Trip World for GB costs as much as buying a Japanese or EU 3DS and downloading the game (and at least that can later be used to play other games too). (really got to wonder why they didn't release it in NA, too. Just because it wasn't originally released here doesn't seem like a big reason anymore.)
I wonder if that was the logic Nintendo was thinking when they made EarthBound a Wii U VC exclusive, though. :P