That's pretty much what they are counting on. Joe Gamer really can't see the difference in resolutions, so simply shade the pixels the same way and they won't be able to tell much difference at all from 1080p to 720p. Resolution is the easiest visual element to drop without anyone knowing any different. That's why we have a "resolution thread", yet don't have a "are those shadow maps blocky" thread or "are those textures blurry" thread, etc. That's because while the latter two are relatively easy to spot even by the untrained eye, resolution typically remains an unknown until someone measures it. Only when the unknown and unseen is meticulously measured and deemed < 1080p does Outrage(tm) ensue that the pixels they don't notice and can't see aren't there. I'd expect on forums this gen that resolution will become The Definitive Image Quality Measurement Metric(tm), meanwhile the real world won't notice or care.
Or when compared side to side. Native vs Upscaled, it's like watching a DVD vs Blu-Ray the difference is pretty apparent.