Hmm.... when I think about it, they actually created a rumble pack for the Nintendo DS. It was made for Metroid Prime Pinball, but a couple other games use it. It is a very nice rumble that is effective and not distracting.
As a matter of fact, Warioware Twisted, the GBA game you twist in circles, (and might I add the best GBA game ever made :) ) has built-in rumble. The rumble is not very strong, but I can't imagine the game without it. You can turn it off, but it feels entirely different. The battery consumption of this rumble seems almost non-existant.
The point is, I do believe that anything can have rumble, optical drive or not. However, it probably should not be a very strong rumble.