Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is available on Xbox consoles

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition is available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S consoles and through Xbox Cloud Gaming. This port of the PC remaster is also part of the Game Pass subscription.

According to the developers this console version is built for controller operation and they say it took some time. For example, there is a new user interface in which input from the controller is central. The makers also say that managing resources, units and objectives should be relatively easy on large TV screens, but also on small smartphone screens if the game is played via the cloud, for example.

Furthermore, the new interface should improve the readability of certain elements and d-pad shortcuts have been built in, in addition to the usual selection wheels for consoles. There is also a special tutorial to get the hang of playing with the controller faster. Players who use mouse and keyboard can easily switch to the console version, according to Microsoft; there is support for all inputs, so players can choose how they prefer to play the game.

To make playing on console a little easier, changes have also been made to the gameplay, mainly to accommodate new players. For example, certain tasks can be automated, such as those of the villagers, and there are site-based commands, so that the player can focus more on leading the armies.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition for the Xbox consoles was announced last year and the game was released for PC back in November 2019.