Back in March 1997, Nintendo was preparing to launch its N64 console in the United Kingdom.
Trailing the 1995 UK releases of the PS1 and Saturn – and coming almost a year after the Japanese launch of the N64 in 1996 – Nintendo was nonetheless in bullish mood, as it was confident its machine was the most powerful on offer.
And it seems plenty agreed at the time; an HMV spokesperson interviewed during this BBC segment felt that the N64 would come out on top and predicted that the market couldn't possibly sustain three consoles (that proved to be correct; the Saturn quickly fell by the wayside in the UK).
The general public was also enthused, stating that the visuals, sound, and gameplay were all superior to PlayStation. The benefits of fast load times due to the use of cartridges were also highlighted.
Interestingly, the BBC report includes a prediction by Datamonitor that console sales would peak in 1999 and then PC and online gaming would take over as the dominant platforms – something that obviously didn't happen, as the PS2 would go on to become the world's best-selling console not long after and we still have a healthy console market 25 years later.