It started once and got repeated since.

I think 3.0 psionics wasn't that great either, but 3.5e psionics is actually a very good magic system that some people like even more than the old spell slot system.

And then there's the thing that they decided for some reason to do all the psionic fluff with shaved heads, tatoos, crystal equipment, and ectoplasm and such, that really makes it hard it first to think of it as magic in a high fantasy setting. Once you got accustomed to the setting, you can play psionic characters exactly like bards and sorcerers, but I think the fluff in the XPH really is a huge distraction.