While not the initial reporter of this issue, I can confirm that it is still present in version 1.18.31. The only way to get Minecraft to once again recognize the controller is to quit out completely and re-launch the game.
Can confirm this issue is still present in the latest beta (beta 1.5.0.0).
Have not seen this with beta 1.5.0.0.
While not the initial reporter of this issue, I can confirm that it is still present in version 1.18.31. The only way to get Minecraft to once again recognize the controller is to quit out completely and re-launch the game.