Okay, since I've been having this issue again and it was driving me crazy, I decided to dig in a little bit deeper. So I checked out the source code and debugged it, the culprit is the following line: https://github.com/dolphin-emu/dolphin/blob/master/Source/Core/InputCommon/ControllerInterface/DInput/DInputJoystick.cpp#L39
I then found the following StackOverflow thread regarding this very issue: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10967795/directinput8-enumdevices-sometimes-painfully-slow/47952243.
Apparently, this is an issue with Windows in combination with some specific drivers, so I then checked out what the culprit was in my setup.
I have my PC connected to my monitor using a USB 3.0 A-B cable, so I can use the USB ports on my monitor, where I have one device plugged in.
I've disabled all of the usb ports on the monitor with the exception of the one I'm using and that apparently fixes the issue.
I still have no idea, why it worked sometimes — I didn't change anything in my setup at all. But now it hasn't re-occurred for quite some time.
Thought I'd just leave that here in case someone else runs into this issue at some point and finds this thread.
I then found the following StackOverflow thread regarding this very issue: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10967795/directinput8-enumdevices-sometimes-painfully-slow/47952243.
Apparently, this is an issue with Windows in combination with some specific drivers, so I then checked out what the culprit was in my setup.
I have my PC connected to my monitor using a USB 3.0 A-B cable, so I can use the USB ports on my monitor, where I have one device plugged in.
I've disabled all of the usb ports on the monitor with the exception of the one I'm using and that apparently fixes the issue.
I still have no idea, why it worked sometimes — I didn't change anything in my setup at all. But now it hasn't re-occurred for quite some time.
Thought I'd just leave that here in case someone else runs into this issue at some point and finds this thread.