Im old enough to remember musicians getting angry over Guitar Hero. But they always seemed to be missing the point. Nobody was seriously suggesting that a video game controller would replace an instrument thats been going strong since the 15th century. Guitar Hero was a fun game, and if it persuaded a new generation to pick up the real thing, it was a net positive for the universe.A similar feeling washed over me seeing the LiberLive C1 on the ground at CES 2025. If the guitars future is in peril, it has nothing to do with the existence of the self-proclaimed first-ever stringless smart guitar. And really, referring to the thing as a guitar at all seems to be missing the point.Learning instruments is difficult, time-consuming, and can be incredibly frustrating. Take it from me, a decades-long terrible guitar player. Like Guitar Hero before it, it would be unserious to suggest a product like this poses any manner of existential threat to the guitar (besides, the emergence of non-guitar pop music did most of the heavy lifting there).Theres something gratifying about an instrument you can simply pick up and play. In fact, in a strange way, being a guitar player might have worked against me with the C1. You have to reorient your brain to embrace the instruments simplicity.There are a series of chord names associated with buttons on the side of the instruments neck. Holding one of these while strumming the paddle on the C1s body plays a chord. And thats really all there is to it.Theres no playing individual notes and nothing approximating shredding. You can, however, strum and sing along with songs on the app. Its effectively karaoke with an added dimension.Its fun, its portable, its $699, it lasts six hours on a charge. And it wont be replacing guitars any time soon. Check out more CES 2025 coverage, including