Well FFXIII will be the first major JRPG being released in the West on consoles this gen. There has yet to be a FF/DQ/KH etc., title released on consoles, only titles from more niche series like "Tales Of..." and Star Ocean.

But on the handheld side of things, the DS and PSP have been getting the lion's share of JRPGs released almost constantly... tons of FF/DQ remakes and spin-offs, Kingdom Hearts, the Disgaea and Persona series, etc... for those who own either or both of those systems, this is arguably the best time for a JRPG fan since the peak of the 16-bit gen and into the 32 bit gen of the mid to late 90s.

They are all just as well or more known than Magna Carta II. Expect every single on of those except for maybe 3D Dot Game Heroes and Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll to outsell Magna Carta 2. How does a JRPG fan not hear about a new Atelier or Ar Tonelico game? Those are new entries in long running series!

Exactly.  All this talk about 'revivng' JRPGs.  Most people who think JRPGs need a revival are just looking for some big budget JRPG for a console.  When JRPGs are doing quite fine.  They're just on handhelds.

If anything, the current trend of JRPGs lacking on consoles only shows how focused the majority of Japanese developers are on their market.  Japan.  And the few that tried to jump onto the consoles (which tried heavily to focus on the American market this gen), failed or didn't meet expectations.

Is it any wonder games like Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean 4, Lost Odessey and Blue Dragon didn't do well?  The 360 and PS3 aren't big in Japan.  So why do western JRPG fans expect that just because a famous JRPG developer makes a big budget JRPG...it'll instantly produce millions in sales?  On the same token, there's nothing to say Final Fantasy XIII is going to sell as well as everyone, even SquareEnix, is projecting.

I bought a DS and tried the majority of games considered great by RPG gamers, and suffice to say, I was not very impressed. I have never even touched a PSP but to my understanding there is very little unique content on it besides Crisis.  Even the console RPGs considered sub-par this gen like Lost Odyssey and SO4 provided me with much more enjoyment than the 'best' handheld RPGs.

     I get the feeling that many people claiming handheld RPGs this gen are the pinnacle of RPG gaming (apparently...in history?!) really are not playing games for quality, but rather as an acolyte of specific series or genre.  I don't know how you can go from playing Tales of Rebirth or Tales of Destiny Remake on PS2 three years ago to playing Tales of Hearts on DS and tell me its a comparable experience. I also don't see the real benefit of rebuying titles like Star Ocean 1-2, Valkyrie Profile, FF Tactics, Chrono Tirigger, and many other re-releases that are not that hard to play through other, cheaper means. 
     What people this gen are talking about when they say a 'revival' of RPGs is a recreation of the RPG sitatuations from SNES and PSX – where a steady stream of great games came in that offered a decent level of ingenuity and quality without overly relying on cliches and brand names.  This may of course be impossible due to the extreme cost of next-gen development, as well as the fact that the American market was targeted due to the 360s dominance (at least up to this point).

   I for one hope we can have the revival you're talking about, but it would first require developers to conceive of a real profit to cost ratio on PS3 lead development, which shouldn't be too hard if the user base rises in the coming year – aided of course by the inevitably success of FF XIII.

It's time to stop holding on the game as it is. Yes it will sell really well, but it won't stimulate JRPG sales much. ANYWHERE. Even in Japan the Japanese RPG is on consistent decline. Just open up and accept that a new variety of JRPG will evolve. Games like TWEWY are an awesome first step. Though not a major seller it plays differently and is fantastic.

That depends on what you have been hearing are the 'great' DS RPGs.  Suffice to say, the majority of people just think those are titles such as Final Fantasy, The World Ends With You and Pokemon.  Aka, the most hyped and widely available titles.  That doesn't make these games the best.

However, just because you didn't enjoy certain DS RPGs as the console RPGs you played doesn't mean the people on the flip side (who liked DS RPGs more) don't like them for quality.  Or even many other reasons, such as their focus on different aspects of development than the HD RPGs.  Such as many tend to focus more on gameplay, exploration and content over heavy graphics and diologue like the HD RPGs.

I personally don't think handheld RPGs this gen are the 'pinnacle' of RPGs.  However, in terms of where the focus of JRPGs and best JRPGs have been this gen, they have been on handhelds.  And heck, many of the best JRPGs of the past are being remade on the DS and PSP this gen as well, from Dragon Quest to Lufia to Pokemon to Phantasy Star to Final Fantasy.  As well as more original titles in those series and original IPs being released.  Its hard to deny that handhelds are getting the best of the JRPG treatment this gen.  But we won't know until this generation is finished if its really the 'pinnacle' of JRPG greatness.

One thing is for sure however.  JRPGs on the consoles have done very badly so far.  If Final Fantasy sells well, and by that I mean selling over 5 million units, it will be the only one deemed an all out success as an HD JRPG.  And frankly, that's not going to do any kind of 'reviving' of the JRPG industry.  The majority of JRPGs will still focus on the handhelds until next gen from now on.