Sony's decision to roll out the decidedly retro PS-LX300USB USB Stereo Turntable (available for 28,350 yen, or $286) might baffle some western consumers, but this move makes complete sense in Japan. While iPod Djs rule New York's hipster club scene and CD/VJ performers are on the rise in Europe, Japan has only recently seen its love affair with vinyl wane.

This new shift was made clear to me during a recent trip to a Shibuya record shop where a crowd gathered around a display featuring the Vestax VCI-100, a MIDI controller you hook up to your computer that allows you to mix, scratch and crossfade digital audio files on your computer with an amazingly realistic analog sound. As an avid vinyl collector, it pains me to say that after seeing the VCI-100 I'm convinced that this is the future of DJing. Just days ago Vestax unveiled the next version of the amazing device called the VCI-300. Using the PS-LX300USB to digitally convert your record arsenal over to the powerful VCI-300 is all today's next-gen DJ really needs to succeed in the studio or in the clubs. Check out video of the VCI-300 in action here.

Via Sony Japan and Vestax