1080p vs 720p, do you really notice a difference?

There is a clear difference between the two, but I don't think half the fanboys that claim victory with a multiplat on their console runs at a higher resolution than the other can really tell the difference.

Seemingly everyone in gaming journalism does not know the difference, when they're told something's 1080p they say it is even if it's 720p. For example pretty much every publication touts Mario Kart 8 as 1080p, when it's really 720p. Here's a screenshot that shows the jaggies clearly -

this is what 720p looks like with no anti aliasing. (open link in new tab to really see jaggies)

I also remember when both versions of CoD ghosts (Ps4 and Xb1) launched and they both ran at the same 720p resolution before the Ps4 version got patched to 1080p and every journalist claimed the Ps4 version was clearly sharper, even though they ran at the same exact resolution with the same AA.

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So, could you really notice a difference between 720p and 1080p if no one told you? I'm not saying the difference isn't important, but 720p is A-ok with proper AA, and will actually have less jaggies than a 1080p game with No AA, though it won't be nearly as sharp.

I just think it's strange that resolution is such a hot topic when so many people can't really tell the differences - and art, detail and polish are all far more important factors. Though as you can see with Mario kart 720p games really need AA :p

Like you said there is a difference, but like all things people notice it differently than others. I play on a pretty kick ass 60" Samsung LED and honestly if I played a game I probably couldn't guess the resolution unless I was told.

I guess the first advantage that most people would see straight away is a crisper picture, with less Aliasing. So that alone could make it easier to guess the resolution.

I just found it odd that literally the worst quality picture we're going to see on this generation of consoles (barring 720p with blurring AA) can be confused with a 1080p game, it really put all this talk of resolution lately into perspective.

Nobody can guess exact resolutions when so many games are resolutions between 720 and 1080 and there are so many different AA techniques, but personally I always have a ballpark idea and full 720 vs full 1080 at least should be easily distinguishable.

Honestly, I'd rather 720p with good Anti Aliasing, rather than 1080p with no AA.

@BattleSpectre:

I would as well.

100% agree. I've always said I prefer a lower res if it means more detail.

Text and numbers are always the most noticeable thing between 720p and 1080p. Text is so blurry in games like Starcraft 2 if you play it at anything lower than 1080p.

Depends on the monitor! If 720P game is expended to 1080P monitor, some details will be blur.

The best example is Metal Gear GZ. It is night and day.

There is a massive difference... http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/450/4509811/2376700-0954986859-res%252.jpg

When you look at a 720p game you just see jaggies everywhere and the image is slightly blurry..... looks like crap.

I don't get why these consoles struggle so much, I've been playing at 1080 on my PC since like 2003/04 when I got a monitor that supported.

For films yes, for games no. You only notice the difference when monitors are set, side by side, otherwise its barely noticeable, especially if its at 60 fps, even at 30 its still fine.

Yes, you absolutely can tell the difference.

@Chozofication: Firstly I would be able to see the difference between a game running at 720p on a 21inch 144hz HD monitor and a the same game running at 1080p on a 60inch HD screen.... The smaller screen will look better simply because of its smaller screen and having a a concentration of pixels in such a small screen would look better than the 60inch 1080p simply because there isn't as much of a concentration of pixels..... In other words if my BenQ144hz 3D capable of 1440p would run a game at 1080p and next to that screen I have a 60inch HD screen that also runs 1080p.... The smaller screen wins...

Yes you would see a difference

720p vs 1080 p

Becomes irrelevant...it's the size screen. Obviously there would be a massive difference between the same screen projecting 720p and then 1080p.

All LCD based tech needs to be fed the correct resolution -- upscaling looks terrible and results in nasty motion blur with anything but native res. Plasma's on the other hand are a lot more forgiving, but I wouldn't use one for gaming personally.

easily

People not used to 1080p don't but you can bet that Hermits EASILY can tell

Having -6.25 vision in both eyes, I have trouble seeing the difference between a lot of things.

At closer distances to the display, I can notice it (i.e. on a computer monitor) but in a "home theatre" sense? Not at all.

I can see the difference, but it's not like it's night and day ( I don't sit 2 ft from my TV).

I'd take better AA over 1080p personally.