VC is not a must, however it would be a big benefit. Before I purchase the 3DS, I'd need a solid library of games available. VC would speed that up by a lot, so I'd buy it much sooner. The GBA also had two Metroids and all but one (really two if you count Lost Levels) which are almost enough on their own to justify buying the handheld if they were $8 or less. I sadly sold my GBA and DS Lite to help pay for current games and being able to play those on the go (legally) would be really nice.