERSION, IID_IDirectInput8,
                                 (LPVOID*)&idi8, nullptr)))
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.cpp b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.cpp
index 2ce583e608..6c78c6b2a0 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.cpp
@@ -4,23 +4,132 @@
 
 #include "InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.h"
 
+#include <windows.h>
+
+#include <thread>
+
+#include "Common/Event.h"
+#include "Common/Logging/Log.h"
+#include "Common/ScopeGuard.h"
 #include "InputCommon/ControllerInterface/DInput/DInput.h"
 #include "InputCommon/ControllerInterface/XInput/XInput.h"
 
-void ciface::Win32::Init()
+constexpr UINT WM_DOLPHIN_STOP = WM_USER;
+
+static Common::Event s_done_populating;
+static std::atomic<HWND> s_hwnd;
+static HWND s_message_window;
+static std::thread s_thread;
+
+static LRESULT CALLBACK WindowProc(HWND hwnd, UINT message, WPARAM wparam, LPARAM lparam)
 {
-  // DInput::Init();
+  if (message == WM_INPUT_DEVICE_CHANGE)
+  {
+    ciface::DInput::PopulateDevices(s_hwnd);
+    ciface::XInput::PopulateDevices();
+    s_done_populating.Set();
+  }
+
+  return DefWindowProc(hwnd, message, wparam, lparam);
+}
+
+void ciface::Win32::Init(void* hwnd)
+{
+  s_hwnd = static_cast<HWND>(hwnd);
   XInput::Init();
+
+  s_thread = std::thread([] {
+    if (FAILED(CoInitializeEx(nullptr, COINIT_APARTMENTTHREADED)))
+    {
+      ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "CoInitializeEx failed: %i", GetLastError());
+      return;
+    }
+    Common::ScopeGuard uninit([] { CoUninitialize(); });
+
+    WNDCLASSEX window_class_info{};
+    window_class_info.cbSize = sizeof(window_class_info);
+    window_class_info.lpfnWndProc = WindowProc;
+    window_class_info.hInstance = GetModuleHandle(nullptr);
+    window_class_info.lpszClassName = L"Message";
+
+    ATOM window_class = RegisterClassEx(&window_class_info);
+    if (!window_class)
+    {
+      NOTICE_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "RegisterClassEx failed: %i", GetLastError());
+      return;
+    }
+    Common::ScopeGuard unregister([&window_class] {
+      if (!UnregisterClass(MAKEINTATOM(window_class), GetModuleHandle(nullptr)))
+        ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "UnregisterClass failed: %i", GetLastError());
+    });
+
+    s_message_window = CreateWindowEx(0, L"Message", nullptr, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, HWND_MESSAGE, nullptr,
+                                      nullptr, nullptr);
+    if (!s_message_window)
+    {
+      ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "CreateWindowEx failed: %i", GetLastError());
+      return;
+    }
+    Common::ScopeGuard destroy([] {
+      if (!DestroyWindow(s_message_window))
+        ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "DestroyWindow failed: %i", GetLastError());
+      s_message_window = nullptr;
+    });
+
+    std::array<RAWINPUTDEVICE, 2> devices;
+    // game pad devices
+    devices[0].usUsagePage = 0x01;
+    devices[0].usUsage = 0x05;
+    devices[0].dwFlags = RIDEV_DEVNOTIFY;
+    devices[0].hwndTarget = s_message_window;
+    // joystick devices
+    devices[1].usUsagePage = 0x01;
+    devices[1].usUsage = 0x04;
+    devices[1].dwFlags = RIDEV_DEVNOTIFY;
+    devices[1].hwndTarget = s_message_window;
+
+    if (!RegisterRawInputDevices(devices.data(), static_cast<UINT>(devices.size()),
+                                 static_cast<UINT>(sizeof(decltype(devices)::value_type))))
+    {
+      ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "RegisterRawInputDevices failed: %i", GetLastError());
+      return;
+    }
+
+    MSG msg;
+    while (GetMessage(&msg, nullptr, 0, 0) > 0)
+    {
+      TranslateMessage(&msg);
+      DispatchMessage(&msg);
+      if (msg.message == WM_DOLPHIN_STOP)
+        break;
+    }
+  });
 }
 
 void ciface::Win32::PopulateDevices(void* hwnd)
 {
-  DInput::PopulateDevices(static_cast<HWND>(hwnd));
-  XInput::PopulateDevices();
+  if (s_thread.joinable())
+  {
+    s_hwnd = static_cast<HWND>(hwnd);
+    s_done_populating.Reset();
+    PostMessage(s_message_window, WM_INPUT_DEVICE_CHANGE, 0, 0);
+    if (!s_done_populating.WaitFor(std::chrono::seconds(10)))
+      ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "win32 timed out when trying to populate devices");
+  }
+  else
+  {
+    ERROR_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "win32 asked to populate devices, but device thread isn't running");
+  }
 }
 
 void ciface::Win32::DeInit()
 {
-  // DInput::DeInit();
+  NOTICE_LOG(SERIALINTERFACE, "win32 DeInit");
+  if (s_thread.joinable())
+  {
+    PostMessage(s_message_window, WM_DOLPHIN_STOP, 0, 0);
+    s_thread.join();
+  }
+
   XInput::DeInit();
 }
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.h b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.h
index 038a792e54..5f4a65c509 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.h
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/Win32/Win32.h
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ namespace ciface
 {
 namespace Win32
 {
-void Init();
+void Init(void* hwnd);
 void PopulateDevices(void* hwnd);
 void DeInit();
-}
-}
+}  // namespace Win32
+}  // namespace ciface
diff --git a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/XInput/XInput.cpp b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/XInput/XInput.cpp
index 8c518335a0..f3e984d897 100644
--- a/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/XInput/XInput.cpp
+++ b/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/XInput/XInput.cpp
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@ void PopulateDevices()
   if (!hXInput)
     return;
 
+  g_controller_interface.RemoveDevice([](const auto* dev) { return dev->GetSource() == "XInput"; });
+
   XINPUT_CAPABILITIES caps;
   for (int i = 0; i != 4; ++i)
     if (ERROR_SUCCESS == PXInputGetCapabilities(i, 0, &caps))